Marcus Gillespie Reacts To Brown Dropping Men's Track


Marcus Gillespie, a Brown University incoming recruit, joined the MileSplit Ohio podcast to share his perspective on the school's decision to downgrade the men's track and field program from varsity to the club level. 

The recent Kettering Fairmont graduate details how the news was communicated, what his emotions were upon learning about the plan and what his next steps are toward his goal of competing in NCAA Division 1 track and field. 

* Correction from interview: the decision was officially announced on Thursday, May 28th 

Coverage - 



Time Stamps - 

  • 1:10 -- Initial reaction to the news
  • 2:10 -- What the meeting set-up looked like
  • 2:55 -- No advance notice was provided for meeting
  • 3:20 -- Athletes from many sports on meeting together
  • 3:55 -- Details and justification for why decision was made
  • 5:20 -- Potential avenues to provide the school with feedback
  • 6:05 -- Decision coming as a complete surprise to him 
  • 7:20 -- New information supplied since initial meeting 
  • 8:30 -- Reaction from other recruits and current team members  
  • 9:30 -- What those who are impacted are deciding for next steps
  • 10:30 -- The general feelings from the athletes who are involved
  • 11:35 -- Information on the petition to reverse the decision
  • 13:00 -- Marcus' thoughts on if the decision will be reversed 
  • 13:45 -- Detailing his emotions once he learned of the news 
  • 15:05 -- What the club-based competition would potentially look like
  • 16:25 -- Thoughts about what he's going to do next year 
  • 17:40 -- Talking about his academic major 
  • 17:55 -- Elaborating on his upcoming program of studies 
  • 18:10 -- Thoughts on his career path following college
  • 19:05 -- What he was most looking forward to about college competition
  • 20:00 -- Detailing the quality of Brown's athletic facilities 
  • 21:05 -- Where he'd potentially go if he decides to change schools 
  • 21:30 -- Discussing his preference to not attend an Ohio-based school
  • 22:35 -- Recapping the qualities that set him apart as an athlete 
  • 23:25 -- Discussing his best event and what one he enjoys the most
  • 23:55 -- Areas of hurdling he excels at and where he needs to improve
  • 25:20 -- Describing what his training is consisting of this summer
  • 26:50 -- Desire to compete at upcoming national meet
  • 27:20 -- Possibility of competing at the AAU Junior Olympic Games
  • 28:00 -- Outlining what kind of shape he's currently in