Bryan Wilkins

Biography

Bryan Wilkins has the longest tenure of any coach on staff, having started in 1988. Inducted into VU's Athletic Hall of Fame in the fall of 2007, Wilkins is an unbelievably committed coach for both the men's and women's cross-country teams as well as the track and field teams. Wilkins became the second coach recognized in this manner and is one of only three VU coaches in the VU Athletic Hall of Fame. Wilkins' athletes have succeeded on and off the course and the track. He has coached 118 NAIA All-Americans and 151 NAIA Scholar-Athletes during his career at Vanguard. He also received the NAIA's prestigious Coach of Character Award in 2010 and was named the West Region Women's Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches association in 2023. Ten different squads coached by Wilkins have been selected for the NAIA Team of Character award, an honor given to teams that demonstrate a high level of integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. Under his guidance, three men's teams (1994, 1995, and 2007) and three women's teams (2018, 2019, and 2021) have qualified and competed nationally. Wilkins had a competitive running career that spanned 30 years and has logged over 70,000 miles in his lifetime as a distance runner. In addition to coaching, Wilkins worked as a church business administrator for 37 years including a most recent span of 21 years at Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa (2000-21). He is now enjoying just one job as a full-

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