Runners positioned at the starting line prepare for a race at this past weekends AAC Cross Country Championship at Fort Bluff Camp in Dayton / Photo courtesy of Jordana Bollant

Jesse Murray
Senior Reporter

There was more going on last weekend than the LSU vs. Alabama game. Up at Fort Bluff Camp on Dayton Mountain, Bryan’s men and women’s cross country teams faced off against their foes in the 2011 AAC Cross Country Championship. It was the Lions first time hosting the tournament.

The men’s team took the title on Saturday for the third time running. It’s the Lions fourth cross country championship in the past five years. The women’s team took second place behind Milligan College.

“It has been a great experience to win four team titles as a Lion,” said senior Bryson Harper. “The past three in a row have been pretty special as well, and it is a beginning of a streak that I hope continues years down the road.”

For the men, Harper finished 2^nd in the men’s 8k with a time of 25:40 behind Austin Ellis of Milligan College, who finished with a time of 25:08. Junior Jason McLeod ended the race 3^rd with a time of 25:43. Both earned All-Conference honors. Highest freshman honors went to Bryan’s Connor Hatfield who finished 6^th with a time of 26:10. Junior Alex Stephens ended 7^th with a time of 26:11. Sophomore Anthony Simpson finished 9^th at 26:57 and earned All-Conference along with Hatfield and Stephens.

“The race itself was sub-par,” Harper said. “I know that we have a talented team that can compete with anyone, but our performance this weekend didn’t really show that.  We have two weeks to prepare for the National Championship, and I know that each one of the guys that I line up with on November 19th will be ready to perform.”

For the women, seniors Alyssia Lindsay and Ericka Simpson received All-Conference honors finishing the women’s 5k at 7^th and 9^th with times of 19:55 and 20:27. Freshman Jessica Stockton finished 14^th with a time of 20:52 and qualified for the NAIA Championship along with Lindsay and Ericka Simpson. Gillian Giffen of Milligan College finished 1^st with a time of 18:09.

Bryan Head Coach Rodney Stoker, who was awarded AAC Cross Country Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year on Saturday, said his runners “got it done” and that he was pleased with the Lions’ performance.

“Any time you win, it’s nice,” said Stoker. “It was a good day. Having all those people out there was nice. It’s cool to have that much support, and it’s fun to be a part of something successful.”

On November 19, the Lions will travel to Vancouver, Wash. for the NAIA Cross Country Championship. According to Stoker, several runners are dealing with injuries after the weekend race. Harper was hindered over the weekend with calf issues. Simpson is dealing with an Achilles injury while Stockton is currently recovering from hamstring problems.

“We’re a little nicked up right now,” said Stoker. “If we can get healthy, we’ll be ready to go out and compete in 11 days at nationals.”

[Photos courtesy of Jordana Bollant]

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Bryan College’s track and field program once again proved to have a competitive edge in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) in middle-distance running.

Last Friday, Bryan’s runners picked up five individual wins at the AAC Championship, held at Sidney Smallwood Track in Johnson City (Tenn.). Bryan won all men’s and women’s middle-distance events and the men’s 5k.

Sophomore Alyssia Lindsay led the Bryan women with wins in the 800 and 1500 meter races, lowering the school’s record in the 1500 to 4:55.34. She said that in both races everything came together well for her and her hard training work is beginning to pay off. At the end of the day, Lindsay received the award for most outstanding athlete.

“It is a huge honor [to win this award]. There are some great athletes in our conference and several of them could have won it. I am privileged that they chose me,” said Lindsay.

For the men, sophomore Jason McLeod, junior Bryson Harper and senior Zach Buffington earned the wins. McLeod won the 1500 meter race in impressive fashion, finishing seven seconds in front of the runner up. It was his first time ever to win a conference race.

“It felt pretty good to win a conference race for the first time… [But] I knew that the best runners in the conference were my teammates, so with none of them in the race, I knew it was mine to win,” said McLeod.

Although he was content with his performance, McLeod said he sees his win more as a stepping stone on the path to the national championship.

“A conference win is just another small step in the right direction. Ultimately we are looking to compete well at the national level, so everything we do is a process working towards that goal,” he said.

Junior Bryson Harper led the field in the 800 meter race and won the conference title in 1:55.26. McLeod came in third. In the 5000 meter race senior Zach Buffington claimed the win, and senior Hunter Hall finished third. It was the last conference race of their collegiate careers.

Although Buffington was not content with his time of 15:26.96, he said that he was “happy to end his career on a positive note with winning the 5k“.

