Quinn finds new home at Western

By Nick Brockman

Messenger Sports Reporter

nbrockman@the-messenger.com

Nearly two years after Ohio University slashed four sports from its Division-I athletic offerings, former Bobcat and Madisonville-North Hopkins runner Barry Quinn has made an easy adjustment at his new school, Western Kentucky University.

On Jan. 24, 2007, during Quinn’s senior year at North, Ohio athletics directory Kirby Hocutt announced the university would no longer offer men’s indoor and outdoor track as well as men’s swimming and diving and women’s lacrosse.

More than 400 miles from Athens, Ohio, in Hopkins County, Quinn received the news and debated whether to see his decision through to attend Ohio or consider the University of Evansville or WKU, his other top choices.

“I was shocked,” Quinn said. “One, because track is a pretty popular sport, and two, I was shocked how it affected me personally because you never think something like that would affect you, much less the timing too because I was really looking at schools and where I wanted to run.”

Quinn said he knew he could still run cross country and ultimately chose Ohio for its renown sports management program.

“I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “I figured with track gone it’s OK and I would still be able to run cross country.

Once on campus, the freshman redshirted. As the season progressed, Quinn began to miss track.

“I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal, but once I got there it really was a

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 huge part,” he said. “I didn’t run cross country in high school, I played football and so track was all I ever did. If you go after seven years of doing track and all of a sudden you don’t have it, it’s a huge adjustment you have to make.”

By March, Quinn said he felt Ohio was not the right fit. The former Maroon asked for his release and began searching for a transfer school.

Quinn revisited the options he had when he began college and decided on WKU because of its sports administration program and the notoriety of track coach Curtiss Long.

“He’s one of the best coaches in the whole country,” Quinn said. “Really, that sealed the deal for me.”

Quinn’s long and misdirected journey to Western begin his sophomore year of high school when he made the first of two key decisions. As a sophomore, Quinn began to run the 800-meter event after years of specializing in the one and two-mile.

“It’s one of those races where you have to have enough stamina to do it, but you also have to have a lot of speed as well,” he said of the 800 race. “It just fit me right.”

A year later, North athletic director Gale Travis and Daron Jordan of AM 1310 WTTL approached Quinn about joining the Maroon broadcast crew as a student connection because of his desire to be a sports broadcaster.

During his final two years at North, Quinn helped provide color analyst and still fills in when he’s in the area.

Now at Western, Quinn has his focus on track and pursuing a career in sports administration. When he returns to school after break, Quinn said he wants to help the sports marketing department with its publicity campaign.

Just a sophomore, Quinn seems to know the right formula for success already.

“It helps to be well-rounded in anything,” he said. “Right now, I want to do something in marketing, I’ve already done some broadcasting. The more well-rounded you are, the better chance you have at getting a job and for me, I plan on going to grad school. One thing leads to another, I just have to keep building it up.”

As Quinn continues to pad his resume, the only slashing he hopes that is in his future will be his running times. His first goal, cut five seconds from his 800 personal best of 2:00.