Freshman Feature: Q&A with James Brinyark
10/6/2016 3:40:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
James Brinyark was a late-comer to cross country but has been one of the Crimson Tide's top freshmen runners this season, posting a top 10 finish in his second collegiate outing at the Chattanooga Powerade Invitational on Sept. 9. He will be in action with the rest of the Tide when the team hosts the annual Crimson Classic Oct. 13-14 at Harry Pritchett Running Park in Tuscaloosa.
When did you start running?
James Brinyark: "I started running the summer before my senior year of high school."
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What got you interested in running?
JB: "[My friend], Andrew Robertson, who I've played baseball and basketball with since I was in elementary school asked me to join the cross country program started up while I was in high school. I said, 'sure, why not?' So that's how I got started running. We won state our first year together."
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When did you realize that you enjoyed running over all of the other sports?
JB: "Probably the first race. I didn't know how I was going to do. I went out there and did pretty well. It was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be."
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When did you realize that you wanted to run collegiately?
JB: "When I started getting letters from colleges, I realized maybe I could run collegiately. I started getting the letters the summer before my senior year."
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Living in Alabama, were you a fan growing up?
JB: "Yes, I'm actually from Tuscaloosa. I went to school at Northside High School. I enjoy going to football games. I was in elementary school when I went to my first Alabama football game."
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Being from Tuscaloosa having your family so close, did that make your transition easier?
JB: "Yes. Being able to see them on the weekends definitely helped me. I have two families. I have my actual family and my team family."
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How has the college transition been for you so far?
JB: "It's been pretty good. I was kind of nervous because there were a lot of unknowns. Now that I'm a month in, it's not too bad. I live on campus and it's all good. I'm studying accounting."
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Being a student-athlete, how has that transition been?
JB: "I thought it would be harder to manage my time, but I've been able to schedule out my classes where practice doesn't interfere. I've been able to study and I'm able to time manage. I thought that would be harder to do."
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What are some of the things that you typically do with your teammates?
JB: "We go out to eat and watch the games together."
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What are some of your team and individual goals going into the season?
JB: "Team goals are to come in the top three of the SEC. Individually, I want to place for my team. I want to come in the top five for my team. I want to be a leader and help lead by example by showing people how they should act."
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What is some advice you would give to someone who is interested in running in college?
JB: "You have to make it your number one thing. You need to be passionate about it. It's the most fun you'll ever have in college. I can spend every morning and most of my time bonding with the same group."
Players Mentioned
