Summer Series: Episode 1 feat. Owen Stamper and Stephen Eloji

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[00:00:41] latest news and updates around Middle Tennessee. Welcome back to the Blue Raider Podcast, I'm your

[00:00:54] host Jake Bolden and today is May 28th and welcome to our first episode of the summer

[00:01:00] series here at the Blue Raider Podcast and in today's episode we're going to be highlighting

[00:01:04] some of the national champion competitors from MTSU this spring starting off with senior golfer

[00:01:10] Owen Stamper and junior track runner Steven Elogy and then unfortunately as I teased on our social

[00:01:17] media accounts that we would have tennis player Leo Ray Queen joining us but unfortunately he had

[00:01:21] to travel all the way back to his home country of France after competing this last week but I

[00:01:26] wanted to take just a minute to highlight the season that he had. He finished at 1.18th in

[00:01:32] the country in singles competition as well as being ranked with his doubles partner Andre

[00:01:37] Horak who also competed last week in an impactful season to say the least about Leo's year.

[00:01:44] Eight ranked wins taking this team to the NSAAA tournament as well as their fifth straight

[00:01:49] Conference USA championship and Leo himself also picked up a Conference USA Player of the Year

[00:01:55] and Newcomer of the Year award so very impactful year for Leo, very excited about

[00:01:59] what he has done and as well as what he's going to be doing as he moves forward into

[00:02:03] what I assume would be a professional career at the tennis ranks. So Leo I appreciate him a lot

[00:02:10] for trying to work us in but of course family matters more than anything and I hope for him

[00:02:15] safe travels as well as all the other tennis players who making that international trip.

[00:02:20] So without further ado we'll get into our interviews again today don't forget to check

[00:02:24] us out in two weeks as we continue our summer series next week we'll be highlighting women's

[00:02:28] basketball but until then I will catch you in two weeks. All right Raider fans and welcome back

[00:02:34] into our summer series I'm joined today by our men's senior golfer Owen Stamper who just returned

[00:02:39] from the West Lafayette Regional his second straight year of competing at the regional

[00:02:44] level of the NCAA tournament last year as a team but this year as an individual and

[00:02:48] Owen tell me a little bit about your experience there man. Yeah so I mean golf is an individual

[00:02:54] and the hard thing about college golf is you have to play with counting three other guys score

[00:02:59] every day and doing that for four years I hadn't played regionals twice as a team and then this

[00:03:05] year I played as an individual. You know it was a weird different vibe you know you don't

[00:03:10] have your guys with you you have your coaches and when you're at dinner you don't have six or

[00:03:15] six seven or eight guys you have a couple coaches and your family there and it's just

[00:03:20] different but it's the kind of golf that we play during the summer. The vibe was I was able to

[00:03:25] get into that routine it was just weird going from a lot of team golf to that but it was a

[00:03:30] great experience really hard golf course which I like hard golf courses and we had a chance to

[00:03:36] punch it through to the national it's just one shot short so. Well I think you it's a

[00:03:41] testament to your scores there you kind of had a rough first round there and then you

[00:03:45] had a good bounce back in the second and third rounds tell me a little bit about you

[00:03:48] know you say it was a settling in effort or kind of figuring out the course. The first nine holes

[00:03:53] course playing really hard it was blowing 30 knew it was a hard golf course but it was I

[00:03:59] missed hit maybe four shots that front nine ended up shooting five over on nine holes and

[00:04:05] that's it was just a wild front nine I mean nothing really went my way and we kind of I

[00:04:12] got off nine made went to ten and I was like well that was really weird and Payne was like

[00:04:16] yeah that was different let's just get back after it I mean the next 45 holes I played great

[00:04:21] played those 10 under to give myself a chance at the end and just I don't really know if it was

[00:04:26] an unsettled nerves or I and I just think I just miss hit some golf shots and with that golf

[00:04:32] course you had to hit it borderline perfect every time and golf's hard man it's a brutal

[00:04:36] game. And it all came to a culmination there with that three-man playoff I mean it

[00:04:41] doesn't it doesn't really get any more exciting than that and I know I think I

[00:04:45] think that it was a tally of you both parred the first two holes and it fell off in the third hole

[00:04:49] if you can correct me if I'm wrong there but what's kind of the emotions rolling through

[00:04:53] something like that? Well it's like well when we made the turn that last day I like knowing

[00:04:59] like what score I have to get to some guys don't some guys just like to play but I'm very

[00:05:03] competitive and I looked at Payne and I was like well what we got to get to he's like

[00:05:07] right now looks like we gotta get six I was like all right we can get there I played the

[00:05:10] back nine good all week I love that back nine tons of wedges for me and ended up hitting it

[00:05:18] close several holes in a row and I made a big putt on 13 I believe then outstanding on 16 t

[00:05:24] box I was six under and so we're like all right we have par five and two tough finishing holes

[00:05:30] and I cut a couple bad breaks in a row there on 16 made bogey and then made two great par

[00:05:36] putts on 17 18 and I was like well that there's three of us at five let's get after it and I've

[00:05:43] played all day with Cameron Huss from Wisconsin and then Eric I played with him a couple of rounds

[00:05:49] throughout my career just didn't know him very well but I know he's a great player and then on

