Shane Vicry
Triangle Writer
Our Bryan College men’s and women’s cross country teams have wrapped up another fantastic fall season. The school had the privilege of hosting the AAC Championship meet for the first time this year at nearby Fort Bluff Camp (Dayton Mtn.) seeing great success. The guys won their third consecutive AAC crown while the girls had a strong runner-up finish as well.
by Sebastian Fischer
Staff Writer
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.).
by Daniel Jackson
Staff Writer
Three men from Bryan College’s indoor track and field team are competing in the NAIA indoor track and field championships, held in Geneva, Ohio, at the Geneva Area Recreational, Educational and Athletic Trust Sports Complex, March 3 through 5. The championship races are held inside an echoing sports center large enough to hold a race track because snow and icy winds cover the outdoors.
Indoor track and field is very similar to outdoor track and field, except that it is raced indoors, and the track is smaller. An outdoor track is usually 400 meters long, but the average indoor track is 200 meters. At nationals, the Bryan Lions will be racing on a track 300 meters long.
Senior Zach Buffington, junior Bryson Harper and sophomore Jason McLeod will be traveling to Ohio to race against 144 other schools across the nation. Those schools will be represented by teams of one to 15 athletes.
Each of the athletes are running different races at nationals. Buffington will run the 5k race, Harper will compete in the 3k and McLeod in the mile. Read full story »
by Anna Kat Thomas
Staff Writer
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.” Read full story »
by Kaity Kopeski
Editor-in-chief
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.”
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