Decorated Cherokee High School runner, Jaylan McCoy-Bark, seated center, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, signed a letter of intent to run collegiately for Haskell Indian Nations University during a ceremony at the Charles George Memorial Arena on the morning of Thursday, March 2. Shown, left to right, seated – Levi West, step-father; Sheena Bark West, mother; McCoy-Bark; Denise McCoy, grandmother; Shannon Bark, aunt; standing – Gregory A. Keeler, Haskell Indian Nations cross country head coach and operations director for track and field; and Ahli-sha Stephens, CHS head cross country coach. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Decorated Cherokee High School (CHS) runner, Jaylan McCoy-Bark, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, signed a letter of intent to run collegiately for Haskell Indian Nations University during a ceremony at the Charles George Memorial Arena on the morning of Thursday, March 2. He will run cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track for the Fighting Indians.
“I’m very excited,” he said following the signing. “I’m excited for all of it.”
He’s looking forward to competing at the next level. “The biggest difference, I think, is getting used to new teammates, new coaching, and just the whole environment in general.”
McCoy-Bark added, “I’d like to thank all my family, coaches, and teammates for their support and allowing me to run with them throughout the years.”
Ahli-sha Stephens, CHS head cross country coach, commented, “I think it’s exciting and I think that Jaylan’s going to do well at the next level because he’s so disciplined and so consistent. He’s so coachable. He has that work ethic that’s going to make him successful at the next level, which also made him successful at the high school level. He just has that drive about himself and it’s something that’s rare to find in a lot of kids.”
McCoy-Bark runs at the 2022 1A West Regional cross country championship held at Kituwah on Oct. 29, 2022. He finished in second place with a time of 16:36.89 and led his team to their second consecutive regional title.
“Jaylan is a leader. He’s a natural leader. He held himself accountable. He held his teammates accountable. In running, it’s about more than just training. You have to have the nutrition, the hydration, the rest, and they all have to be in tune, and they all have to be a priority to be an excellent runner. Those are all the things that you have to put in, not only the training, because if you don’t have those key factors in, it’s going to hinder your training. He held the other runners accountable. He led by example. He would pick up his teammates in the evenings and the weekends to do runs on their own. That’s just what a leader does and he’s a true young Cherokee leader, in my eyes.”
Gregory A. Keeler, Haskell Indian Nations head cross country coach and operations director for track and field, said, “We could not be more excited. I love the fact that he’s not just a solid, competitive cross country runner, but that he embraces indoor track as well, which a lot of athletes, especially distance athletes, have a hard time making that conversion. I like the fact that he’s got good grades and is socially a good kid. I feel like that will be a big part of us building our program as we move forward.”
McCoy-Bark’s mother, Sheena Bark West, said, “I’m excited for him. I know he’s not ready to be done at the high school level so I’m excited to see what he’ll do at the next level when he’s pushed even further.”
When asked about his leadership aptitude, she noted, “I feel very proud. I think it comes naturally to him because of his love for this sport. He becomes that natural leader.”
In 2021, McCoy-Bark led the Braves to the first 1A West Regional cross country team title in school history – a feat the team would repeat in 2022. He also took second place individually at the Smoky Mountain Conference cross country championship in both 2021 and 2022 as the team won titles both years. He was also part of the 2022 1A State Runner-Up team.
This year, McCoy-Bark had a breakout year during the Indoor Track season winning the SMC title in the 1000M, 3200M, and as part of the 4x800M team. He also took third place at the 1A state meet in the 1600M and the 3200M. During the 2022 Track season, he took third place at the 1A state meet in the 1600M, second place at the 1A West regional meet in the 1600M, and second place in both the 800M and the 1600M at the SMC championship.
McCoy-Bark has received numerous awards from the CHS Athletic Dept. including the 2022 Chief Noah Powell Memorial Leadership Award, 2022 MVP Cross Country, 2022 MVP Indoor Track, 2022 MVP Track, and 2021 MVP Cross Country.
Haskell Indian Nations University is part of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) and competes in the Continental Athletic Conference.