[00:05:53] one they were both in the fairway I was in the fairway bunker they air mailed the green long

[00:05:58] had some adrenaline pumping so I was just licking my chops because I hit last and then

[00:06:02] of course my adrenaline got to me too I air mailed the green we all got up and down for par

[00:06:07] on the next hole well didn't hit very good golf shots as a par three and I felt like I was in

[00:06:13] the best position I mean Cameron actually hit in the water on that hole so it's like all

[00:06:17] right we can kind of count him out he is drop penalty shot to probably six feet down

[00:06:22] the hill he's like all right par takes him out for sure and it might take Garrett out just

[00:06:28] with where he's at and we all three end up making bogey and so it's like all right well

[00:06:33] it's a survive advanced scenario let's just go to the next and 17 is probably one of the harder

[00:06:38] holes out there in my opinion another par three is playing like 212 that day water all on the

[00:06:43] right Gary had a great shots 25 feet and then I just flared one in the water and I hit it

[00:06:52] I knew where it was going there was nothing to be said and I was like well we're gonna

[00:06:57] need a miracle here to survive through this one Cameron got up and down for par and then

[00:07:02] Garrett's putt I still to this day don't know how that ball didn't go in it touched every

[00:07:06] inch of that cup went horseshoe back at him but yeah just golf is a brutal game I mean if

[00:07:13] I hit that thing 30 yards left we're still in it we have a chance to get up and down and

[00:07:17] go on just it just kind of came down to a little open face six iron into the water

[00:07:24] Hmm well tell me about your experience at MTSU one of the few nowadays I know golf can even be

[00:07:29] a funniest sport about transferring and things like that but you're a true four-year player

[00:07:33] here at MTSU just kind of again the culmination of the opportunities to play it at such a high

[00:07:38] level like you have I mean been very successful so I'm interested what's your feedback in

[00:07:43] regards to your years at MTSU yeah so I'm thankful for every second I got you know I was

[00:07:50] a three-sport athlete in high school and wasn't able to play the national schedule like a lot of

[00:07:55] my buddies that are signed SCC schools and like I knew I could beat them I beat them all summer

[00:08:00] long but it's like right after fall break basketball and then losing region then we go

[00:08:06] straight to baseball and then we're ever losing region again straight to golf and I just ran

[00:08:10] through that so it was a my recruiting process was finding a coach that believed it's like hey

[00:08:16] I can do this and when I get full time I think I can be really good Mark coach McIntyre was

[00:08:22] amazing with that he was like well I like you we're going to take a chance and I think it

[00:08:27] worked out okay I made the best friends of my life down there at MTSU too many memories

[00:08:32] honestly lots of laughs sitting in the hotels or on the plane rides here and there and I

[00:08:38] wouldn't wouldn't trade a second for it it was an awesome four years so you would admit

[00:08:43] that golfers are also athletes then oh yeah for sure I mean we're not we all can't run down on a

[00:08:50] fast break and dunk a ball and a lot of a lot of guys can't throw her a mile an hour and hit

[00:08:54] a baseball for her foot but we do some pretty special stuff with the hardest game that we play

[00:09:00] so yeah golf is definitely has its challenges as one that is absolutely terrible at it but I'm

[00:09:06] interested to know from your perspective how did you make that decision like it like you

[00:09:11] said you're a three sport athlete baseball basketball in in high school you know what

[00:09:15] what made you decide that golf was going to be your your game yeah I mean basketball is a pretty

[00:09:21] easy one to x out I'm six three I'm not six eight I'm not jumping out of the gym I'll get

[00:09:27] I mean I I was an okay high school basketball player I mean averaging 15 and eight like that

[00:09:32] that's an okay but it's nothing that's going to take you to the next level I did that

[00:09:36] because all my friends played it and I love the competitive side of it

[00:09:40] baseball baseball was my first love for sure I loved playing baseball but probably around eighth

[00:09:47] grade freshman year I was I was always going to play all three throughout school I couldn't

[00:09:53] give any of them up but it was a fact of all right I want to do something professionally like

[00:10:00] I want to take a shot at something what's my best odds and so I kind of had to build

[00:10:05] my lifting routine and my whole body because the baseball body and the golf body it's totally

[00:10:12] different totally different lifts everything and so I was like I really think I have the best

[00:10:16] shot in golf and so that's what I committed to in that but at the same time whenever

[00:10:22] another season's rolled around I'm full in on that I just I love how golf you're always

[00:10:27] chasing perfection but you're never going to get there and it's always you in your golf ball

[00:10:34] against the course and you stack them up against other guys it's you can't in team golf you can

[00:10:39] have a guy save you from a bad round from the team perspective but you're always fighting for

[00:10:44] yourself and there's nobody else to blame or back back you up on it so that that's why I

[00:10:49] really chose golf is just it's it's only you out there and you just got to go get it done

[00:10:53] you can't make an excuse for it now I know your dad is also the baseball and golf coach at your

[00:10:58] high school that you're from it is his coaching or his I guess his his kinship to you did it

[00:11:04] ever have any sort of effect on what your decision was as well I mean he I'd say all

[00:11:10] the time I'm very very lucky to have the parents I have they aren't the controlling the

