Senior
Milo, Iowa
Why did you chose Central?
I chose Central because no one ever had anything negative to say about it. They always said something
bad about other colleges I was looking at. Two guys who I look up to quite a bit also attended Central. My
brother played baseball here from 2012-2013. Andrew Hamer, who helped me with running in high
school, ran cross country for Coach Dunham at Central. He put in a good word for me with Coach. I was
an alright runner in high school, but Coach invited me to all of the super cool visit days. I had a ton of fun
on my visits and everyone was so kind at Central. Choosing Central was easily the best choice I’ve ever
made.
Favorite professor and why?
Definitely Dr. Shuger Fox. I wouldn’t be where I am at today without her. When I told her my career
goals she did everything in her power to help me. I’ve done a lot of awesome research with her. I also
went to Costa Rica with her last summer, which was absolutely incredible. We’ve had a lot of fun and she
even occasionally lets me watch her son. Dr. Shuger Fox is a genius and knows how to get you where you
need to go. She also provides me with snacks when I visit her.
You’re majoring in __________ because?
I am majoring in both exercise science and biology. I have yet to declare my bio major, though. I chose
exercise science coming into college mostly because I loved sports and the movements behind them. Then
when I decided I wanted to do Sports Nutrition as my future career had to take a lot of Biology and
Chemistry classes. I only had to take a couple of extra classes to get the major so I decided to do it. I love
learning about our complex bodies.
Besides athletics, what else are you involved in on campus?
I am also involved with FCA, Thrive, and a cross country team Bible study. I will also be a part of SAM
this coming year. I also tend to do some sort of research with Dr. Shuger Fox.
Who are your go-to musical artists?
I don’t really have any go to artists. I’m terrible at remembering who sings what and even the names to
the songs. But if Reckless Love by Cory Asbury, Perfect by Ed Sheehan, or If I Can’t Have You by
Shawn Mendes is on then I will belt those out.
What did you do for work and for fun in the summer of 2019?
I probably had the best summer job. I worked for Musco Sports Lighting and got paid to travel the
country with Drew McDonough. Our job was pretty simple and Musco paid for almost everything. We ate
some absolutely amazing food and stayed in some sweet hotels. I was on the road almost all summer so
we found something fun wherever we visited. We went to some MLB games, ate plenty of ice cream, and
met some interesting people. Apparently a decent amount of people don’t know where Iowa is.
Would you rather have more time or more money?
I would rather have time. There’s always more stuff to do in a day or even a lifetime. There’s so much to
do in this world and you’ll never have enough time to do it all. I could also catch up on sleep, which
would be nice. With more time I could also pick up a job to earn more money.
What is one of your best memories from your childhood?
The memory I remember the best is when my twin sister and I were hitting golf balls with a baseball bat
to see how far they would fly. I pitched one to her and then wham! she drilled me square in the shoulder.
We had quite the fun growing up. I’m still not sure how my parents handled her...
Please explain how you got the nickname Kobe
I definitely didn’t have this nickname at my high school since we only won 8 basketball games in my 4
years. On one of my visits to Central all of the recruits and team members played a ton of basketball. The
DXC members at the time saw the Mamba within me so they gave me that nickname. That’s not actually
true. The guys on the cross country team at the time loved to give people nicknames and since my first
name is Bryant they gave me the nickname Kobe. Now the majority of Central people call me that. It’s
actually weird when someone calls me Bryant when I’m in Pella.
If you received a salary to follow whatever passion you wanted to, what would you do?
I would take a salary to travel to watch sporting events. I love to watch sports and it would be pretty sweet
to make a living off of just watching sports and traveling this beautiful world. I also wouldn’t mind to get
paid to disc golf.
What sport would you play at Central if it wasn’t cross country/track and field?
Some people from my hometown have urged me to go out for basketball since I’ve grown so much since
high school, but I would definitely play baseball. I pitched a decent amount senior year of high school and
I kind of miss it.
What’s it like to compete for Coach Dunham?
Coach Dunham is like a cool uncle. We have a lot of fun together but he knows when to get down to
business. He’s had a ton of success as a coach so he sets some pretty big goals for us. He sees our
potential and squeezes every last bit out of it. I never thought I’d run the times I did this past track season.
Coach believes in us before we believe in ourselves.
What’s your favorite part about being a member of Central cross country?
My favorite part is being a part of something greater than myself. It’s been incredible to be a part of a
team that doubles as a family. The whole team is so uplifting of each other. We all have bad races and it’s
not as bad when everyone is constantly lifting you up and helping you rebuild your confidence. It’s hard
not to be so close when you suffer through Dunham’s tough workouts together. The best moments of my
life have come with this team. Yerby
What do you hope to be doing 10 years from now?
I will be wherever God takes me. I would love to be living somewhere beautiful like Asheville, NC or
Pella. I hope to have my doctorate in Sports Nutrition and be teaching at a college and also helping out
with the cross country teams.
Favorite food from Central Market
I am the Market’s #1 fan so there is a ton of food that I love. I can’t pick just one. The three foods that
are tied for the top spot are avocado quesadillas, avocado egg toast and chocolate chip peanut butter
banana overnight oats!
Bucket list
Watch the Phillies beat the Cubs in the NLCS this year
Go back to Costa Rica
Visit every state
Run a mountain race
Watch the Olympics
Dunk on Will Daniels
Own a corgi
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