Not often does a program bring an alum back in a coaching capacity. However, William Woods University track and field did just that in Anthony Stockton, the Owls' only individual national champion in any sport, achieving it in the hammer throw at the 2013 NAIA Men's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.

Stockton began his coaching career soon after graduating from The Woods in 2014. He was inducted into the WWU Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2020 and the American Midwest Conference Hall of Fame Class of 2021. 

"Still learning, if that makes sense," Stockton said. "I'm still shell-shocked when it comes to coming back home and coming back to the conference that I was very blessed to be part of, and I'm still waiting for the stardust to leave my eyes a little bit." 

On his path back to the Owls, he primarily assisted NCAA Division I-III, NAIA and high school programs, naturally coaching throwers.

"I left here, trained underneath Dr. Vandergriff for a few years, went down to South Carolina to get my first crack into coaching," Stockton said. "Went through Limestone College, then moved to Tennessee, got coaching jobs in various places there, like Milligan University, Science Hill High School. Then suddenly had an opportunity to come up here. So, I worked at Knox College for a few years and came up here. I've been coaching for a better part of, I believe nine years in total. So, I'm pretty well versed when it comes to throws and to certain aspects of this job."

When he was in the same shoes as the William Woods student-athletes he's now coaching, Stockton had great mentors who helped mold him into the competitor he was and leader he is today.

"There's so many (mentors) to count," Stockton said. "Bob Jones is one. Jason Vittone, he was the former AD here; he was one. Larry York was one. Dan Schwab, Dan Radkowiec, coach Vandergriff, Andy Fryman - I could keep going for days. But those are the main ones."

Taking what he's learned and applying it to his current WWU men's track and field team, Stockton has already coached it to two event wins (Oshawi Burgher - 600-meter run in Dutch Holiday Preview Dec. 13 and 800 run in Jim Green Invitational last Saturday) in six indoor meets with the program. Furthermore, the Owls have earned two AMC Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Week honors (Jenson Starr in Week 3 [Jan. 20] and Burgher in Week 6 [Monday]) and one AMC Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Week (Ben Speaks in Week 3 [Jan. 20]) through the first six weeks of the weekly accolades on the season.

With that success, Stockton explained his focus for William Woods is in its final AMC Indoor Championships.

"For me, I want to see my kids compete, and I'm still getting to know them," Stockton said. "My expectation is seeing who they really are and to see how high we can go before the end of the season."

Going into the AMC Indoor Championships, the Owls are projected to have 13 All-AMC finishes (projected placing, top result this season): 200-meter run - Demario Wright (third, 22.86),  600 run - Burgher (second, 1:24.25) and Blaine Brodersen (third, 1:24.43), 800 run - Burgher (second, 1:56.33) and Ethan Wilson (third, 1:57.37), 1,000 run - Wilson (second, 2:33.14) and Brodersen (third, 2:34.75), 5,000 run - Starr (second, 15:05.24), 4x400 relay - Brady Musgrove, Speaks, Wilson and Angel Lottie (first, 3:29.33), 4x800 relay - Wilson, Ian Schwierjohn, Brodersen and Burgher (second, 8:01.62), distance medley relay - Schwierjohn, Lottie, Brodersen and Kyle Hagemeyer (second, 10:35.95), long jump - Jamel Jones (second, 6.38 meters [20 feet and 11¼ inches]) and triple jump - Speaks (second, 13.41m [44-0|).

"Several young people have (impressed me)," Stockton said. "The main standout is Burgher, just because he's an amazing young person. He reminds me a lot of Terrell Shannon. Jacob Polacek, from his attitude to know how coachable he is. Also, Jenson Starr is a really good leader, someone that has stepped up even before I took this job when I was consulting him, and even now, he has stepped up in ways that has only helped my transition become a lot smoother." 

Another WWU leader is Brodersen, who was named AMC Indoor/Outdoor Freshman of the Year last season.

"Young man is about as driven as some of our top stars," Stockton said. 

In the jump events, the Owls have a mixture of talented upperclassmen and underclassmen. One of the leading upperclassmen is junior Jones, who won the AMC indoor title in the triple jump a season ago.

"Consistency," William Woods track and field assistant Gregory A. Keeler said. "When it comes to Jamel, it's just his consistency. He does the basics really well, and he understands what his goal is, and he's doing the work to get there."

An underclassman jumper who has already shined as a freshman is Speaks, who broke New Bloomfield's triple jump school record in three straight postseason meets en route to being the 2024 MSHSAA Class 2 boys state champion in the event.

"Speaks is an amazing teammate," Keeler said. "He's a type that people like to be around, and he is working really hard to make his freshman year as productive as possible. Very team oriented, understands that he's going to need to step up immediately to help the team be productive."

While the indoor season has been a figuring-it-out process for first-year college head coach Stockton, he has specific goals for his men's team come outdoor time.

"The goal for outdoor is to try to win outdoor conference as it will be our last trip in the AMC," Stockton said. "Then, to get good momentum going into the Heart as of next year."

With ambitions of a conference title, William Woods will have to excel in multiple events. Stockton explained where his men's team is the strongest.

"The men's team is definitely more in the distance, and in the distance side, the mid-distance side, that's definitely our strength right now just because those areas have been highly recruited over the last few years," Stockton said.

The Owls look to put on a strong showing in their final AMC Indoor Championships at 10 a.m. Saturday at Coach Crafton Center in Elsah, Illinois.

"Our men's team has had a lot of good success, including with our previous years," Stockton said. "I'm very blessed to come back home, and I'm looking forward to continuing that success, but in a new conference (next school year)."