[00:11:15] overwhelming parents when it comes to sports I always hated seeing kids who are very talented

[00:11:21] their parents burn them out with the sport you know my dad was going to treat me the same if I shot

[00:11:25] 65 or 85 you know as long as I gave my all to it and I was fully committed to every shot he

[00:11:32] was he was perfectly fine with it the result was not what he was after you know and he

[00:11:38] played college baseball and then of course off seasons those guys they they played golf and

[00:11:44] when he was out of college he had a ton of time on his hands and he got into golf became

[00:11:48] a really good player and so I mean tagging along with him on the course when I was young

[00:11:52] I mean I've I don't remember when I wasn't playing golf so having that relationship with

[00:11:57] him where we can just when we all was younger we'd go out and play nine it was always the

[00:12:02] goal to beat him and then I finally beat him and it's like okay well this feels really good

[00:12:06] and then getting in the competitive side of golf when he got me taking me to all these

[00:12:10] tournaments and giving me the opportunity to showcase my talents it was like okay I think

[00:12:15] I can actually do this and he was always there for me in the lows and the highs I remember a

[00:12:21] crazy story in high school we're playing of course in the high school Kentucky season like you

[00:12:26] play a lot of tournaments in that first week like you're playing probably six tournaments in

[00:12:31] a week week and a half it's just how the schedule always works that's when all the best

[00:12:35] tournaments are first term of the year shoot 67 68 win that was a junior year then the net

[00:12:43] literally the next day a different golf course across the county I think I shoot 90 and it was

[00:12:50] like okay this is a big reality shift like I had a terrible day nothing went right man

[00:12:55] nothing changed out of him it was like golf's hard we just you have a tournament tomorrow

[00:13:01] you have to figure it out and so he he's always been so supportive of me and everything

[00:13:06] and so is my mom and they're they're really good about making me know that golf isn't everything

[00:13:13] but at the end of the day you can't beat yourself up too much over this game yeah I would assume

[00:13:20] you playing multiple sports growing up is a great way to kind of combat that burnout that

[00:13:24] you that you alluded to earlier now that you have dedicated your I guess your athletic abilities

[00:13:30] to golf now that you are in college and it's been four years now I'm interested what does

[00:13:34] a guy like yourself do when you're not on the golf course what are things you do to kind of break

[00:13:38] away from the game if I'm not playing golf I'm either I'm either hunting or fishing usually

[00:13:44] I'm somewhere out in the middle of nowhere without cell service and I would be perfectly

[00:13:49] fine if I never had a phone because I love being out in the middle of nowhere with a

[00:13:53] couple buddies trying to hunt something down or catch a big fish that's that's what I do

[00:13:59] and I feel like I don't really ever get burnt out just because I know how to shut it off

[00:14:05] and hunting fishing is a perfect release for me because it's a totally different life and I love

[00:14:11] every second of it so what's your what's your game you should you hunt everything I fit if it

[00:14:17] flies or jumps or walks we hunt it we we hunt it all up here so anything from coyotes

[00:14:25] to deer and turkey and dove and ducks so excellent yeah you sound like a real like I mean it's I'm

[00:14:32] an equal guy for those that are from MTSU I'm a country boy true true to Murfreesboro but you

[00:14:38] sound like a guy like very similar to people that I had grown up with minus I was a baseball

[00:14:43] guy golf was just never my game and and for whatever reason it's funny that you mentioned

[00:14:47] that you were able to do both at the same time so to kind of go back to that transition

[00:14:51] you know going between all these sports how as a guy this is more of a personal question than

[00:14:56] something people want to know how are you able to to transition your swing from a baseball swing

[00:15:02] back to a golf swing and then vice versa especially through the spring and summer

[00:15:06] yeah I mean there were there were several tournaments because the US Open local qualifier

[00:15:10] it's always in May and so like I'd always play that and literally would might have a ball

[00:15:15] game the night after or two nights before and so it was I never had an issue with it I always

[00:15:22] hear like oh golf swing mess up baseball swing baseball mess up golf swing but it just always in

[00:15:27] my head it was it was two different swings but like I was focused on two different things in

[00:15:33] both so yes after the baseball spring season it took me maybe a week to get back into

[00:15:39] tournament shape just from a little almost rust breaking off but I don't think the

[00:15:44] baseball swing ever affected it I think it all honestly helped me with because

[00:15:50] one of my biggest parts of my game is how well I drive the golf ball I do drive it long and

[00:15:54] straight and I always had to you're creating speed and power in baseball and I think that

[00:16:01] really really helped me out with the driver because I just I know how I have fast tips

[00:16:06] and that translates to baseball as well on fast hands it never really bothered me but at the

[00:16:13] same time I never put them together as if they would conflict because it all kind of was a

[00:16:20] totally different game like one sitting still once coming at you at 93 so that's that's kind

[00:16:27] of how I compartmentalized it you you touch a little bit and you sound like a guy that

[00:16:32] understands the modalities of training in comparison to those that require more

[00:16:36] athletic ability compared to golf and I know I joke about golfers not being athletes but I'm

[00:16:41] you do something a guy that has an understanding of what it takes in the off season or even

