By Ted Schultz
For NCAA.org

One in an occasional series featuring former NCAA student-athletes.  The Divisions I, II and III men’s cross country champions from 1996 talk about what they learned from the college experience.

Division I

Godfrey Siamusiye, Arkansas

Then: Following two years at Blinn (Texas) College, where he won an NJCAA title in 1994, Siamusiye captured back-to-back Division I championships in 1995-96, leading the Razorbacks to the team crown in 1995. He was a 10-time All-American in cross country and track at Blinn and Arkansas and a two-time Olympian (1992, 1996) for his native Zambia. 

Now: Siamusiye is a business teacher, head cross country coach and assistant track coach at Shiloh Christian School in Springdale, Ark. He led the Saints cross country team to the school’s first state title, a boys crown in 2007, and followed with boys and girls championships in 2009. He and his wife and 15-month-old son live in Fayetteville, Ark.

In his words: “(Running in college) laid a foundation for sure. (When coaching), you are talking from experience. I can feel their pain when they say they’re tired, and they tend to know you know what you’re talking about. It will solidify what you’re telling them.”