On the trail with: Brian Stewart

Sophomore Brian Stewart knows the kind of strides he needs to take to be a standout runner for BSC's cross country team. Although now he is a distance runner, he began his racing career with shorter sprints.

"I started running back in 2001 when I was a freshman at Scituate High School. My old middle school gym teacher was the indoor track coach at the time, and he got a hold of me," Stewart said. "He had remembered me from gym class. So he got me out as a sprinter. That's how I came on the track. The following year as a sophomore, I did cross country, where I really took off as a distance runner. That became really what I liked to do."

Stewart, who can be described as an all-around team player, runs mostly distance events, but is willing to help out anywhere he is needed.

"Whenever they needed me throughout high school, and also here in college, I would just go into the event, especially if it was a distance event," he said. "I would just do whatever they'd need me to in order to get the points."

Because of his willingness to fill in wherever he is needed, Stewart does not have a particular standout time for any indoor event. Yet, it is a different story with the 5-mile cross-country race.

"I recently ran a race in 27 minutes and 24 seconds. I was pretty pleased with that," he said.

Stewart's best memory from track came this season, with the team placing second in the MASCAC Championship race on October 21.

"Last year, I was injured for the second half of the cross country season, so I only got to run in three of the races, and I missed out on a championship portion of the season," Stewart said. "When I was watching the race, I just thought about how much fun it would have been to be out there competing. So I was pretty proud to say that I was a part of that this year."

Although there are many things that Stewart loves about his sport, his favorite thing about it is the pride he feels from his accomplishments.

"[My favorite thing is] the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day," he said. "Making the All MASCAC team and placing sixth in the Alliance Championships gives you the sense of knowing you did the work, and then seeing it pay off at the end of the day."

Another thing Stewart appreciates about track is the relationship he has with his teammates.

"We're about as close as a group can get. Each guy brings a different aspect to the team," he said. "Whether it be someone you can talk to during your workout, someone who's there to push you in a longer run, or someone who may be a little bit quicker in speed. You can work off of each other, and that translates into better races for everyone."

Stewart embraced the choice to come to BSC thanks to the small town atmosphere, the moderate size, and the close knit campus.

"I've always been the type of person who likes to be in a classroom with 30 to 40 kids," he said. "I'm not one of those people who could have gone to a bigger school and been in a classroom, or a lecture hall, with 200 people and been more of a number to your professor."

As a commuter, Stewart also appreciates being able to go back home to Scituate at the end of the day.

Stewart is a physical education major and upon graduating hopes to teach P.E at the middle school level. He also wants to coach cross country or track for high school students. He has worked with the recreation department in his hometown with children who want to run track, so he has experience in the field.

"It's rare when you get a kid who wants to run, so when you get someone who's willing to work at it, it's a good time for everybody," Stewart said.

Stewart and the rest of the BSC cross country team finished up the cross country season this past weekend at the New England Division III Championships in Springfield. The men's team placed twenty-first and the women's placed thirty-fourth. Track and Field starts again in December with indoor competitions.