[00:16:46] in season for that matter to train to perform well so as a guy that studied physiology at

[00:16:51] mtsu myself I'm intrigued to know you know what does a guy like yourself have to do

[00:16:55] in order to stay in game in season shape as well as even in the off season

[00:17:00] yeah so golf is it's very hard on your back and your hips and so a lot of the end season stuff

[00:17:06] is a lot of maintenance stuff it's a lot of stretching it's a lot of mobility because

[00:17:10] if you're I mean your body's swinging this club over 100 miles an hour hundreds of times

[00:17:16] a day and so you have to not be able to let that body break down so I do a lot of

[00:17:20] maintenance in season day-to-day before and after rounds of just mobility making sure

[00:17:26] everything can move the way I want to especially in my hips and my hip flexors that's big for me

[00:17:30] and just being able because I have a big rotation and so that has to be able to fire

[00:17:36] and it can't be locked up because then we don't have a golf game anymore you know

[00:17:41] so it's a lot of mobility I don't touch a lot of weights in season if I do it's a

[00:17:45] lot of core and balance based stuff but it's a lot of rotation stuff for me on the workout

[00:17:51] and I mean a lot there's some guys that love weights and some guys that don't ever touch a

[00:17:56] weight and you can see who is who on the PGA Tour you know Brooks Capita he's lifting he's

[00:18:01] bench pressing he's squatting he's dead lifting and then you have a guy like Justin Thomas who

[00:18:05] hasn't touched a barbell in his life you know but they're all elite golfers and everybody

[00:18:10] and every golfer is different and I learned the best for me in season to kind of get away

[00:18:18] from the soreness of things it's a lot of bands and a lot of body weight stuff and a lot of rotation

[00:18:23] stuff so that's kind of how I focus on things. So someone like John Daly a lot of us that

[00:18:28] are aspire to be good golfers we can down a beer every hole and do a pack of cigarettes

[00:18:33] and we still have a shot is that what you're saying? Oh of course he did it for a lot of

[00:18:37] years and he did it very well there's no right combination you know that's the crazy

[00:18:41] thing about golf there's no perfect swing that can guarantee you a great shot every time there's

[00:18:48] no perfect putting stroke and there's definitely no perfect physio routine it's just you have to

[00:18:55] find what works for you and you have to believe in it. Absolutely and you dropped some

[00:19:00] names there I'm curious to know is obviously you're a watcher the PGA Tour what are kind

[00:19:04] of some guys that you like to think you modeled your game after? Oh that's always

[00:19:08] a good question because I was self-taught so I would I like I love the mindset of Brooks Koepka

[00:19:17] he ramps up four times a year all for the majors those are the only one that matters in his head

[00:19:22] which was the same way with Tiger he was focusing everything on the four major championships

[00:19:26] of the year. I love the middle side of Brooks's game I would love to say hit it like

[00:19:31] Scottie Scheffler but that that's just not that's just not a fact yeah I do I do

[00:19:35] love watching the old videos of Steve Stricker and how he pitches it and wedges the golf ball

[00:19:41] I take pride in my wedge game my pitching game and I love watching him and how he goes about

[00:19:45] it so I like to model my wedge game after him and for me it's just I don't like to model

[00:19:52] myself after anyone like in the swing or something because my body's not theirs but

[00:19:57] you can pick bits and pieces from everybody Brooks Koepka for example he's a cutter of

[00:20:02] the golf ball like I am and it I learned from him that it's okay to swing way left and as long

[00:20:08] as you have face control you can you can play it and so it's little things like that that you

[00:20:13] pick up on along the way through conversations or watching videos and it's like okay well what

[00:20:17] I'm doing is not completely wrong so we're along the right path at least. How often do

[00:20:23] you find yourself kind of fine-tuning those details because I'm sure you know you try one

[00:20:27] thing and it could change I don't think you're making any dramatic changes in season but how

[00:20:31] often are you fine-tuning your stroke? I mean for me it's paying attention to the details every day

[00:20:38] a great guy does that Xander Schaafle just won the PGA championship. I picked up a lot of things

[00:20:43] from his practice routine about it sounds so weird but it's like his alignment stick with

[00:20:49] tape at certain spots for his feet and for the length of how far extension the golf ball

[00:20:55] and it's the little details every day because if you just forget about those that can creep

[00:20:59] into your swing in ways that you don't really think about and before you know it you're completely

[00:21:04] lost. I just I focus on the details and the stuff I can control every day and yeah I'm not

[00:21:10] during season it's hard to make big changes because at the end of the day it's about what

[00:21:14] you can step up on the tee box and trust so like right before regionals I hadn't been

[00:21:20] playing my best in the last three tournaments coming in had some good finishes but just really

[00:21:26] wasn't in contention for as long as I would like to be you know and so I visited my swing

[00:21:32] coach down in Texas and I was like all right man you know what's going on you've seen the scores

[00:21:37] like we're close but we're not winning and he was like all right well let's not throw out

[00:21:43] the towel or we don't have to rebuild the wheel here and just I love him to death because

[00:21:48] he keeps everything very simple and back to the basics of like all right if you're going

[00:21:54] to draw it you have to swing right with a shut face you got to cut it swing left with an open face

