Chris Yingling | Echo
Taylor's Athletic Department has hired a new face-one which previously shined on the biggest athletic stage in the world.
Near the end of May, Athletic Director Angie Fincannon announced the hiring of Olympic gold medalist David Neville as Taylor's new men's and women's track and field head coach.
Neville, an Indiana kid from Merrillville High School, dug his roots in the Hoosier State. A foot injury in high school threatened to derail Neville's plans to continue track, but the Lord's beckoning back into the sport was too strong for David to resist.
"God has plans far beyond what we could ever imagine," Neville said. "I wanted to go one way, but God put me right back on the path that was right for me."
He would continue to set records in the 200 and 400 meter contests while also going undefeated in his rookie year. Neville went to Indiana University to pursue a degree in music education. Every year of eligibility in college, Neville went to nationals. He then decided to go into the professional circuit.
Even in high school, Neville knew what he was going to do in the future.
"I was a senior in high school, six years before the Olympics were being held, and a newspaper reporter asked me what I was going to do with this whole track thing," Neville said. "And I said, 'I'm going to be in the Beijing Olympics.' The Lord placed it on my heart that that's what I was going to do and, lo and behold, the Lord stuck to it."
Neville would go on to smash every personal goal he set for himself. He was in the third spot of the 4x400-meter team that would win a gold medal in Beijing. He also earned the bronze medal by 0.04 seconds with a dive in the 400 meter dash.
Now, as his running career comes to a close, Neville is excited for the new doors God opened at Taylor.
"The people here have the heart of God, and they have the desire to let Christ be in the center of anything that we do," Neville said. "I've met so many genuine people here that want to see the impact that I can have. Not just the athletes, but the campus as a whole."Taylor was on Neville's radar after seeing the prominence of the program along with the compassion and Christ-likeness of the university. As a man who also has experience as a worship pastor in his Los Angeles church, he's excited to get involved with an institution where bolstering others through Christ is encouraged and practiced.
"Taylor is an atmosphere where I can talk about my faith openly and be able to minister to young men and women in Christ," Neville said. "Taylor was the perfect fit for that. If I can help others have an outlook on the gifts that God has given them through the talents of track and field, there is no place I'd rather do that than here."
Neville will take over a track and field team that has been successful in the past and looks to bring improvement in an already-dominant program.
"I think that we have a good program here that is historically great, and I want to live up to that," Neville said. "I want to bring more men and women here where they can grow in their faith while using their gifts of the track. You can always have an idea of where you want to go and where you want to take the program, but it's all in God's hands."
With David Neville at the helm, the Taylor track and field department will have some big changes as they look forward to the season.
"What I'm here to do is to get the best out of our athletes that I can possibly get and to succeed," Neville said. "I have ideas as to where I'd like to see the team in the next few years. It's a growing process, but with the help of the Lord, it's something that we can accomplish."
Photograph by Josh Adams
