Time flies, but Aurora weightlifter Will Easley is still going strong despite an unexpected twist in his career path.

Easley is a second-year graduate student at East Tennessee State, working on a master’s degree in healthcare administration while on scholarship for weightlifting.

Last February, Easley was second in his weight class at the USA National University Championship to earn All-American honors. Two weeks ago, he was fourth at the USA Weightlifting National Championship in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“As far as goals, I want to get back on the podium at nationals,” said Easley, who took second in 2024 when the meet was held in Pittsburgh.

How he got here — to Johnson City, Tennessee — is an interesting story.

The last time I used this space to delve into Easley’s exploits, the 2020 West Aurora graduate was completing his senior year and revealed his college plans to attend Marian in Indianapolis on an athletic scholarship and compete for its fledgling weightlifting team that had started in 2017.

Unfortunately, the full impact of the pandemic began to be felt and Marian’s program was cut a week before Easley was scheduled to leave for school.

So much for the team setting he looked forward to joining.

“I had also applied to Illinois State as a backup option,” he said.

Three older siblings were graduates, giving him access to a legacy scholarship. He also earned other academic aid. Illinois State, like most colleges, does not offer weightlifting as a sport.

“It’s never been a NCAA sport,” Easley said. “It’s one of the main reasons for the inconsistency with scholarships.”

The move left him pretty much alone in his individual sport.

Easley, however, made the best of it. He joined the Bloomington-Normal Barbell Club and found a Bloomington gym — Power and Fitness — that fit his needs. He continued training the next four years while earning a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.

“I don’t want it to seem like I was competing on my own,” Easley said. “I had a really great coach.”And more than one, actually.

Dan Brown, who had recruited him to Marian, stayed in touch and provided training lessons and tips from 2020 to 2022.

“I’d send him video of my training, too, and he’d give me feedback,” Easley said. “It worked out well but then got to the point where he got really busy with business.”

Easley also connected with Bronson Mintun, the general manager and a coach at his gym with competitive experience in Olympic-style lifting and powerlifting.

East Tennessee State’s Stoneage Weightlifting Club also is on solid footing, being run in conjunction with the school’s sports science research department. It’s been around for decades.

Dr. Michael Henry Stone, who started the program, is highly regarded for his research. Dr. Satoshi Mizuguchi currently heads a team that numbers 18.

“I like it here,” Easley said. “It’s nice looking out at the horizon and seeing the mountains instead of nothing but flat land.

“With my bachelor in exercise science, the goal was that I go on to become a physical therapist, but I decided I wanted more opportunities when I’m out of school.”

The demands of the graduate program took some getting used to, and he has an internship at a local hospital working 33 hours a week. He still finds time to lift twice three days a week, followed by another session on Saturday.

“I feel like I’ve adjusted well and I’m getting back into the groove,” he said. “One of the guys on the team took second at nationals and is a bit stronger than me. Working with him and some of the others I can get different perspectives.

“It’s more like the atmosphere I’m used to over at West Aurora when I had friends working with me.”

Easley stays in touch with Thomas Kraus, the West Aurora teacher and coach who got him started in the sport.

“He just keeps doing what Will does — grinding,” Kraus said. “Will just has an internal motivation that I’m sure many high-level athletes have, but I’ve never experienced working with someone with that kind of drive in my 30 years at this.

“He’s the epitome of consistency and has all the things you need to be successful.”

Easley’s mother, Colette Gosselin-Easley, believes Kraus deserves credit, too.

“That guy is amazing,” she said. “They continue to stay in touch. Kraus created this monster.”