[00:21:58] is like if you can control those you don't have to have a perfect golf swing if you can control

[00:22:04] that you can control your distances and trust your putter like you're going to be okay and so

[00:22:08] that's a big thing for me because if I get if I'm swinging it too far left it's like all

[00:22:12] right I don't have to reshape my swing I just have to feel swinging it right a little bit

[00:22:16] and so that that really helps me a lot just the maintenance the day-to-day of because I

[00:22:21] don't have the perfect golf swing I mean in the perfect golf swing like Adam Scott it I mean

[00:22:26] if that was the key he would win every week and he just doesn't and so you you have to know where

[00:22:31] your golf ball is going and how to get it in the hole and that's what I focus on a lot in

[00:22:35] my practice just making sure everything's in the right setup so I can do that you know

[00:22:41] and your game continues to grow and as we're recording that the this week you you made the

[00:22:47] announcement it's on via social media that you you've signed I guess with a management

[00:22:51] group and now you're looking to move on to professional so kind of tell me a little bit

[00:22:55] look into the future here for Owen what are kind of some aspirations for you as your game

[00:22:59] continues to grow yeah it's been a it's been a chaotic week a lot of phone calls a lot of

[00:23:04] emails sent across I did sign with a management company Nick is the guy who runs it and he's

[00:23:10] he's a great guy he's great from the management standpoint because he's been in the golf business

[00:23:14] for 20 years and all different kinds of with club companies management companies and players

[00:23:19] and he's also a great guy because if I called him and I need him to come pick me up on the

[00:23:23] side of the road he'd be there he's a great we've developed a great relationship I know he'll

[00:23:28] always go to bat for me looking into the professional golf um I've been really excited

[00:23:33] for it I played a Monday qualifier on Monday and finally got I played a couple before just

[00:23:38] as an am but finally got a taste of oh this is this is life now you know this is this is

[00:23:43] the business and sadly the money reflects how good you play but but I also I love that side of it

[00:23:49] because like I said earlier it's it's all up to me there's nobody to blame there's nothing

[00:23:54] to put it on like if I'm going to go make a check I have to go do it so I think it's

[00:23:58] June 8th I go up to Canada for Canada Q school to play on the Canadian tour up there because

[00:24:04] Cornferry Q school doesn't start till the fall player away on there and have some

[00:24:08] tournaments to play and get after a little bit up there yeah that's that's pretty exciting news

[00:24:13] I mean is that I guess it's something you had planned on this whole time as you were finishing

[00:24:16] out your career at MTSU that the professional route was was something that would be worth

[00:24:20] going after yeah I mean we of course freshman year by everybody's terrible they're

[00:24:25] freshman year you know there's a few exceptions um of the gordon sergeants of the world but um

[00:24:31] I finally figured out probably halfway through my junior year it's like hey we can we can

[00:24:37] actually do this and I'm getting a lot of a lot of good feedback from guys that are

[00:24:41] playing professionally and coaches that have seen what it takes and it was like well I

[00:24:47] think we can do this but we have to focus on every little detail now because it is it's a

[00:24:52] job and professional is a very literal term you have to be a professional about what you

[00:24:58] eat how you sleep how you travel and that's before we even step on the golf course so

[00:25:04] I'm excited for it I love love the challenge and the adventure that it brings so

[00:25:09] you sound like you got a good head on your shoulders for that kind of aspirations I mean

[00:25:13] as you said it's like your play is your paycheck and that's kind of a different aspect

[00:25:16] that most of us don't have the the fortune to live every day so that's exciting news for

[00:25:20] you obviously you have plenty of talent um I'm excited for you as well as many blu-rayter

[00:25:25] fans but before we shut down the interview here I'd just love to hear you kind of your

[00:25:29] final parting words here for for mtsu I know you graduated not too long ago so just tell me again

[00:25:35] like what your those parting words are to blu-rayter fans no uh blu-rayter nation's been

[00:25:40] awesome um I've got nothing but support from everybody and best of wishes the members that

[00:25:46] are golf clubs that we play at they're they're the best I get text every day at least

[00:25:51] from multiple of them about checking up on me how's everything going if I need anything

[00:25:56] mtsu it was a great experience of four years and people ask me do I regret anything

[00:26:03] you mentioned the transfer portal but no I would I would go back and do it all again four years

[00:26:07] in Murfreesboro it is truly home for me and I loved every second of it and I thank everyone

[00:26:13] who followed along on the journey absolutely oh and I appreciate your time today yeah thanks

[00:26:18] for having me on jake come back into the blu-rayter podcast and our summer series episode

[00:26:23] one as we highlight our NCAA championship competitors from our spring sports and now

[00:26:28] join with me is our hurdling specialist from the outdoor and and indoor track and field team

[00:26:32] is Stephen Ology jr. Stephen how's it going good good thank you for having me absolutely man and

[00:26:40] talked on the top of the show here where you were traveling a lot I know you're in Lexington

[00:26:43] still right now as you and some of your fellow teammates are competing and at the time of

[00:26:47] recording you had your first heat yesterday and it didn't end exactly how you would have

[00:26:50] liked for it to but tell me a little bit about your experience these last two years

[00:26:54] they're competing at the east regionals um it's been it's been great I mean you know going

