Photo from Drake Athletics
On Oct. 30, sophomore Brogan Austin made Drake cross-country history by becoming the first Bulldog to win the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship since Bobby Anderson in 2004.
Austin also earned two Missouri Valley Conference Athlete of the Week honors and was named the Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
As a member of the 2011 MVC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Team, Austin exemplifies the academic excellence that he will command from his students as a secondary math eduction teacher.
Austin hails from Boone, Iowa, a small town of about 12,000 people that is about an hour northwest of Drake. Austin’s transition from high school to college running the past two years has been made smooth by Drake head coach Dan Hostager.
“He is a real great coach,” Austin said. “He actually did a little pro running, so he can give a lot of insight. Hostager really cares about his runners, and he doesn’t just run you to death your freshman year and see if you survive. He gears your training towards your senior year.”
Austin described his 2011 season as successful, but he thought he could have done better. With aspirations of becoming an All-American runner, Austin’s goals are clear, and he has the means to achieve them. Austin is a must-see distance runner for the upcoming track season. Austin said he prefers anything between a one-mile and five-kilometer run for track season.
“It is more of a rhythm thing,” Austin said. “It’s harder to get into a groove for the shorter races, but for the longer races I can just lock it in.”
In addition to wanting qualify for the NCAA Championships next year, Austin is optimistic about his team winning a conference title in the future.
“A couple seniors really stepped up making the transition easy from high school to college,” Austin said. “We have a strong sophomore class and a good team returning, so hopefully we can contend for a conference title.”
If Austin could play another sport, he said he would wrestle. If he had to pick another sport at Drake, he said he would like to play basketball.
After graduating, Austin plans on being an algebra or calculus teacher for either high school or college students. For now, Austin is enjoying his burritos at Hubbell North, his blueberry pancakes at Hubbell South, and then running it all off for Drake track and cross-country.
