ST. PAUL, Minn. – Throughout the duration of the spring semester, cspbears.com will feature its spring senior student-athletes who had their careers cut short due to the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), providing a glimpse into their past, present and future to our followers who were unable to see them compete in 2020.
Due to the ongoing changing legislation with college athletics related to the COVID-19 pandemic, spring student-athletes are expected to retain a year of eligibility. Some of the CSP seniors have expressed interest in returning for the 2020-21 academic year with the goal of competing for their full senior year. Since it's early in the process, cspbears.com will not differentiate between seniors who will and won't return and instead will profile each senior consistently.
Tyler Hudson is an Elk River, Minnesota native from the track and field team. The English/Journalism major has compiled 19 top-ten finishes throughout his running career with the Golden Bears and graduates with his name on the record board in two places.
As a distance runner on the squad, Hudson was a part of the Distance Medley Relay team to break the outdoor record in 2018 at the Drake Relays where they took fourth place with a school record time of 10:03.36. The following year, he contributed to another big finish in the DMR at the 2019 Bearcat Invite where he and his teammates broke the indoor school record with a time of 10:13.55 which was good for a third-place finish.
Hudson's success began early on, collecting his first win during his freshman season at the Holst Invitational where he took first in the 5000m with his career best time of 15:37.06. He went on to win the same race for a second time at the Dubuque Invitational the following year with a time of 15.38.26. He concluded his sophomore season with a 10
th place finish in the 1500m at the NSIC Outdoor Championships where he set his personal record with a time of 3:59.38.
His junior year, Hudson started strong with a second-place finish in the one mile at the Minnesota Open, where he finished in 4:34.43. He then improved that time to 4:28.78 at the Bearcat Invite for a new PR. His outdoor season in 2019 included a fifth pace finish at the Central College Dutch Invitational in the 1500m with a time of 4:09.10. Unfortunately, Hudson was unable to compete during his final season of indoor track and field due to injury.
Head Coach Sam Johnson on Tyler Hudson:
"Tyler was a steady contributor during the team's historic cross-country season this past fall and a thoughtful leader on the track and field team leadership council. His maturity and positivity has been a stabilizing force in our team culture and it was amazing to see him step up into a more prominent leadership role this year."
TYLER HUDSON – IN HIS OWN WORDS
CSP: At what age did you start playing your sport?
TH: I started running Cross Country in 7th grade and started track in 9th.
CSP: Why did you choose to attend Concordia?
TH: Concordia stood out to me for a lot of reasons. The coaches made me feel valued, and they supported me throughout my high school career by keeping in communication and attending competitions. The athletes on the team gave me a sense of belonging, and the people I've been able to work with over the years are come of my closest friends.
CSP: What is your favorite memory as a Golden Bear?
TH: It's hard to choose just one; the Drake Relays my sophomore year was an exciting experience for the DMR, but honestly just the regular long runs I would go on with the boys gave me some of the greatest memories.
CSP: What will you miss most about CSP?
TH: Definitely the daily practice routine with my teammates and getting to spend all that time together running with the boys.
CSP: What are your plans after graduation?
TH: I'm going to continue running and competing while pursuing a career somewhere in the athletic realm.
CSP: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
TH: Somewhere I can feel like I'm giving back to the community that has shaped me into who I am.
CSP: Who is a staff member or faculty member at Concordia that left an imprint on your experience?
TH: All of my coaches have made quite the impact on me. Coach Buns is the one who started it all for me; being the first to pursue me as a recruit, but I've had a very strong relationship with all of my coaches; Jonathan Breitbarth, Sam Johnson, Matthew Buns, and David Peeps.
CSP: Who is your role model?
TH: All of my teammates are my role models. These are the people that inspire me everyday to be a better version of myself.
CSP: What life lessons did you learn as an athlete on your CSP team?
TH: I learned a lot about commitment, leadership, communication, and how to deal with adversity and come out stronger than ever.
CSP: What advice would you give to an incoming freshman about their time at CSP?
TH: I would tell any incoming freshman to enjoy the experience, take advantage of the opportunity you've been given, trust your coaches and teammates, and use this sport as an outlet for
positive energy, but don't let it beat you down.
CSP: What CSP athlete from a different program do you admire and why?
TH: Jordyn Clark has been a friend since my first semester on campus my freshman year. What she and the rest of the soccer team has been able to accomplish has been really fun to watch.
CSP: Do you have a final personalized message you'd like to share with cspbears.com readers?
TH: It's hard to control life and there is a lot of aspects of life you will never be able to control. What you can control is how you react to life. How you take what life gives you and use it to make you stronger. If you do that then you have nothing to be afraid of, and nothing will be able to stand in your way of reaching your goals.