[00:27:00] tour to tour and head to head with a lot of great as student athletes as well as myself

[00:27:05] it's just been unfortunate that sometimes like like like life is you know child

[00:27:11] food filled with hurdles you know you just gotta take it one at a time basically but

[00:27:16] yeah it's been it's been great it's just sometimes just doesn't happen the way we

[00:27:21] want it to happen but then again we just gotta forge ahead but yeah it's been it's been awesome

[00:27:26] it's been good and to highlight for those that don't know Stephen did run the second fastest

[00:27:30] time in NCAA this year in order to qualify for the east regional and so um with that

[00:27:35] being said it's funny how track can be that way I know that a lot of people talk about

[00:27:39] altitude they'll talk about wind and those kind of things and so I'm interested to hear

[00:27:42] your take on one you broke your own record there in the conference USA championships but

[00:27:47] yeah what changes from that from the conference championships to say the regionals you had

[00:27:52] yesterday nothing really nothing really changes from that it's just you know just trying to

[00:27:59] basically just keeping the same focus in mind and just going into every championship every

[00:28:03] meet with the same mindset hoping to go faster and be better than you know what the previous

[00:28:10] meet or track championship was and for me going my mindset going into the east region was you know

[00:28:18] qualify and just go to the NCAAs but as as I could as life could have it um I clipped

[00:28:28] the hurdle yesterday I just couldn't get my rhythm right and crashed out of the fight for

[00:28:32] the next round so yeah that's what it was but yeah how does how do you avoid something

[00:28:37] like that I know obviously that's the name of the game when we're doing 110 meter hurdles but

[00:28:41] how exactly is that something like it's all cadence right there's a rhythm to it oh yeah

[00:28:45] that's a rhythm yeah you're right yeah well uh to be honest I'll say just executing right

[00:28:53] just being focused and just executing every every part of the race good and as it should

[00:29:00] be so yeah that's basically just what it is yeah and I think the head on your shoulders

[00:29:05] is right about it and again highlighting your career that you've already had at MTSU over the

[00:29:09] last three years is you've got plenty of conference championships to go to go with

[00:29:14] it 110 meter on the outdoor we know that you've kind of run the table with the 60

[00:29:18] meter hurdle on the indoor side of things how does someone become a hurdler like you

[00:29:22] obviously have great speed but what sets you for being a hurdler as opposed to just being

[00:29:27] a 100 or 200 meter runner I'll say techniques

[00:29:33] I'll say having having the right techniques going over the hurdles because it's not yeah you

[00:29:38] have to yeah definitely techniques because the hurdles is not just something you can you know

[00:29:43] just wake up and say hey I want to be a hurdler over time you have to um develop and

[00:29:49] develop this technique and a race pattern for yourself to be more comfortable with it

[00:29:55] because like I said it's not something you just wake up and say hey I want to be a hurdler or

[00:29:58] something you just gotta have years accumulated of techniques and speed as well so yeah yeah so

[00:30:06] I'm interested is it hurdling something that you kind of thought you would be into like again

[00:30:10] like I'm sure at some point as a track runner you probably get tried out at all sorts of

[00:30:16] different events is it something that like from the get-go your coaches saw like a hurdling

[00:30:20] is something that that Stephen's going to be that's going to he's going to excel at

[00:30:23] relative to other events yeah growing up my mom was my coach so yeah she she said you know

[00:30:30] you had the height for the for hurdles you should be a hurdler you'd be good

[00:30:33] hurdles because apparently she tested me in every event on the track and field I did

[00:30:38] virtually every event before I found before I found that yeah the hurdle is my niche but yeah

[00:30:44] it's my mom like basically because of my height and the hurdle you're good yeah yeah that's so

[00:30:54] far so good I've been excelling well in them so yeah so how long have you been a student of

[00:30:59] your mom's I thought it I think uh whenever I was like 12 yeah I was 12 years old when I started

[00:31:08] working like training with my mom um I know that your hometown you have listed as is

[00:31:13] excuse me if it's an umbrella Nigeria is that correct yes you're right so is that where is that

[00:31:18] where you're from is that where your family's from or were you born and raised in Nigeria

[00:31:22] yes that's where my family's from and that was so what point did you make did you and

[00:31:27] your family make the trip here or is it or is where were you a solo trip what's your

[00:31:30] journey here to America right so um basically basically I had my first year of college in

[00:31:37] Nigeria like the COVID year and then I was just um I heard about MTSU from a fellow track athlete

[00:31:47] back in Nigeria who my mom was to train Benjamin Arrins he graduated MTSU last fall so yeah I

[00:31:56] heard he was here and I was like I'll you know love to come to the U.S. and I emailed

[00:32:03] Coach Dean Hayes so blessed memory rest in peace I emailed him and I told him my times and he was

[00:32:09] interested he he was interested in you know recruiting me for MTSU and here I am yeah

[00:32:16] that's always an interesting story and the team is full of of those that are not from

[00:32:20] the United States um so it's always an interesting how that chemistry can build

[00:32:24] up with you guys and like you said you heard through the grapevine about MTSU so

[00:32:28] is it a comfortable situation because you're around fellow athletes that have similar

