Crawford taking team-first approach to Alice Lloyd
Published 12:05 pm Monday, May 7, 2018
John Henson | Daily Enterprise
Andrew Crawford signed last week with Alice Lloyd College, where will compete in track and cross country. Crawford is pictured with his mother, Betty, along with Alice Lloyd coach Brandon Arnold, Alice Lloyd board member Jerry Edwards, HCHS coach Ryan Vitatoe, HCHS Principal Edna Burkhart and HCHS assistant principal/athletic director Mark Bailey.
Championship teams aren’t filled just with championship athletes, a point that Harlan County High School track and cross country coach Ryan Vitatoe stresses when talking about senior Andrew Crawford.
Crawford signed last week to continue his athletic career in track and cross country at Alice Lloyd College after playing an important role on several outstanding teams at HCHS.
“I’ve always said the best compliment a coach can give an athlete is talk about what kind of teammate they are, and he has been a great teammate,” Vitatoe said. “He has always worked hard and done what we’ve asked him to do and has done it with a great attitude. Even when he didn’t get compete, he was there cheering for everybody. He has been very important for us the last four years. They are building a nice program at Alice Lloyd and it will be great for him.”
Crawford said he chose Alice Lloyd because he felt comfortable when he visited
“I felt it had a good home town feel for me, and I think I will fit in well there,” Crawford said. “I try to always bring a positive mindset to my team. I look forward to competing in college.”
“Andrew is a great kid who will throw the shot and the discus in our track program, which we are starting next year,” Alice Lloyd coach Brandon Arnold said. “He has a great work ethic and all his teammates and coaches say he is a great kid.”
Crawford ran on the Bears’ Area 9 championship cross country team this fall and also competed in the 3A regional meet as HCHS finished sixth and barely missed qualifying for the state meet. Harlan County won regional meets in 2A the previous two seasons.
Alice Lloyd competes in the River States Conference, a move from the old Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Alice Lloyd, Asbury and Brescia are the only Kentucky teams in the 13-team NAIA league that includes schools from Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Alice Lloyd also competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association and has participated in the national competition, finishing third in both the boys and girls last fall.
