"Michael was the ultimate non-traditional student athlete…He respected his coaches, teammates, and opponents, and could see the big picture of what collegiate sports are all about." - Lyndon Athletic Director Chris Ummer
Michael Bruhn '99 earned a degree in environmental science at Lyndon. He has since attained degrees in both business administration and aviation science.
Prior to becoming a student-athlete at Lyndon, Michael was leaving his mark in the cycling world. He began his cycling career at the age of 13. He competed in the Tour of Switzerland, Tours of Mexico, and many Tours of Canada. Michael was a member of the Canadian National Cycling Team from 1979-1984.
Career highlights include being a member of the 1979 World Cycling Championship Team (Canada) and a member of the 1980 Canadian Olympic Cycling Team. He raced with the likes of Steve Bauer and Louis Garneau and was very well known regionally and nationally.
While a student at Lyndon, Michael excelled on the cross country team and served as team captain in both his junior and senior years. He was a three-time NAIA national qualifier, received NAIA All-Region honors three times, and was the top Lyndon NAIA regional finisher for men in 1996, 1997, and 1998.
Michael earned Vermont All-State honors in 1997 and 1998 and All-Mayflower Conference honors in 1996, 1997, and 1998. He was individual champion of the 1998 NAIA Northeast Regional Championships and finished 158th at the NAIA National competition in 1998 at the age of 40.
According to Athletics Director Chris Ummer, to his knowledge there has yet to be another 40-year-old student athlete to compete at nationals since Michael.
After college, Michael continued his running career and was a top New England competitor in 2000 and 2001. He finished first in several major races, one of which had 1,000 runners. In his forties, Michael found himself beating out runners in their twenties and thirties.
Michael works as supervisor and assistant training officer for Million Air at the Albany International Airport in Albany, N.Y.
Earlier in the evening, the 2000-01 Lyndon men's basketball team was honored for winning the Sunrise Conference championship and earning a berth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship Tournament.
Known for playing at a fever pitch, the Lyndon campus had not seen basketball of this caliber since the days Rickey Sutton. The community supported the team day in and day out; and more than 100 people showed up in the Alexander Twilight Theatre lobby to see the Hornets off to Branson, Missouri where the NAIA Tournament took place.
Throughout the season, Lyndon battled back in games to win against top-seeded team Notre Dame of Manchester, N.H. and scored more than 100 points in the contest. An impressive feat considering the team was predicted to finish last by a poll of coaches in the Sunrise Conference.