[00:32:31] stories to yourself oh yeah yeah yes it was very comfortable because it was more like uh how

[00:32:37] would I say it was kind of like home away from home but not typically but yeah because I had

[00:32:42] people who you know helped me settle in well so it wasn't really much of a struggle for me

[00:32:46] but yeah it was just it was with it'll be I settled in with ease compared to

[00:32:52] how I feel like I would have if I didn't have anyone around here so yeah it was okay

[00:32:57] so you've been here for three years is that right in America yes yes so as you've kind of uh

[00:33:02] I guess you you've taken part in the culture here a little bit long enough what are kind

[00:33:05] of some things that that you enjoy the most about being here relative to home what

[00:33:10] are kind of some things that you've kind of taken root to um the weather I'll say the weather

[00:33:15] one oh yeah the weather actually I kind of as always maybe I enjoyed I enjoyed the winter

[00:33:21] I enjoyed winter a lot um that and the food kind of kind of acquired a lot of good um tasteful

[00:33:28] good food here so yeah those those two kind of top of my list to be honest yeah well

[00:33:34] that's interesting I know too if anyone follows you on social media you've taken a lot of

[00:33:38] part there in anime that kind of seems to be a big time server for you but also like

[00:33:43] what are kind of some music those kind of things you've taken taken hold of

[00:33:46] that yeah to be honest I don't I don't the music I'm kind of like a all around type guy

[00:33:55] I don't really listen to a specific kind of music but oh no actually I kind of like country

[00:34:00] music I kind of go country musical or really like country yeah yeah yeah I kind of like

[00:34:06] country music too you're in the right area for that if you I guess you've had the opportunity

[00:34:10] to go down to Broadway and experience the Nashville scene before yeah I tried I tried

[00:34:16] line line dance in a while I sucked at it totally you talk about the technique you gotta

[00:34:21] have the technique there to be a good line dancer oh yeah for sure for sure that's that's

[00:34:26] interesting that you that you you enjoy the country music that's awesome I'm interested too

[00:34:30] to know I know that when you came here you say that you're a track were you ever interested

[00:34:34] in any other sports I have to assume at some point someone gave you a crack or an

[00:34:38] opportunity to play basketball with your height I did I did play basketball at some point in high

[00:34:44] school and I broke my I fractured my my wrist and ever since then it was a no good for me

[00:34:49] I tried dunking and then landing some dude just you know like hit me and I land I tried

[00:34:55] to like use my my my left arm to support my fall and yeah my bone came out kind of had

[00:35:01] like this Wolverine Fang shaped thing and I was like oh yeah ever since then I just

[00:35:08] didn't go back to basketball I used to I played some time but it was just leisurely

[00:35:13] and then um uh I used to kind of play lawn tennis tennis a lot but I just

[00:35:20] didn't do that anymore my focus was track and track just took everything away from me so yeah

[00:35:27] that's what it was well very cool anything else as far as hobbies outside of sports that you may

[00:35:32] have taken up since being here like what are kind of some things that fill your time when

[00:35:35] you're not training and you're not in class uh just hiking driving around I mean it's a

[00:35:42] beautiful scenery out here compared to where I'm from so I take the time to just drive

[00:35:48] around know new places learn new things and you know yeah hiking so yeah what does your

[00:35:54] training schedule kind of look like because I know track is one of those sports especially if

[00:35:57] you live here in the southeast you can partake in it on a regular basis and as we've already

[00:36:02] talked about the indoor season as well so track is never necessarily ever out of season

[00:36:06] as a track runner and in a part of the series we've talked to a golfer

[00:36:10] and and I'm interested to know what kind of training season does it look like for you is

[00:36:14] it one of those things that you're constantly doing on a weekly basis daily basis there's

[00:36:19] a season where there's a down time what does that look like for Stephen?

[00:36:23] It's a daily basis daily basis kind of training for me because Monday,

[00:36:31] Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday we are training if we're not training our rest period

[00:36:38] is more like an active rest but we're still kind of like training because we still go to

[00:36:42] track and then have to relax the muscles and all of that I kind of see that as training

[00:36:48] anyways but there's no really down time the only downtime I would say it's I will have or I have is

[00:36:57] during the fall or before the fall probably have like a two to three months window there

[00:37:03] to like relax the body and go again but right now it's just with the olympic in mind

[00:37:09] it's it's not going to happen because it's just going to be short and all of that so

[00:37:13] yeah it's kind of like a year-round kind of sport for me training season that's what it is.

