Brevard College has announced the selection of Tristan Cowie (Cycling) and the 1982 National Championship Men’s Cross Country team as the 2022 inductees into the Brevard College Athletics Hall of Fame. Cowie and the 1982 Men’s Cross Country team will become the 44th and 45th inductees into the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
The 2022 class will be officially inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 8 during Brevard College’s Homecoming weekend.
“Tristan Cowie and the 1982 BC Cross Country team are both sensational choices for this year’s Hall of Fame class,” said Myranda Nash, Director of Athletics. “We thank the Athletics Hall of Fame committee for their diligence in selecting this year’s class and we look forward to celebrating at Homecoming this Fall with the official induction.”
Tristan Cowie ’11 (Cycling)
Cowie, a 2011 graduate of Brevard College, becomes the third inductee in as many years from BC’s illustrious cycling program. Cowie joins the founder of the program and original Head Coach Thad Walker (class of 2020) and the 2009 national championship BC Cycling team (class of 2021) as the sport’s Hall of Fame selections.
“From day one, I wanted to leave a mark with the Brevard College Cycling team,” said Cowie. “Starting with the first races, to clinching our first national championship, to watching the team grow into the powerhouse it is today; I am honored to be recognized for playing a small part in the story and being selected for the Hall of Fame.”
Cowie won the 2008 USA Cycling Division II Collegiate Mountain Bike Cross Country individual national championship, marking the first individual national title in men’s competition in school history. At the same event held in Banner Elk, North Carolina, he won the Mountain Bike Short Track national title as well giving Cowie two individual national championships in 2008.
In 2009 at the Collegiate Mountain Bike national championships in Truckee, California, Cowie was a major part in helping BC win its first cycling team national championship in school history. He finished second in Short Track, fifth in Cross Country and third in the Individual Omnium (best overall rider) as the Tornados captured the team title.
The following season, the Tornados again won a team national title giving Brevard back-to-back championships. At the event also held in Truckee, California, Cowie won the USA Cycling Collegiate DII Mountain Bike Individual Omnium national championship given to the best overall rider.
In total, Cowie won three individual national championships (’08 Cross Country, ’08 Short Track and ’10 Individual Omnium) and was part of two team national titles (’09, ’10).
Cowie also represented Team USA in Junior competition at the World Mountain Bike Championships and during his time as a student-athlete at BC raced World Cups in Europe. He later raced Cyclocross at an elite level, representing Team USA in the Men’s Elite category at the World Championships.
A native of Dawsonville, Georgia, Cowie graduated with a degree in Exercise Science from Brevard College in 2011. Cowie has gone on to a career as a professional cycling coach with CTS (Carmichael Training Systems).
1982 National Championship Men’s Cross Country Team
Under the guidance of Head Coach and Brevard College Hall of Famer Norm Witek, the BC Cross Country team earned the school’s first national championship in the sport of cross country, winning the NJCAA national title in 1982. It marked the first of four consecutive national championships for the Tornados who went on to win cross country national titles in 1983, 1984 and 1985 under Coach Witek.
“After second-place finishes in 1980 and 1981, this team established the dynasty for future national championship teams throughout the 1980’s,” said Coach Witek. “Having finished the season with a 106-2 record mostly against four-year institutions, the 1982 team had the talent to have qualified for the NCAA Division I meet.”
At the national championship held in Utica, New York, Brevard outpaced the second-place team by eight points to capture the title. Four BC runners – Sam Obwocha (5th place), Brad Albee (9th), Jim Hickey (13th) and Eric Day (15th) – were all named All-Americans after placing in the top-15 of the highly competitive field at the national championship.
Coach Witek was named the National Coach of the Year after guiding the team to the 1982 national title to go along with five major invitational wins.
The 1982 Cross Country squad will become the third team to ever be inducted into the Brevard College Athletics Hall of Fame, joining BC’s 1996 Women’s Soccer team and the 2009 Cycling team.
In conjunction with the induction into the Brevard College Athletics Hall of Fame this Fall, the team will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first cross country national championship in school history.
1982 Men’s Cross Country National Championship Team
Brad Albee
Eric Day
Jim Hickey
Gerald Hutchinson
Mike Miller
Sam Obwocha
Mike Peveto
Coach Norm Witek