Meet Brady Metz, a 2018 All Conference and All Academic Track Athlete, whose journey through sports can be traced through communication interactions with family, friends, coaches and a WSC alum. Brady grew up in Grand Island, Nebraska. His parents, Rick and Jeanne, “played a huge role in getting me into sports,” Metz said. “Both my mom and dad were multiple sport athletes in high school. I remember my dad would show off old newspaper clippings of my mom making the newspaper sports section week after week.”

Throughout Metz’s younger years, the sports that caught his attention the most were football and baseball.

“I remember just sitting at home and watching college or NFL games, and thinking how much I wanted to be like those guys. My dad was also my coach when I was younger so being able to have him by my side was pretty cool. We made a lot of memories.”

Metz’s summers consisted of baseball and being at the pool. If he wasn’t playing or practicing baseball, he was at the water park, or vice versa. Metz explained, “Baseball and the waterpark were the perfect combo for the summer. Girls showed up to both of them all the time.”

Metz didn’t pick up track until he got to high school.

“I was able to dunk the ball during my freshman year of basketball and I remember Coach Goodwin (the jumpers coach for Track) coming up to me and asking if I wanted to try the jumping events. That’s when I started working on long and triple jump.”

During his senior year, Metz put all his focus on track and trying to get colleges to notice him.

“I figured football was out of the question, I mean it was my favorite sport but I just kept getting banged up too much.”

Metz first heard of Wayne State College from one of his best friends, Blake, who was a freshman at WSC while he was a senior in high school still.

Metz had noticed that WSC had a track team and decided to contact Coach Marlon Brink about joining the track team. Metz’s marks for triple jump weren’t necessarily great during his senior year, and he decided to join the WSC men’s track team as a preferred walk-on.

“I was just grateful for the opportunity. I hadn’t jumped as well as I wanted to during my senior year, and not qualifying for the state track meet kind of opened my eyes to the fact that maybe track wasn’t meant for me either. I just wanted someone to give me a chance at another four years in this sport.”

During the summer before Metz would move to Wayne for college, he remembers getting a Facebook request from Braxton Adams.

“When I got the friend request, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, this guy looks familiar.’ I then remembered I had noticed him from the track and field roster. He slid into my Facebook messages and introduced himself and asked what events I was going to be doing at WSC. I was just in awe because he had taken his time to get to know one of his future teammates, and I thought that was so cool of him to do.”

Over the course of Metz’s time as a track and field athlete at WSC, he reached numerous goals each season. One of his earliest memories was learning that he was no longer a walk-on and was put on scholarship after his freshman year.

“I received a letter in the mail during the summer from the coaching staff saying I was now on scholarship. One of the best feelings ever.”

Just last year, as a junior, Metz broke the indoor and outdoor triple jump records for WSC. Both were 29-year-old records, held by Mark Vollmer. During his record breaking junior season, he received All-Conference honors in triple jump for the indoor season. In the outdoor season, he received All-Region honors in triple jump as well. When Metz broke the outdoor record, he broke it with his last jump at the conference meet.

“I remember getting the slow clap going and as I stood on the runway I actually yelled at myself to hype myself up a little bit more. I honestly don’t remember the jump itself. All I remember is landing in the sand and thinking, holy crap that was a huge jump. When the official yelled out my mark I basically blacked out, like I froze. And then it all came back to me when my teammates crowded around me and congratulated me.”

With that jump, Metz was placed high in the charts nationally. A couple days later, he found out that he missed nationals by just 4 centimeters.

Metz is now a senior majoring in Sport Management with a minor in Speech Communication. He just recently wrapped up his final indoor season in late February where he placed fourth in long jump at the NSIC conference meet and third in triple jump, which gave him another All-Conference award. He was also named to the 2018 NSIC Winter All-Academic team. He is now onto his final outdoor season and last month of college.

“I’m using missing nationals by 4 centimeters last year as motivation and I’m excited to see what I can do. It’s my last year and I want to go out with a bang.”

Metz already has plans after graduation. He will be taking a summer internship with the University of Nebraska-Omaha in Athletic and Facility Operations. He also plans to pursue his master’s degree in Sport Management.

Finally, Metz recalls favorite memories as a WSC athlete.

“Oh man, that’s a tough question. I would have to say the biggest one would have to be breaking the indoor and outdoor triple jump records but not necessarily the records were now mine, but because the old record holder, Mark Vollmer, personally sent me a letter congratulating me on my success. He didn’t have to do that but knowing that he did showed me the type of person he is and how humble he was about it the whole thing.”