Senior happy with his decision to join team

Every year at graduation time, some IU teams lose senior leadership in their respective sports. For the men's track team, that senior is Brian Bowman.\nBowman, from Corydon, Ind., said he's been participating in track since the sixth grade.\n"I always just ran, jumped and threw, so I just wanted to see what I could do," Bowman said.\nHis specialty event is the decathlon, where he participates in ten events, encompassing most aspects of track and field events.\nBowman said he wasn't planning to attend college until he got some guidance from his coach at Corydon Central High School, former IU track champion Kerry Zimmerman. Bowman said he has grown as a person during his time in Bloomington and that he has no regrets in becoming a Hoosier.\nBowman said his post-graduation plans are to remain in Bloomington and help with the men's track team. The fifth-year senior history major said that he would like to be a professional but used the term loosely. \n"There are so many steps to work towards being a professional," Bowman said.\nNineteen-year head coach Marshall Goss said he would welcome Bowman back next year to help the team because Bowman remains focused as a competitor.\n"He developed into such a positive individual," Goss said\nWhen it comes to being a team leader, Bowman said that he is somewhat vocal but likes to have his actions speak louder than his words. He said he has a feeling of team morale, and he tries to do his best to give the team the leadership that the team needs. His teammates agree. \n"Brian leads through example," red-shirt sophomore Ian Curry said. "He's a good guy who works hard to be the best that he can be, and that runs off on others." \nSophomore Mike Minton said Bowman is a someone with whom people want to spend time.\n"Brian is a great guy to be surrounded by," Minton said. "He contributes so much confidence, is a great leader and sets good examples for young guys. He is a terrific competitor."\nGoss also praised Bowman because of the presence he brings to the track. \n"Bowman brings a lot to the team," Goss said. "He is a great example of what hard work, dedication and following a strict program can do to an athlete. His biggest strengths are his athletic ability and work ethic." \nBowman said being a Hoosier athlete helped make him what he is today. \n"To say that track didn't play a bit influence in which I am today would be lying," Bowman said. "It helped me grow not only athletically, but mentally as well, and taught many life lessons." \nBowman said his best memory at IU was winning third place in the heptathlon at Penn State this indoor season. \n"To stand there on the podium showed all the hard work I did to get where I am today," he said.\nMinton said he is proud of his teammate because he is confident. He said he expects Bowman to do well at the Big Ten championships in Bloomington and the national championships in Eugene, Ore., because he is a great leader.\nBowman said he wouldn't trade anything for what the track team and IU has given him, and he will miss being a student next year.