Like his teammates Buffington is now looking forward to competing at the NAIA Outdoor Championship held from May 26 to 28 in Marion (Ind.).

Men’s and women’s track and field keeps waving the Bryan College flag on the national level. Traveling to the Niswonger Invitational hosted by East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, Tenn.) last weekend, the Lions achieved three national qualifying marks and several personal best results.

Junior Bryson Harper and senior Zach Buffington, who had already qualified for the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championship the weekend before at Indiana University’s Indiana Relays (Bloomington), continued their successful streak, qualifying in additional disciplines.

Harper finished 2^nd in the men’s invitational mile on Saturday, qualifying for nationals with a time of 4:14.96. The evening before Harper ran in the men’s invitational 800-meter race in 1:55.62.

“The goal before the race was to stay as relaxed as possible for as long as possible,” Harper said describing  his game plan. “I was just trying to compete and maximize my opportunities.”

Buffington placed 4^th in the men’s invitationl 3k race in a personal best of 8:42.92, punching the ticket for the national championship, and is now qualified for both the 3k and the 5k. Alongside Harper and Buffington, sophomore Jason McLeod qualified for nationals, finishing 4^th in the unseeded section of the men’s mile in 4:20.62.

“Going into the race, a big goal of mine was to qualify for nationals. I was very happy to be able to accomplish that, but anytime you lose a race there is always a disappointment,” said McLeod.

All runners for Bryan’s women’s track and field set new personal bests at ETSU. Freshman Andrea Spencer placed 2^nd in her section in the women’s 800-meter run in 2:33.78, while juniors Ericka Simpson and Alyssia Lindsay improved their personal records in the women’s mile and 3k respectively.

Coach Rodney Stoker was very pleased with his athletes performances as he watches them progress towards the national championship on March 3-5 in Geneva, Ohio.

“[We wanted] to compete for wins in each of our races and more importantly learn something from each experience to get better as we get ready for the indoor championship, It was a solid weekend for our athletes, and I’m more than anything pleased with their efforts,” Stoker said.

The indoor track and field season continues with a few athletes traveling to Indiana University’s Hoosier Hills Invitational (Bloomington) this weekend while the rest of the team will race at Clemson University (SC) for the Tiger Tune-Up the on Feb. 19.

Triangle photo by Lana Douglas

By Sebastian Fischer
Staff Writer

Last week I had the opportunity to talk to Coach Rodney Stoker, head coach for both the men and women’s cross-country and track and field. Now in his sixth season at Bryan, Coach Stoker was named Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) men’s cross country coach of the year three times and led his team to three conference championships while producing seven NAIA All-Americans and 61 All-conference awards. Stoker, a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, resides in Dayton with his wife of 11 years, Kimberly, and their two children Owen Miles (8) and Ian Pace (4). I talked to him about results, expectations for the upcoming track season and his coaching philosophy.

The cross-country and track and field program is the only one in the Bryan Athletic Department with a packed schedule year-round. Aren’t you jealous that your colleagues get more time off?

Our schedule is different, no doubt that it gets packed with cross country in the fall followed by the track indoor and outdoor season. But all the other coaches still put in a lot of time too, and, of course, I love my job and want my athletes to be successful. I’m a very competitive guy and I always want to win.

How is the year separated into the different seasons?

The cross country season takes place in the fall. As soon as that’s over, the indoor season starts. This year we took a little break over Christmas and will start off the indoor season next week with the race in Indiana (Indiana Relays in Bloomington, IN, January 28, 29). The outdoor season won’t start until the end of March.

Do you focus on some parts of the season more than on others?

The cross-country national championship is the key of the season and to get there we have to win the conference, so we can’t focus on the national championship without being concerned about the conference meetings. In track, the focus is on the outdoor season. We still compete indoors, but you can’t run fast all the time because then we wouldn’t be at our best when it comes to the national championship in track. We still want do well in the indoor national championship, but there is no doubt, especially for the middle distance and distance runners, that the focus is on the outdoor season.

You had a great cross-country season that finished with a program best of seventh place at the national championships. Looking back at the season, what is your conclusion?

I think now as you get more and more away from the season you see things clearer. During the season it was very intense. We were excited because we were successful and made it to the national championships. I was proud of my guys and we had a fantastic run at the nationals, although some guys didn’t even run at their best level, and in the end we finished seventh.

Of course you could always think about what could have happened if you made little things a little different, but there is no point in doing that. However, I think we can do better next year. We indeed lose our seniors Zach Buffington, Josh Bradley, Hunter Hall and Colby Smith who are going to be missed, especially because of their great leadership, but the underclassmen are growing and maturing in how they approach racing.

