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.

Star senior Bryson Harper and junior Jason McLeod earned All-Conference honors for the men by virtue of their 2nd and 3rd place finishes at the meet. They came in with times of 25:40 and 25:43 respectively. AAC freshman of the year Connor Hatfield finished 6th less than 30 seconds behind.

Head Coach Rodney Stoker repeated as AAC coach of the year for the third consecutive time.

The men’s team began the season as the 15th ranked program in the NAIA largely on the strength of their 7th place finish last season as the team saw several key members graduate. Due to the lack of continuity and the uncertainty surrounding the team from the outset, this season could have potentially been looked at as a rebuilding year. Their two-time defending All-American, Harper helped to ensure that it would be nothing of the sort.

After dipping to 22nd, the Lions rebounded to finish seventeenth in the final ratings and recorded an excellent 11th place showing at nationals. Harper once again led the way for Bryan posting an outstanding top-ten finish nationally, once again earning All-America honors. McLeod finished 40th overall and Hatfield 53rd which was good enough to rate him among the top five freshman in the country.

Seniors Alyssia Lindsay and Ericka Simpson claimed All-Conference spots for the women, qualifying for the NAIA Championships individually along with All-Freshmen performer Jessica Stockton where the ladies competed well.

The Lions now turn their attention to the indoor season which redshirt sophomore Alex Stephens has already kick-started with an individual title. Stephen’s finished first in the men’s mile event at Liberty University’s Liberty Kickoff.

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.).

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.

“I am pumped about being able to travel to Ohio and run with all the best in the nation in the NAIA,” said McLeod. “ I am also super excited that I will be going with Bryson and Buffy who have really set high standards this year for the entire team to look up to.”

Coach Rodney Stoker has been mixing up the workouts for the team by varying the distance they run, and the intensity at which they run it.

“Training has been tough, and it has been a long road to where I am at today–fitness wise,” said McLeod.

To prepare for this race, Stoker has focused on strides and more shorter reps. According to senior Hunter Hall, who did not qualify for nationals, this was to prepare the athletes to “respond better.”

Bryan’s track team mostly focuses on outdoor track and cross-country races. However, the indoor track season allows them to become acclimated to competition. The team tries to reach peak fitness by May—when their critical races occur.

“It’s a long process to get to that fittest peak,” said Hall.

With the last year of Stoker’s running regimen, McLeod said he trusts that the team will do well at nationals. Ideally, he would like to win his race, but he knows that this is difficult. Instead, he hopes to finish in the top six runners and be given the status of “All American.”

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.”