Never in the 117 years of Monmouth College track and field had there ever been a year like this.

      The Fighting Scots men opened 2016 with an impressive fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships. Just two short months later, the Scots once again surprised the critics by finishing third at the outdoor championships, just one point out of second.

      Only once before had the Scots finished in the top four in back-to-back meets, but never in the same academic year. Roger Haynes' ('82) men first took a podium finish, placing third at the outdoor championships in 2007 and then bettered that the next academic year with a runner-up indoor finish in 2008 with a slightly different cast of characters, including two-time national pole vault champion Jonny Henkins ('08).

      The most recent version of the Scots also boasted a two-time national champion, senior James Wilson, who became the 10th national champion under Haynes, winning the outdoor long jump crown in May after taking the indoor title as a sophomore. The most decorated man or woman in Monmouth track history with 15 All-American titles to his credit, Wilson picked up a staggering eight All-American awards this year – four indoor and four outdoor – to surge past 10-time All-American and Monmouth Hall of Famer Heather Furrow ('98) as the only two Scots with double-digit All-American awards.          

      "No one in the country takes on the load of events at the NCAAs as James," claimed Haynes after Wilson earned All-American status in each of his events this year, individually accounting for more than half (18) of the Scots' 31 points at the outdoor meet. "He's willing to take on challenges and has a lot of fun with track. I think he wants me to be reasonably happy with his performances. People away from our program don't give him enough credit for his work ethic and belief in the program. Sure, he's got athletic ability, but it's that drive and willingness to do whatever the team needs that sets him apart."

      Wilson's impact this season didn't only come from his fleet feet. The senior also took a talented freshman under his wing.

      "James spent a lot of time in a leadership and mentoring role with (freshman speedster) Timmy Williams. I'm seeing and hearing Timmy act and do the things James is doing. I'm proud of him running on the school record 4x1, but I'm most happy that he ran and scored well in the 100 and had a lifetime-best in the 200 meters at the conference meet. He's come along way as a track athlete, and if he can find the focus James has, he'll be very good before his career is over."

      It's not that Haynes routinely gets blue-chip student-athletes. It's quite the contrary.

      "Of all the men who competed at the national level this year, only Timmy came to us with an acclaimed high school career in terms of a bunch of state medals," reported Haynes. "The majority of our team – men and women – didn't come in with eye-popping numbers. Those outside our program don't know what it's like. I have very high expectations of them, what they do daily, weekly and on weekends. What our All-Americans have done is put in consistent, hard work and then performed under pressure situations. Matt Trainor is a prime example. He's calm and understands what we're doing as well as anyone I've coached, and that includes national champions. He might not be the most talented on the team, but he's one of the most important guys on our team because of his work ethic and demeanor."

      Of the seven men who earned 22 All-American awards this year, three will return next season, giving fans optimism for another successful year. But to look to the future, one must first look to the past.

      Of the 130 All-Americans in the history of the men's track and field program, all but two have come under Haynes' watch which spans more than 30 years. Haynes' teams have also churned out 10 national champions, including two at the 2005 outdoor championships when Blake Boma ('05) took the 400-meter hurdle title and Zach Barr ('07) ran away with the steeplechase crown.

      "The credit always goes to the student-athletes," said Haynes in downplaying his undeniable influence on the program. "It's such a fine line between being very prepared or unprepared, and that's physical or mental. They have a belief in what we do and in themselves that when the time comes, they're going to be ready."

      Case in point, Tyler Hannam ('11). The 2010 outdoor high jump champion barely cleared 6' as a prep, but cleared 6'9" numerous times as a Scot, including a school-record height of 6'11-1/2" to win the national title.

      So what made Hannam so good?

      "In high school, I really didn't listen," Hannam admitted in a 2010 interview. "I just kind of 'took it under advisement.' When I got to college, I started listening to the coach and saw improvement. It just kind of built from there."

      Hannam wasn't the only Scot to make an adjustment or two. Haynes readily admits he broke from his usual pre-NCAA training routine this spring.

      "The situation required we rest more and train less in the weeks leading up to the NCAA meet," explained Haynes. "We rested more in the last month of the season than we had ever done before. Instead of hammering away at them in the final month, I felt they needed – and deserved – some rest. It's always in the back of my mind at the conference and national meets that I worked them too hard leading up to the meets. I don't play cards or gamble, but in this instance I was willing to gamble we'd benefit more from rest, and they're a very experienced group and knew how to handle it.

      "In many regards, I felt as if we went into the national meet unprepared, but the guys were very rested and that was exactly what we needed for those three days," continued Haynes. "That was especially important for James and Ethan (Reschke). James, with the number of things he does (four events) and Ethan, coming back from an injury, needed to rest more than we needed to polish and tweak our race models. They acted ready and refreshed – physically and mentally – once we got to the meet."

      Haynes also wasn't afraid to veer from the norm once the team reached the final race of the day at the May championships. The Scots' 4x400 relay team moved Wilson out of his usual leadoff spot and instead put Reschke at the start of the race. The move resulted in a fourth-place finish, clinching the team's third-place national finish.

      "It wasn't the change in the lineup so much as the team buying into it," claimed Haynes. "It was more of how they handled the change."

      Newcomers to the program should be ready for a change, too. The key, according to Haynes, is the buy-in.

      "We're going to coach the heck out of them," said Haynes of incoming freshmen and transfers. "It's not easy, but if they stick with it they'll find some rewards."

      Rewards might not include All-American status, but rather personal milestones. Seeing student-athletes achieve more on the track and in the field than they ever imagined – even if it doesn't include an NCAA appearance – is what keeps Haynes going.

      "You don't have to be an All-American to be a success in my eyes," said Haynes. "Men and women who come in less heralded may in fact go out on top. (Two-time All-American sophomore) Dan Evers came in as a 13' pole vaulter and is now well over 16'. The same thing with James (Wilson). He came in as a 50.8 4x400 relay runner in high school without any state medals. Now he's the most decorated track kid in the history of the program. I'd tell potential track kids to come and get involved, we'll surround them with good people and have a plan."