What are your goals and expectations for the upcoming track and field season?

We always let our athletes dream as big as they want – whether it is winning a national championship, being an all-American, or just making the nationals. Of course we try to meet all of their goals, but if that’s going to happen or not – I don’t know. Realistically, I think we should have some athletes being all-Americans indoors and definitely outdoors. But no matter if that will happen or not, our expectation is always that we get better. The good thing about an expectation like that is that tracks don’t lie, and success or failure measured easily. You always know if you’re making progress and getting better. Some of my athletes have really set themselves apart and they have a great potential to make it a big season.

Who are those athletes you are talking about?

Of course there is Bryson Harper, who is fitter than ever and pays attention to all the small details that it takes to be great. Bryson was our first NAIA All-American in cross country and has the advantage of a great range, so he could do well in anything from the 800 meters up to the 5k. Zach Buffington was fantastic in cross country, just behind Harper, and was 8th last year in the NAIA Championship 10k. The three sophomores, Jason McLeod, Alex Stephens and Drew Thompson, have championship experience and have been here for 18 months now, so I believe they will make some nice jumps in performance this winter and spring.

For our women’s team Ericka Simpson and Alyssia Lindsay should break every school record from the mile to the 10k, while newcomer Andrea Spencer has come a long way in a short time and will do well in the 800 and 1500 meter races.

Last season you were named AAC men’s cross-country coach of the year for the third time. The same number of times your team won the conference and has been to the National Championships, since you restarted the program in 2005. How do you push your team to those heights?

I think often coaches get way too much credit, because the kids do all the work, and it’s not hard to point someone in the right direction. When people come to me and say, “Coach, you’ve built a great program,” I point at my athletes because they built the program, I just had to guide a little bit. For me it’s just fun to watch the kids grow and get better all the time because that’s what they’ve done.

Then what are the keys to the great success of your team?

Success is all about being consistent. Maybe I preach too much to my athletes, but I think it’s important to do at least something every day. However, consistency doesn’t only mean training every day. It’s also about the way you eat, the way you sleep, and the way you set your mind on your athletic success in everything you do. Most of the athletes perfectly embody the necessary mindset without me even saying something.

I try to remind my athletes that everything they do [reveals] an opportunity; whether it is a practice, going to class, or maybe just sitting down at dinner with somebody. Those are all opportunities, and sometimes – too often – we just let them pass by. The goal is to minimize missing out on opportunities.

Your program is one of the most successful athletic programs at Bryan College. However, it seems not to always get the attention it deserves, mainly because there are no events on campus. Does that bother you sometimes?

It doesn’t bother me personally, I’m just trying to do my job and take care of the people who are interested in it. But sometimes it bothers me for my athletes, because if you see how the athletes are supporting each other at the events we have on campus – those are the experiences you never forget.

Can you think of ways to change the situation?

The main thing we’d need would be our own facility. The AAC wants Bryan College to be the host of the conference tournament for cross-country next year and we are trying to figure out a location where that is possible. I think it would be fun to have the student body there, to see our guys and girls perform, but I don’t know yet if that’s going to work out or not.

Cross country team prepares to compete in nationals, held in Washington./Triangle photo by Anna Kat Thomas

The men’s cross-country team placed seventh at the NAIA National Championships Saturday in Vancouver, Wash., and junior Bryson Harper placed 27th to earn a spot on the NAIA All-America team.

Junior Ericka Simpson paced four Lady Lions, who competed individually, and finished the 5K course in 20:15, good for 211th place.

Recently the men were able to defend their title as Appalachian Athletic Conference champions against Montreat College (Black Mountain, N.C.), and Head Coach Rodney Stoker was named the AAC Coach of the year.

Going into the competition with the men’s team ranked sixth in the nation, Stoker said, “Rankings are great for recruiting, they are great for alums, fans and our school, but for our team it is meaningless. That day is what counts, so it is not about numbers, it’s about effort.”

That is exactly what the teams will have to put forth this coming Saturday. Once the teams get to Washington and after the meetings and the banquets, it will be time for the Lions to find out if they are ready for this final race.

“This season has been all about preparing for Nationals.” said sophomore Alex Stephens, “We have gone into each race and workout with a strategy that it would all come together perfectly right here at the end for the ultimate race. Everything has led up to this weekend and it is time to unleash the Lions.”

For the men, it will be their third year competing at Nationals. Senior Josh Bradley, senior Zach Buffington, senior Hunter Hall, junior Bryson Harper, sophomore Jason McLeod, sophomore Alex Stephens and freshman Anthony Simpson will be running for the team.

