Birmingham, Ala. - SamfordSports.com had a chance to sit down with Samford track & field freshman student-athlete Ben Bryant. The Bulldogs next competition is slated for Jan. 29-30, when the team travels to Nashville, Tennessee to compete at the Vanderbilt Indoor Invitational.
 
Why did you choose Samford?
"When I was choosing a college, I wanted to choose a good program to go into and a one that had my major."
 
How did you get your start in track & field?
"In eighth grade I played football and then I did track as a spring sport. I did track because of my cousins, I had several cousins and friends that ran track. I enjoyed it and one day the cross country coach asked me if I would come out for the team when I got to high school and I decided to do that."
 
When did you realize that track & field was something you wanted to do at the collegiate level?
"I wasn't very good at first, you know not everybody is and I just kind of worked at it. I started to really enjoy it and I found success in it. I realized that this is what I liked to do and I could be good at it if I worked really hard to make myself better."
 
What is your favorite moment in competition to this day?
"Back in high school during my senior year, my high school was never really had that much depth and we never really had a good shot at the cross country state title but I won the individual cross country state title. That put us in a good position to win the team title, we just missed out by a point. It was a special meet and it was the first time I had won an individual state title."
 
What are your goals for the 2016 season?
"Heading into cross country I had never really run some of the distances such as the 8k and the 10k so I really didn't know what to expect. I looked at people that were around my skill level and just kind of based my goals on what they did and followed their footsteps."
 
With a fall semester under your belt, what has been the biggest adjustment?
"Just managing time. In high school my parents would get home and we would have dinner, so everything was more scheduled. In college you have more free time to move around things but I always have to make sure that I have a plan about when to do homework, eat, laundry and things like that. Really just time management."
 
How would you describe the track & field culture at Samford?
"I think it's very positive. Everyone is very passionate about track & field, people that are very encouraging and that want to improve themselves and everyone as a team, also people that have very high goals."
 
Other than track & field, what is your favorite sport?
"Football, I played it in eighth grade and would have continued it into high school if I wouldn't have started running. I just love it, my dad and I always watch football."
 
Who is an inspirational figure that you use as motivation to drive you as a competitor?
 "My parents but I would more so say my dad because my dad had never run before but started around my 11^th grade year once I began being more competitive. He really just enjoyed it for running, I mean ran in some road races and stuff like that but he really just enjoyed it. He would get up in the mornings around 5 a.m. and go for a run before work. It just kind of makes me remember that running is really special."
 
What is your dream job?
"I've always loved anatomy and physiology which led me to working with the body and rehabilitation and such. I want to work with athletes but ultimately it doesn't have to be that. I just want to help people rehabilitate so that they can get back to a normal life."
 
Check back with SamfordSports.com for more "Getting to Know" segments featuring Samford track & field newcomers.