BSC Bobcat Jaivon Harrison wins All-American Honor

Jaivon Harrison recently earned an All-American honor for his second-place finish by clearing 2.17 meters (7 feet, 1.5 inches) in the high jump at Nationals, earning his third All-American award as a Bryant & Stratton College (BSC) Bobcat. Harrison earned his trip to nationals after reaching the 2.02-meter mark at a track meet in December, automatically qualifying him for the national championships in May. He also won the national championships award in the high jump at the 2021 NJCAA National Championships.

Coach Brian Lief first saw Harrison when Lief returned to his own high school, Shaker Heights High School in Ohio, to watch his former team compete. Harrison was a junior then. “I noticed right away how talented Jaivon was. The next year, in my first year as a coach at Bryant & Stratton, I began recruiting Jaivon, and could sense how committed he was to the sport and his focus on doing whatever it took to develop his skills,” said Lief. “He told me that he learned how to high jump by watching YouTube videos, and I knew that with the resources and coaching that we could provide, he could reach his goals here.”

Lief joined the Bryant & Stratton College Wisconsin men’s and women’s cross-country coaching staff in March 2019 as an assistant coach and recruitment coordinator. In June of 2021, Lief was announced as director of Cross Country and Track & Field. When recruiting, Lief focuses on building relationships with potential student-athletes to ensure that their transition from high school to college is as smooth as possible.

Harrison admitted that his grades coming out of high school weren’t that great, but he knew that he could be a top 10 athlete. “Coach Lief took the time to get to know me and was great at helping me stay ‘on track.’ He was always on me about my grades and challenged me to be great at school – not just sports,” said Harrison. “My guidance counselor, Darnell, also kept it real with me – he wanted me to have straight A’s and always showed me that there was room for improvement.”

Based on input from his parents, Harrison chose to study business. “When I’m in business classes, I feel like I’m gaining so much insight into real-world things that can be used in every environment,” said Harrison. “Bryant & Stratton helped me become a stronger communicator and has given me more experiences. With those experiences, I get more knowledge.”

Having completed his two years at BSC, Jaivon is heading on to Texas Tech. There he will work with a high-jump specialist coach. He is very thankful for his time at Bryant & Stratton.

“Bryant & Stratton College was a great match for me. The class sizes were small – with only maybe 15-20 students AND with teachers who encouraged active participation. Everyone was so supportive. I also now have a wonderful diverse group of friends. BSC has helped turn me into the man I am today.”

Coach Lief and his team are currently looking for both cross-country and track-and-field student-athletes for 2022. BSC will start to recruit the class of 2023 in September 2022. Scholarships are available for both sports.

Lief shared that when he’s recruiting, he looks for dedicated student-athletes with a positive attitude who are willing to work hard to be successful. “I also look at how they may fit at our school and on our team,” said Lief. “BSC is special because of the resources we can provide to help all students be successful. All students have access to advisers, tutors, mentors and career service representatives who will help them throughout their collegiate experience and even beyond it.”

For more information about Bryant & Stratton College’s athletic programs, please visit https://bscbobcats.com.