This year the women’s team will be taking four individuals: juniors Alyssia Lindsay, and Ericka Simpson sophomore Catherine Anderson and sophomore Liz Olsen. This is the most women, from Bryan, who have qualified for nationals.

Though the individual runners set goals for themselves, Stoker said the team’s goal, as a whole, is simply to get better.

“When you start to put a number on things… we think more about that instead of where we actually are, and I think it takes your focus away from the moment you are actually in…The outcome is going to take care of itself.”

This final race will conclude both teams’ cross-country season, but indoor and outdoor track will begin in January.

The men’s cross country team placed first in the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday, held at Montreat College (Black Mountain, N.C.), scoring 20 points and qualifying for the NAIA National Championships.

The Lions swept second through sixth places led by junior Bryson Harper. Claiming the third through sixth spots were sophomore Jason McLeod, senior Zach Buffington, senior Josh Bradley and sophomore Drew Thompson.

The women placed second in the conference with four runners, juniors Ericka Simpson and Alyssia Lindsay, senior Catherine Anderson and sophomore Liz Olsen, qualifying individually for nationals.

In cross country there are two ways to qualify for nationals, either win the conference as a team, or qualify as an individual. To qualify as an individual, the runner’s team has to place in the top six. The individual runner has to place in the top 15 runners, plus, once the winning team’s runners are eliminated, the runner be one of the top five runners.

Although the men’s team won the AAC championship, only the top seven runners will compete at nationals, according to head coach Rodney Stoker, who, after the conference win, was named AAC Men’s Coach of the Year.

“I felt this was one of the best races all year,” said Lindsay about the weekend meet. Lindsay said all the “small things” like 6:15 a.m. runs and workout sessions, early bed times and eating healthy, “came together,” setting the Lions apart from the other runners.

Now the runners are focused on Nationals, to be held in Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 20.

Last year the men placed 27th at nationals. Stoker said the plan for nationals is “the same as it is with any race—to compete at the highest level possible and let the outcome take care of itself.”

Senior Josh Bradley competes

by Tim Baldi
Staff Writer

Last Saturday, April 10, the Bryan College Track & Field team competed in the 44th annual Sea Ray Relays at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

The event hosted nearly 1,200 athletes between Wednesday and Saturday.

Bryan runners placed fourth in the 4×800 meter, setting a new Bryan record and the second fastest time in the NAIA with 7 minutes and 42 seconds.

The finishing time also qualified Bryan’s 4×800 team for the NAIA Outdoor National Championship on May 27-29.

“We can compete with anybody,” said Head Coach Rodney Stoker. “It’s just a matter of believing it.”

The team was in second place behind Illinois State after the second leg of the race. However, two teams passed the Lions during the remaining two legs.

Freshmen Jason McLeod and Alex Stephens, sophomore Bryson Harper and senior Joshua Bradley competed in the relays on Friday and Saturday of last week.

“It was impressive how our boys competed,” said Stoker.

McLeod and Stephens ran personal bests in the 4×800 which was their first relay competition.

During Friday’s relays, Harper set a personal best in the 1500 at 3:58. Later in the evening, Bradley made fourth in the second section of the 800 at 1:53.

Several other schools participated in the relays such as Illinois State University (Normal), Milligan College (Milligan College, Tenn.), Lee University (Cleveland, Tenn.) Alabama University (Tuscaloosa) and University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.

The Lions will face their next rivals Thursday and Friday at Western Carolina University for the AAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Cullowhee, N.C.

We see them out running nearly every day, whether it is warm or cold, sunny, raining or snowing. Sometimes even twice a day. They put hours into training their bodies, toning their muscles and refining their movements. P90X is a common phrase in their vocabulary. Nearly every weekend they trade extra sleep for long bus rides. Ice baths and ice wraps are routine. Even in the summer they receive emails outlining the workouts they are to complete.

All because they love running.

It’s no wonder with this high level of dedication that the Bryan College Track & Field team continues to set records. This season promises to be no different.

With three records and a runner-up finish already under their belts, the Lions’ season looks promising.

Last weekend, the Lions traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C., to compete in the two-day Wake Forest Open at Kentner Stadium.

Redshirt freshman Alyssia Lindsay set school records in the women’s 1,500 and 800-meter runs. Friday afternoon Lindsay ran a personal best of 2:27.70 in the 800-meter. In her 1,500-meter run the following day she took sixth in section five at 5:02.33, according to the Lion’s website.

“[Lindsay] has come a long way in a short time and has a bright future,” said head coach Rodney Stoker.

