Lincoln’s Austin Wampler announced his decision to attend Wilmington College surrounded by his family and coaches.
CAMBRIDGE CITY, Ind. – Lincoln’s Austin Wampler announced his intention to attend Wilmington College on Friday afternoon.
“Wilmington was a great fit for me not only athletically, but academically as well,” Wampler said. “They are well known for both of my intended areas of studies as they are ranked number one nationally in sports management among small colleges and have always been well known for their agribusiness program.”
“I am planning on majoring in sports management to become an athletic director and minoring in agribusiness with hopes to raise show pigs and cattle as a side job,” he said.
Wampler is planning on running cross country and track for Wilmington Head Coach Ron Combs at the NCAA Div. III school, which is a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference.
“I’m excited to start my running career in college,” said Wampler, who is the son of Tiffany and Allen Wampler. “Coach Ron Combs is a great guy and I was impressed with the improvement I heard about his runners from the time they graduated from high school to the time they graduated college.”
“We saw eye-to-eye on the type of training I will be doing over my next four years and I really think with my commitment, I will improve tremendously as an athlete at Wilmington,” Wampler added. “On my overnight visit, I saw the bond the runners had with each others and felt the family atmosphere that Wilmington presents.”
Lincoln Head Coach Garrett Singer was pleased to Wampler’s choice for his future.
“Most importantly, Austin has made a terrific decision academically,” Singer said. “Wilmington fits his personality and what he wants to do with agriculture/sport management.”
Last fall during the cross country season, Wampler finished fifth at the Tri-Eastern Conference meet and was 11th in the sectional as the Golden Eagles began their journey to the semi-state.
“As a runner, I am beyond excited to see him continue running in college,” Singer said. “I think he can step in his first year and contribute both in cross country and on the track.”
“Austin is someone that is going to get better with the longer distances college has to offer,” Singer added. “He is probably the hardest working athlete I have had since I started coaching. With his work ethic and determination he has made himself a collegiate runner. He has been an instrumental part in getting our distance group heading the right direction both with his ability and his leadership. He has worked through some tougher times as an underclassmen to reaping the benefits of being a multi-time regional qualifier in cross country and track, all-conference cross country and leading the team to the semi-state this past fall.”