By FRED KRONER
There’s nothing like being proactive.
It’s a lesson that Robert Byron not only understands, but also has taken to heart.
The Mahomet-Seymour senior didn’t wait for college coaches to come to him. The track and field All-Stater sought them out.
“You can’t wait around for people to notice you when you’re not the best,” Byron said, “so you have to put in the effort to show them how you’re improving and are going to be the best.
“You have to initiate the interaction typically between the college you want to go to.”
In that regard, Byron did his homework.
“I made a list of roughly 25 colleges in the southeastern region of the United States to hopefully narrow down my options,” he said. “I wanted to get into somewhere warm and somewhere that would give me a lot of (scholarship) money.”
One of the schools on his wish list was Coastal Carolina University, located in Conway, S.C.
It took time – and persistence – for Byron to gain the attention of the Coastal Carolina track and field staff.
“I was the first to reach out to Coastal Carolina,” Byron said. “I emailed probably seven times over the span of a month to try and get their attention through an eye-catching subject line.
“They finally contacted me back in early December (of 2022) and then we started talking business.”
Byron’s diligence was rewarded. Less than three months after he first heard from the Chanticleers staff, he had committed to the Sun Belt Conference school which has an enrollment of approximately 10,000 students.
“I know I’m going to fit in well with my track team,” Byron said. “My parents always told me I was a good kid, so I think I’ll get along just fine with people and adapt to the new atmosphere nicely.”
If the actual recruiting process was something of a whirlwind, so, too, was the entire journey.
During Spring Break of 2022, throwing beyond high school wasn’t a priority for Byron.
“I didn’t think about throwing in college until the end of my junior season when somebody asked me if I had any offers,” he said. “I said, No,’ but I pondered the possibility of throwing in college considering I liked it so much.”
A fifth-place finish in the IHSA Class 2A state meet in the discus (157 feet, 10 inches) provided some extra encouragement.
“I set my goal of collegiate throwing at the end of my junior season,” Byron said. “I don’t remember it ever being a thought until I received my first offer from a small D-3 college in Southern California.
“From there, I anticipated more offers, hoping that I’d be able to connect with some of the colleges and find a place I liked. This helped with the college search process since I genuinely wasn’t doing any searching at all (originally) and planned on the schools trying to sell themselves to me.”
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Byron wound up with three universities as his finalists, but only one realistic option if he wanted to pursue track and field.
“I ended up narrowing my choices down to Oklahoma University, Clemson University and Coastal Carolina University,” he said. “However, a key factor in deciding where I wanted to go was being able to throw, and I would never make the team at Clemson or OU, so that sealed the deal for me.”
Besides Coastal Carolina, Byron also visited Millikin University, in Decatur, and had heard from more than two dozen other colleges.
“Although I was in contact with around 30ish schools, I did not receive many offers,” he said.
Nonetheless, he added, “the recruiting process was about what I expected.”
Three years ago, track and field wasn’t even Byron’s sport of choice.
“Throwing was my second sport,” he said. “My first sport was basketball, which was introduced to me in second grade.
“I played basketball through my sophomore year (at M-S) and thought of myself more as a basketball player than a thrower. I used to favor basketball more as my main sport as a freshman, although I sucked at it.
“I planned to play it throughout high school to receive some recognition, but I soon realized it was a waste of time to do so much conditioning work just to sit on the bench. So, I quit and took a more sensible path. Ever since I quit (basketball), I’ve seen my life as only throwing.”
He also played golf for a year for the Bulldogs, but gave that up after his freshman season.
Byron was far from a natural in the discus ring or with the shot put.
“Discus was introduced to me in fifth grade and shot put in eighth grade,” Byron said. “I threw at a couple meets and was not good at all. My furthest mark in discus at the end of my first year was 62 feet, 4 inches.
“I kept going because I had a genuine love for the sport, and that got me to where I am today.”
His rate of improvement throughout high school has been steady.
“I was a pretty decent thrower as a freshman, sophomore, and junior really just because I had such a head start on everyone,” Byron said. “Not to undermine my hard work, but with that advantage I’ve always been a good thrower, and that was really what motivated me to keep throwing.
“I kept consistently throwing and the marks kept growing. I owe a majority of my success to my dad (Paul). He’s supported me for all seven years of my career, pushed me when I needed it, is my coach when I’m throwing outside of practice, and bought all of my implements.”
As a junior, Byron was the Apollo Conference champion in the discus (157 feet, 4 inches) and also the sectional titlist (personal-best 166 feet, 5 inches), a mark which landed him seventh on the all-time M-S career leaders’ list. His performance at state subsequently earned him All-State laurels.
M-S track and field head coach Keith Pogue saw the potential in Byron, but acknowledged the magnitude of his breakout junior season was not what he had anticipated.
“I thought he’d be a state-qualifier, but he far exceeded my expectations,” said Pogue, who saw big things on the horizon based on the work Byron was putting in.
“I’m not surprised he developed into a contributor,” Pogue said. “He had the athleticism and made rapid growth in the weight room and really dedicated himself the last couple of years.”
When the outdoor season starts next month, Pogue sees no reason why Byron couldn’t chase a state title.
“His goal is to be a state champion, and that’s a reasonable goal,” Pogue said. “He has been good at big meets and he has a shot.”
Before Byron became committed to the weight events, he saw the track and field action as a spectator.
“I like track because it’s been my entire life,” he said. “I’ve had to sit at my sister’s track meets ever since I was 8, and so I grew up a track guy.
“My strengths towards getting better are my mental fortitude, and my bitterness from losing makes me determined to win and that becomes a mindset until my goal is achieved.
“Whether I think such a broad goal like that is achieved is completely up to how I feel after I compete. So it is clear to me that my goal to win is still not achieved.”
Byron is looking forward to the progression that will come as he enrolls in college.
“There are so many ways to grow in college, morally, socially, physically, and much more,” he said. “I think I’ll improve in all of those categories.
“I love the fact that I’ll need to prove myself again, because I will do just that. I will prove myself and be one of the best discus throwers in the country by the time my four years are up.”
Whatever the future holds, Pogue won’t be surprised.
“When he gets in that environment, he could be a good contributor,” the veteran M-S coach said. “He has natural explosion. He is casual and loose, but is a fiery competitor.”
Byron plans on majoring in finance, though nothing is set in stone.
“I could be a financial advisor or something else in that field,” Byron said, “but who knows, maybe some last-second conflictive thoughts about my major could change my life.”