Senior Josh Bradley took second out of 120 in the men’s 800-meter run with a season best of 1:51.89. Bradley’s time qualifies him for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championship at the end of May.

Junior Zach Buffington also finished with a qualifying time for the championship while setting a school record for the 10,000 meter with a time of 32:02.90.

Freshman Jason McLeod won the fourth section of the men’s 1,500 meter run with a personal best of 4:03.64. McLeod also ran a personal best the previous evening in the men’s 5,000 meter with a time of 15:42.26.

“To sum it up, it was a great weekend for our athletes. Buffington’s 10k record was impressive and his fitness and confidence are at an all-time high. [McLeod] continues to improve and set the tone for our freshmen athletes,” said Stoker.

“We can only benefit from aiming high,” said Stoker. “We hope to do well at the conference championship in mid April, but it will tough to finish high without an entire squad. We have the middle distance races covered and have one jumper and hurdler on the men’s side, but to do well you need all the event areas covered and that is something that is challenging.”

Keeping the team healthy is also always a concern. Shin splints and pulled muscles, among other injuries, are nearly inevitable when running an average of 60 or more miles a week.

“Any time you train at a high level and push the volume or intensity it can lead to injuries,” said Stoker. “We are a pretty cautious group, but you do start to take more chances with the training as the outdoor season progresses.”

Bryan will travel to Nashville for Vanderbilt University’s Black & Gold Challenge on March 27.

Bryan College track and field team competed in Clemson (S.C.) University’s Tiger Tune Up this past Saturday where they took four top-five finishes and qualified four runners and a relay for the near NAIA Indoor Track & Field Championships.

“We had a good weekend,” said Head Coach Rodney Stoker. “I didn’t have a lot of expectations. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on the young kids, but one of our guys, who’s been All-American a few times, was expected to win his race, and he did.”

Stoker was referring to senior Josh Bradley, who took the top spot in the men’s 800-meter race with a season best time of 1:54.36.“It was a low-key meet,” said Bradley, “but I think we came away with several solid performances that set us up nicely for Indoor Nationals at [East Tennessee State University].”

Freshman Alex Stephens and sophomore Alyssia Lindsay also put their marks on the 800-meter run, as Stephens won his heat with a personal record of 2:00.44 and Lindsay set an indoor personal best with 2:30.91.

Commenting on his freshmen runners, Stoker said, “It’s funny when [they] all run personal bests and they’re disappointed. They want to be good, and I guess that’s a pretty good problem to have.”

The 800-meter race, however, was not the only event dominated by the Lions as junior Zach Buffington and senior Daniel Goetz finished third and fourth in the men’s 3000-meter run, with Buffington clocking his qualifying time for nationals.

The Lions also took several places in the men’s mile as sophomore Bryson Harper hit his qualifying time for Nationals and raced into fifth place with freshmen Jason McLeod and Drew Thompson close behind, taking eighth and ninth, respectively.

“Our philosophy is to win,” said Stoker. “We try to teach them to be competitive and to always put themselves in a position to win the race, not always thinking about [their] time…. Through my experiences in watching our athletes, when they set a big personal best, it’s when they’ve really competed.”

Bradley’s comments show that the Lions are right on track with this philosophy as “most of the nine guys and two girls that went [to Clemson] did a workout after the meet, because [they’re] focused on nationals.”

“Two weeks from now, right before spring break, is nationals and there’s no doubt that that’s the highlight of the indoor season,” remarked Stoker. “We’re going to try to come away with some All-Americans, and if we do that, we’ll be satisfied.”

Coach Rodney Stoker with the Nationals-qualifying Lady Lions cross country team. Photo courtesy of Ericka Simpson

by Lana Douglas
Staff Writer

The Bryan Lion ladies’ cross country team went to the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Cross Country National Championships for the first time Nov. 21 in Vancouver, Wash.

Sophomore Ericka Simpson finished 20:59 in 241st place, freshman Liz Olsen finished 21:09 in 248th place and sophomore Alyssia Lindsay finished 21:58 in 287th place.

“I don’t know if it is so much about winning or losing, it’s more about just taking chances and using all the opportunities you have and doing your best,” said Olsen before the race.

Olsen started running track in 7th grade and competed in many races. This is Olsen’s first time at nationals for cross country.

According to Head Coach Rodney Stoker, it can be overwhelming when there are 300 other girls running, the crowd is yelling, it is raining and it is 40 degrees outside.

“I thought they handled it did pretty well,” said Stoker.

Although the women did not place high, it was a good experience and hopefully the first of many national competitions.

“It was a really cool opportunity and a good learning experience,” said Olsen.