[00:37:20] So what are those aspirations look like past college and you got one more year I think

[00:37:25] your expectation already is to to run the table one more time in the 110 as well as

[00:37:31] the 60 meter I'm sure you have your eye on the 400 meter as well and as far as conference

[00:37:35] USA goes and then we're looking at going to the NCAAs next summer so what are the

[00:37:39] aspirations past say college next season where do you look to go with with your career in regards

[00:37:45] to your athletics? So right now though I'm planning on I hope to just if it comes be a

[00:37:55] pro athlete you know sign one of the grants and that's if that comes and I kind of like

[00:38:03] tend to take a life one at a time so I honestly don't know I honestly don't know

[00:38:09] wherever wherever life takes me whatever life shows it me and I'll take it I

[00:38:14] haven't really given that much thought. So what do you go to what's your what's your

[00:38:19] major in school? Team okay yeah I tend to lean to cyber security so yeah. Okay what's

[00:38:28] kind of your taking there? Ecology basically I mean it's a fact the vast growing field and

[00:38:33] you know it's one of it's one I'm tech savvy so I enjoy being around tech and just learning

[00:38:42] a lot of new things so yeah I was like why not just you know go for what makes me happy

[00:38:48] like they say if you can't remember the saying exactly but you just don't have to

[00:38:55] walk a day if you enjoy what you're doing you know. Sure. If you enjoy what you're doing you

[00:38:59] don't have to work so yeah why not just go for it so yeah. The irony that most listeners

[00:39:05] don't know right now is the fact that we're having technical issues because you're in

[00:39:08] Lexington right now dealing with some hotel wi-fi issues and I myself have had some camera

[00:39:13] issues this week and so the irony that you're an IT guy and we're having to work through some

[00:39:18] of these problems to get our interview off and those kind of things so yeah I just that's

[00:39:23] interesting too and I say that because of when you come to America you got obviously your

[00:39:28] athletics is kind of the forefront of your mind when you've gotten here I'm interested

[00:39:31] too about that dynamic of coming to America and putting your studies kind of as in the

[00:39:37] forefront is that something that sex I know in Nigerian families typically getting your

[00:39:41] education is something that families really stress heavily on and they take a lot of pride

[00:39:46] and their children coming so where does that kind of stand and as far as your family?

[00:39:50] So my family is really education oriented my mom just graduated with her PhD back in Niger

[00:39:59] so oh wow I mean yeah so I believe yeah yes she had a PhD in sport administration so yeah

[00:40:10] the sport and the education is kind of like hand in hand in my family so I believe

[00:40:16] my mom my mom also want me to venture down that path I was like if the right now just go

[00:40:24] with my masters and having that in my resume will be ultimate in terms of education.

[00:40:29] Do you ever plan to make a I mean how often do you if you do get to go back to Nigeria

[00:40:33] is that something that you wait till after your graduation or is it now that we're in

[00:40:36] the summer and your season outdoor season's over do you plan to venture a trip back over

[00:40:41] there? Yeah yeah I plan on going back to Nigeria especially for the Olympic trials so I would

[00:40:49] just probably use the opportunity to like you know connect with my family meet my family

[00:40:53] especially my mom so yeah. I imagine I lost you there for a second again I imagine that

[00:40:57] that's a pretty competitive field in regards to the track and field there in Nigeria is that

[00:41:02] kind of is there something else that you when you're talking about qualifying I know we

[00:41:05] we've talked ad nauseam about your your hurdling career is there anything else that like an event

[00:41:10] that you kind of wish you had your eye on that's something that you think you you could

[00:41:14] potentially attempt it to excel at as well? Yeah I'll probably say the 200 meter sprint like

[00:41:21] that that would be one of the events I feel like if I probably train well enough for

[00:41:27] I feel like yeah I'll try it there so yeah. Well the real sexy pick is always the 100 meter

[00:41:33] dash like that's something that I think everyone wants to be famous for and that's always one that

[00:41:37] like and it's again it's so interesting that the 110 meter hurdles is something that you're good

[00:41:42] at because I consider that a lot more athletic as you mentioned there's there's when you're

[00:41:45] talking about sprinting and no shade to any of the guys that are great at it like the Usain Bolt's

[00:41:49] of the world but like there's something about being a hurdler and having to dial in the

[00:41:53] technique and as you say any day you know you could slip up you could be off by just

[00:41:58] a half centimeter because that's how hurdling is so I certainly admire the effort that you make

[00:42:03] to excel at something like that and again it shouldn't go unnoticed being the second fastest

[00:42:08] time in NCAA this year so again I congratulate you on that and I congratulate you on your

[00:42:13] second straight year there at Regionals but Stephen one thing I just I wanted to give all

[00:42:17] my athletes their last opportunity before we hang up the call is just you know what are

[00:42:21] kind of some things that you like to say to give back to Blue Raider Nation and the support

[00:42:24] that they've given you as well as the athletic department? Well one I like to just appreciate

[00:42:35] the school generally because it's not giving me the opportunity to represent them and

[00:42:43] fly the Blue Raider flag high as possible as you know I'm just I don't know if to say sorry

[00:42:51] that I couldn't I haven't been able to you know take it to the national stage yet but

[00:42:56] it's one thing I promise before I leave or graduate that I'll you know try to

[00:43:04] accomplish or achieve for the school as well as for myself so yeah a big just want to

[00:43:10] appreciate my coaches for you know standing in the rain and the sun with me pushing me

[00:43:17] through every hurdle race every training making sure it's in there you know but yeah that's yeah

[00:43:25] just thank you generally for having me so thank you yeah absolutely and Stephen the one of the

[00:43:32] fastest to don the blue and white it's been a great time having you on and again until next

[00:43:38] season hopefully we'll do this again and you'll be you'll be at the national level

[00:43:42] so I'm sure the Raider fans know that you're working hard for it so again I appreciate you

[00:43:46] coming on thank you very much appreciate you