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Wednesday, 01 February 2012 22:44 |
Stanley Broaden is one of Appalachian’s 46 men’s track and field athletes and one of 27 men’s soccer players.
But there’s one title he doesn’t share however: he’s App State’s only two-sport athelete.
Broaden has been playing soccer since he was five and running track since he was eight or nine.
Originally from Wilmington, N.C., Broaden secured the state championship title in the 300m and 110m hurdles his senior year of high school. He also appeared in the New Balance Nationals, where he finished in fifth in the 400m hurdles, earning him All-American honors.
On the soccer side, Broaden was on a two-time NCSCA state team and three time all-conference in high school.
“It had always been something I had wanted to do,” Broaden said of continuing both sports in college. “But it was kind of just a thought.”
And it’s a high school career like his that allowed Broaden a possibility most athletes do not have: the ability to be a two-sport collegiate athlete.
“He was recruited through soccer and then the soccer coach came to me and wanted to know if that could be worked out,” track and field head coach John Weaver said. “I said ‘Well, sure. As long as you’re willing to do that, somebody as good as he is, we can certainly fit it in.’”
Broaden said some schools wouldn’t allow an athlete to double up.
“But then when I came here, they put it on the table right when I came on my visit and that just kind of became more of a reason to come here,” he said.
Broaden is halfway through his freshman year and it’s already beginning to pay off.
His first appearance with the track team took place at the Dick Taylor Invitational at UNC. In the meet, he finished in fourth place in the 60m hurdles, with a time of 8.28. The time put him in first place in the conference and eighth all-time in the ASU record book.
“He’s doing very well already,” Coach Weaver said. “He’s at the top of the conference, so we are hoping that he will continue to improve and do well. He’s certainly motivated.”
For now, Broaden said scheduling is “on and off.”
“Two times a week I’m with soccer and then the rest, leading up to meets, I’m with track,” he said. “But they kind of overlap. I’m running with soccer and it’s the same kind of running I’d be doing with track and that way I still get to scrimmage with my team.”
Coach Weaver said he’s happy with the way the situation worked out.
“In the fall, he’s totally with soccer,” Coach Weaver said. “Right now, in the spring and winter he is with us, but he does a couple days of the week with soccer just to keep his contact there. It’s working out fairly well at this point.”
Broaden said it’s hard to tell which sport is his favorite. He likes both and doesn’t regret having to split his focus.
“Being able to do both, if one doesn’t go well, then I’ll always have the other to fall back on,” he said. “I don’t get too tired of one sport because I am doing both of them.”
Coach Weaver’s only worry is pushing Broaden too hard.
“He does a lot of things really well,” Weaver said. “So really, it’s just a matter of kind of keeping tuned in and making sure we don’t overwork him - which we haven’t been.”
Broaden’s next appearance with the track and field team will take place this weekend at the Penn State Invitational.
Story: LEIGH ROBERTS, Senior Sports Reporter
Photo: OLIVIA WILKES, Photo Editor |
