"As the assistant cross country and head jumps track and field coach, Al Sayce does a great job of believing in you as an athlete. He always brings the hype, and he is very easy to get along with. He makes sure to get to know you as a person, makes jokes, and is always laughing, which keeps the environment and the team culture very uplifting and positive. When our team hits a "rough patch," coach Al always makes sure to check in with every single one of us, including the athletes who are not a part of his event group. Al is very dedicated and always dependable when taking running splits in workouts and during races in cross-country. Al will always have your back. He is a great communicator, responsive, understanding, and is very passionate about his coaching and the improvement of his athletes and other athletes that are not in his event groups. In the last two years of getting to know Al, I will say that I have become a more positive person and athlete, always looking on the bright side and being less negative when racing and during hard workouts. His motivational speeches and leadership make him a very accessible and easy to get along with coach. He makes the team culture very positive, uplifting, and a welcoming environment to be a part of. I am very lucky to have met Coach Al, and I believe that he will keep pushing me to be more positive and not focus on the negatives when I do encounter a difficult performance or have a tough workout in practice. "