Scholar Stories: Brown Using Movement Science to Overcome Injury, Make Difference
3/26/2025 10:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Continuing the series that began in 2017, each week MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By Nora Fairbanks-Lee
Senior Miles Brown of the University of Michigan men's track and field team had a difficult choice following his junior season of high school amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He never got to have any official school visits and only interacted with his future teammates and coaches over the phone. Most of the schools on his list had high academic reputations and sported good athletic teams, but the sense of camaraderie and potential role models were the deciding factor, as well as the proximity to his hometown of Novi, Mich.
"The people that were on the team when I was recruited were people that I would be willing to spend days, hours, weeks, months, years with and people that could be good role models that I could see myself growing into at the time," Brown said.
His path to collegiate athletics was not always clear. Although he excelled in track and field in high school, he initially had his eyes set on soccer. It was not until his sophomore year, after winning a state championship in track, that he realized the future he could have in track and field.
"Before winning the state championship, I considered myself more of a soccer player," Brown said. "But that was the first time where I considered doing track in college."
At Michigan, Brown has been a force for change on and off the track. He became the USATF U20 Champion in the 800 meters during his first year and set the school record in the indoor 600m. Over the past three seasons, Brown has earned All-America honors, including first-team recognition in 2023 and second-team honors in 2022 and 2024.
During his sophomore season, Brown faced a tough obstacle when he suffered a broken ankle. For him, the injury came at a difficult time; his course load demanded an intense amount of time and energy while simultaneously working through rehab for his ankle. Balancing rehab with his studies left Brown little time for sleep, resulting in both physical and mental exhaustion.
Despite these setbacks, Brown found strength and resolve in his determination, reinforcing his commitment to his athletics and academics.
"I asked myself, do I want to continue running, where all of the progress has been wiped? And I felt like I was so strong in my belief and knew this is what I want to do and I brought myself back from that both academically and athletically," said Brown. "I was a lot stronger and felt like I was on the right path in my life."
Brown's injury ultimately helped reaffirm his passion for movement science, even looking to pursue orthopedic surgery or cardiology in the future, where his two passions can come together.
"Exercise has been a part of my life forever, whether that's in orthopedic surgery or cardiology," he said. "That's my adventure."
Instead of letting an injury define him or take away his favorite things, he championed it, continuing to use it as motivation throughout his life.
"Yesterday, it was raining out. I didn't want to run, but I thought back to sophomore year. I would've done anything to go run in the rain," Brown said. "It's a lot easier to do things that might seem more mentally challenging when you've been through what was a difficult experience."
During his recovery, Brown found a renewed passion for movement science. Brown's first discovery of the major started in high school during an anatomy course. His passion and interest in exercise have led him to the movement science major on the pre-med track, as well as to a research study on anaerobic speed reserve for middle-distance runners like himself.
Miles realized that most research conducted on this topic focuses on sprinters. This gap in research and his MVS:330 biomechanics class encouraged his pursuit of this study. Dr. Lipps, his professor during this class, was given a shout-out by Miles for his introduction to force plate testing, the foundation of Brown's study.
Force plate testing is a method used to measure ground reaction forces during various movements such as walking, jumping, or squatting. The data provided from the testing provides insights into how an individual produces and absorbs force, which can help assess strength, power, and balance.
Brown is looking to compare force plate testing on the track to the weight room, allowing coaches to understand how every athlete has different training styles and then applying them to develop better-personalized programs for track and field runners, increasing performance.
By conducting this study, Brown can directly impact his life and his teammates, improving the knowledge around middle-distance runners and their trainability. It has been a great opportunity for Miles to combine his two interests into one.
"Most of the time, when you get assigned to a research project, it's not necessarily something you're passionate about, so I'm happy this study I'm doing is directly connected to what I'm interested in," he said.
But for Brown, his impact does not stop there. Not only has he worked hard to make a difference through his study but also as the director of research for TheSunBundle, a non-profit working to provide access to athletic equipment and apparel for underserved communities. The organization works tirelessly to address the concerns around under-resourced athletic programs and promote wellness through care packages and wellness education.
Brown wants to make a difference wherever he is. When asked about his role model for these different topics, Brown called upon Michigan native Grant Fisher. He specifically talked about seeing Fisher break the world record in Boston in February.
"After winning the race of his life, he took an extra lap to high-five everybody and see those who came out to support him," Brown said. "He's a good role model for sure."
Fisher is a Michigan native who earned a runner-up finish at the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship in his senior year at Stanford. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he earned a pair of bronze medals (5,000 and 10,000 meters) for the United States.
Brown is excited to pursue these accolades like Fisher during his outdoor senior season. This past indoor season, he started strong, achieving his career best and No. 2 mark in program history in the 800m during the Michigan Invitational. Brown is ready to continue his success alongside his teammates.
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