Maryland Love Connection: John and Bria Collins

With group dinners, team workouts and out-of-state competitions, Bria (Johnson) Collins (‘06) and John Collins (‘04) crossed paths a lot as Maryland track and field teammates. 

They developed a strong friendship during their first year and a half in Maryland’s tight-knit throwers group. Despite their relationship, both pursued romantic interests outside of athletics. 

But one day, something changed between the pair. 

“We were in the weight room, and he was lifting pretty heavy weights,” Bria said. “I was a couple platforms over, and he was lifting a 315-pound hang clean. And I thought, ‘John's kind of cute.’ He had this long, flowy, sweaty hair.”

John’s dreamy weight room appearance was the turning point in the couple’s relationship, as they began dating shortly after. Fast-forward to 2024, they’ve been married for nearly 16 years and have three children.

Bria — a discus and shot putter — and John — a hammer and weight thrower — anchored the Terps’ throwing group for Maryland track and field between 2001-06. 

Both still rank among the best in program history in various events. Bria holds the eighth-highest mark in the discus throw and ninth in the shot put. John remains third all-time in the hammer throw, fourth in the javelin throw and seventh in the weight throw. 

Bria grew up in a throwing family in Mount Sinai on Long Island. Her father and uncle threw in high school and college, so she began shot put and discus at a young age. By the time she reached eighth grade, Bria was already competing at the state championships as a discus thrower for her high school. She qualified for five consecutive New York state championships, making her a highly touted recruit for the Terps.  

Bria chose Maryland because of a special connection with the team’s throwing coach at the time of her recruitment, Ronald Desonier. Desoiner grew up throwing with Bria’s father and uncle, making Maryland the most familial destination for the high school track and field star. 

“I kind of had a little special place in my heart for Maryland because [my family] knew Roland ahead of time,” Bria said.

John, a Marylander, got into throwing much later. During his senior year at Damascus High School, he competed in shot put and discus at states. John walked on to Maryland’s track and field team, entering college with his sights on pursuing a mechanical engineering degree. However, he went on to earn 2004 All-ACC honors in both indoor and outdoor field events. He was also a six-time IC4A championship qualifier. John also served as a team captain during his final two years with the program.  

Because of his many engineering class commitments, John opted to redshirt during his senior year to work on his degree and gain an additional season of eligibility. This decision provided John and Bria an extra year of overlap, as John was two grades above Bria.  

Following their weight room spark, Bria and John seamlessly transitioned from friends to a romantic couple, going on dates around College Park. 

The Collins’ fondly remember an early date at a fancy restaurant in the area – and its aftermath. 

“We didn't talk about it then, but I feel like we both were like, ‘man, this is expensive,’” Bria said. “When we left the date, I remember we were both like, ‘we’re still hungry. Should we go to McDonald's?’”

The date ended in a laugh-filled McDonald’s drive-thru run friendlier to their college student budgets.

They stayed together, even after John’s graduation, as the pair made good on their promise to be present for each other’s athletic pursuits. 

“He was always really supportive when I was still throwing,” Bria said. “I think we've always been pretty involved when the other person has a competition, even to this day. We always support each other in that stuff, and we enjoy watching each other do well and cheering each other on.”

John’s nearby job and apartment helped the couple make up for the decrease in time spent together compared to their years as teammates. 

“I remember we would meet halfway,” Bria said. “We would get dinner and go play pool, or he would come spend some time in College Park. It's not like we had a huge distance factor to overcome.”

Bria and John got engaged in 2007 after a day of tailgating for Maryland football’s game against Boston College. Both former student-athletes were part of a group of Terp alumni being recognized on the field. 

“During the tailgate, I had kept the engagement ring hidden in a backpack in somebody's pickup truck in lot 11,” John said. “After the game, I lured her out to the track because I said our coach had left a tape of some of our old throwing footage somewhere out there.” 

John got down on one knee and proposed to Bria in the Kehoe Track and Field Complex discus circle. The timing was perfect, as the pair enjoyed the sound of cannons in the background while the Terps took down a top-10-ranked Eagles team.  

“Like any College Park student-athlete, we celebrated our engagement at Bentley’s right after,” Bria said.

The couple married at Maryland’s Memorial Chapel on Nov. 8, 2008, in a ceremony attended by many former Terps. 

Everything came full circle when Desoiner — the family friend and former throwing coach who convinced Bria to go to Maryland — gave a speech to honor the newlyweds. Without Desonier’s influence, Bria and John may never have crossed paths. 

Bria has worked as an audiologist for 14 years and received her doctorate in audiology from Maryland. She’s currently the Associate Director of Audiology Practices at The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). 

John is a Business Development Manager at Actalent Government Services, an organization he’s worked at for 20 years thanks to Maryland’s current head track and field coach, Andrew Valmon, who coached John for his final two seasons at Maryland.

“He gave me a reference where he talked about my leadership and a bunch of other things,” said John. “I wouldn't have got the job if it hadn't been for what he had said.”

Bria and John continue to follow Maryland’s track and field team and even used to participate in home meets as exhibition throwers. Bria remembers feeling off during one of the post-graduation competitions, only to find out she was pregnant with their first child at the time. 

The Collins settled down in Montgomery County, Maryland, and have three children: Hunter (11), Hallie (8) and Quinn (4).

To stay connected in the greater track and field community, John throws with his former Terp teammate, Beau Fay, at the Highland Games — a strength sporting event celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture. The family enjoys supporting John in this yearly tradition. 

As far as raising the next generation of Terp throwers, their young kids haven’t caught the track and field bug yet, but Bria and John look forward to the possibility of their kids following in their footsteps. 

“We still have a lot of shot puts and discuses hanging around the house,” said John. “Maybe one day they will throw for Maryland.”