by Jadrienne Myhre | Oct 12, 2010 | News Slider, Sports
Students who visit Bill Taylor’s office know the veteran cross country coach is proud of his job and his students. “The character of Lipscomb University, the environment, the Christian emphasis, the character of the kids is different than other schools, especially at the Division I level,” Taylor said. “And that’s by far the greatest part of coaching here: We can glorify Christ and I get good kids with good character.” Taylor, who has coached the team four years, explains that all the athletes set goals — both as individuals and as team members — to run to the best of their ability. “Our goal is to be as good as we can be, and give ourselves the chance for a conference title,” Taylor said. “We talk lightly about a conference championship, but it’s not like we have to win.” Taylor said that most girls who have been on the cross-country team for more than a year have dropped from one to three minutes off of their times on the 5K run. Jenny Randolph, a senior biology major and captain of the women’s cross-country team, said she appreciates Taylor’s coaching. “Coach Taylor knows how to structure workouts to be most beneficial to each individual and always, always pushes us to run to the best of our ability,” Randolph said. “He believes in us, even when we don’t believe in ourselves.” Randolph has been running cross-country since middle school. “On my recruiting visit, I was struck by how close the team was, and I wanted to be a part of that,” Randolph said. Randolph values the family atmosphere fostered by the members...
