Devyn Ramsay stands about five feet tall and bursts with energy. When I knock, Albion’s newest cross-country coach hops from her seat and greets me at the door of her office with a smile and a handshake.
Ramsay is a native of Benzie, Michigan, a small county tucked away about 30 miles west of Traverse City. Leaving the small school of Benzie Central High School, she went to the University of Toledo, where she ran for their cross-country team. While on Toledo’s team, she competed in the NCAA Division I National Championship, which Ramsay says was a great experience, and influential to her coaching style.
“I try to apply the DI mentality of, ‘you can run as fast as them;’ no matter what, you can compete with anybody.”
After graduating from Toledo, Ramsay went back to Benzie Central, where she became a cross-country coach. She coached a current Albion cross-country runner, Zane Brooks, a junior from Frankfort, Michigan, when he was in high school. Ramsay says this was no accident.
“Actually, when I applied for the job, I texted him first to get his thoughts on the program before I applied,” she said.
Ramsay notes that she has enjoyed watching Brooks’ progress as a runner. “It’s been really great to watch him develop. He’s putting in a lot more mileage, and he’s a lot more confident runner.”
Ramsay’s latest coaching job before taking the assistant coach position was at Utica College, where she says that their cross-country program was not as developed as the one at Albion.
“They’re both DIII programs, but Albion was a lot further along than Utica,” she explained, noting that Utica’s cross-country program was relatively new. “They were still developing, whereas here, I have found that running is more of a priority here.”
Photo by Jack Schocker
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