One personal record wasn’t good enough, so Mark Stair set two in his freshman year at Milligan--one at 6 feet 9 inches, the other at 39 seconds.

 

Stair is a high jumper for the track and field team at Milligan and, as a freshman this year, qualified for nationals with a personal best jump of 6 feet 9 inches. A very impressive performance for anyone, especially a freshman.

 

In his free time, Stair also enjoys solving the Rubik’s Cube as fast as he can. His personal best time at this activity is 39 seconds.

 

Stair is originally from Wooster, Ohio, where he went to The College of Wooster after graduating from Triway high school. After one year at Wooster, Stair decided he needed a change and transferred to Milligan.

 

“I knew that I wanted to go to a Christian college, and one time I was on a mission trip with my youth group from church and we stopped at Milligan,” said Stair. “Milligan was always in the back of my mind, and when I was looking for colleges again I saw that Milligan was offering athletic scholarships, and I ended up getting one.”

 

Stair was originally a basketball player. He was always naturally gifted at jumping, which was what led him to try out for his school’s track and field team.

 

“The first time I ever did track and field was in seventh grade, when they first offered it at the junior high that I went to,” said Stair. “I tried out for the high jumping, cause it sounded great, and I wasn’t the best then, but that’s what got me started and eventually led me here.”

 

Competitive nature is what drives Stair, whether it’s on a basketball court or at a track and field meet. This drive is also what led him to first trying to speed-solve a Rubik’s Cube.

 

“I was in sixth grade, and there was one kid who could solve it in about 40 seconds. I could never get that fast, so I just gave up on it,” said Stair. “I picked it back up just a couple months ago and just started working at it again to see what I could do. I eventually got my time down to 39 seconds, so I’m happy about that.”

 

Stair is content with his decision to come to Milligan, both because of the ability to compete on the track and field team and the opportunity to make friends in a positive, Christian atmosphere.

 

“I’ve loved it here. At (The College of Wooster) I didn’t have as many friends, so I spent a lot of time in my dorm room,” said Stair. “Here, I can talk to everyone, and everyone’s just very easy to get along with, and I really like that about here. I’m definitely happy I came here. Everything’s just better here.”

Stair Sets Two Personal Records