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Rosters.................................................................. 16 Kaylyn Christoper.................................................. 17 Jamie Cokeley....................................................... 18 Maria Dalzot.......................................................... 19 Kate Harrison........................................................ 20 Jessica O’Connell.................................................. 21 Stephanie Aldea.................................................... 22 Stephanie Caruso.................................................. 22 Sarah-Anne Brault................................................. 22 Rachel Buser......................................................... 23 Katie Gillespie....................................................... 23 Jordan Hamric....................................................... 23 Ahna Lewis............................................................ 24 Aubrey Moskal....................................................... 24 Hallie Portner......................................................... 24 Josie Crouch......................................................... 25 Alex Dent............................................................... 25 Chelsea Jarvis....................................................... 25 Alison Kimble......................................................... 25 Lydia Martinelli....................................................... 26 Sarah Martinelli..................................................... 26 Allison Pettit........................................................... 26
2009 REVIEW
Season Review..................................................... 32 2009 Results......................................................... 33 2009 Meet-by-Meet............................................... 34
RECORD BOOK
NCAA Honors........................................................ 36 Conference Honors............................................... 36 All-Americans........................................................ 37 BIG EAST Champions........................................... 40
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West Virginia University......................................... 42 President James P. Clements................................ 46 Director of Athletics Oliver Luck............................ 47 WVU Intercollegiate Athletics................................ 48 Mountaineer Excellence........................................ 49 Year In Review...................................................... 53 Media Information.................................................. 55 WVU Sports Communications............................... 56
COACHING STAFF
Head Coach Sean Cleary...................................... 10 Q&A with Coach Cleary..........................................11 Assistant Coach Jenn Davis.................................. 13 Support Staff.......................................................... 14
Season Preview.................................................... 28 2010 Schedule...................................................... 29
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Strength and Conditioning....................................... 2 BIG EAST Conference............................................ 3 Mountaineers in the Community.............................. 4 Student-Athlete Services......................................... 5 CHAMPS/Life Skills................................................. 8
2009 REVIEW
MOUNTAINEER CROSS COUNTRY
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CONTENTS
Credits: The 2010 West Virginia University cross country guide has been published by the WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
Photographers: All-Pro Photography by Dale Sparks, Bill Barrett, Bob Beverly, John Bright, Tad Davis, M.G. Ellis, Pete Emerson, Dan Friend, Jeff Geissler, Tim Goodenow, David Green, Mike Hardy, Julia Lucas, Dan Nagy, Brian Persinger, Chuck Scheer, Steve Smith, Martin Valent, WVU Athletic Archives, WVU Photographic Services, Alison Toffle, David Zicherman. Contributors: Lisa Ammons, Julie Brown, Phil Caskey, Tiffany Doolittle, Grant Dovey, Mickey Glowacky, Michael Fragale, Katie Kane, Cheryl Maust, Shannon McNamara, Bryan Messerly, Mike Montoro, Amy Prunty, John Riedesel, Kelly Tuckwiller, Daniel Whitehead. Printer: Champion Industries/Chapman Printing, Parkersburg, W.Va. © 2010 West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics The indicia depicted are registered trademarks of West Virginia University. West Virginia University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.
2010 WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY CROSS COUNTRY
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RECORD BOOK
Managing Editor: Joe Swan Editor: Tim Goodenow Page Layout: Tim Goodenow Authors: Kelly Tuckwiller, Daniel Whitehead Cover Design: Blaine Turner Advertising, Morgantown, W.Va.
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STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING MOUNTAINER CROSS COUNTRY COACHING STAFF MOUNTAINEER PROFILES
Athletic excellence and strength and conditioning go handin-hand at West Virginia University. WVU’s strength and conditioning staff ensures all student-athletes are on year-long programs designed to continue improving the fitness capabilities needed in their sports. “Our strength and conditioning staff is tremendous,” says head coach Sean Cleary. “With cross country, special attention needs to be paid to certain strengths and weaknesses that a distance runner needs, and I have full faith and confidence in the staff.” To keep athletes in peak physical condition, West Virginia offers a variety of training areas and an array of strength programs designed to increase performance. All student-athletes will also have their own program individually calculated and updated throughout the year. “It is inaccurate to think that all distance runners do is run,” adds Cleary, whose 2008 team finished a program-best fourth in the country at nationals. “Our kids spend a great deal of time on specific dynamics like speed drills and strength and conditioning exercises. When our team gets on the course, not only do I want them the fittest in the race, but also the strongest.” Equipped with excellent amenities and staffed by some of the finest strength coaches in the nation, athletes who come to West Virginia know that they are in good hands when it comes to their athletic capacity.
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STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING MISSION STATEMENT To provide athletes with the knowledge, character, extrinsic motivation, discipline and training to reach their potential both personally and athletically. Student-athletes are offered the opportunity to train in some of the nation’s best facilities and with one of the nation’s best staffs. Physical development and dominance have been and continue to be traits that are equated with WVU. The athlete’s self-confidence and unwavering dedication have driven him/her into the nation’s spotlight. This is made possible through the give-and-take relationships between the athletes and staff. The WVU strength and conditioning staff is committed to enabling athletes to achieve their dreams.
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COACHING STAFF MOUNTAINEER PROFILES 2010 SEASON 2009 REVIEW RECORD BOOK
championships. In men’s basketball, BIG EAST squads have won three of the last 12 NCAA championships. BIG EAST women’s teams have taken seven of the last 11 NCAA titles. Proactive movement has been a signature strategy for the conference that was born in 1979. The BIG EAST continually turns challenges into opportunities to become stronger. In 2009-10, the BIG EAST added men’s lacrosse to its growing list of sports, which increased its total to 24 sport championships. The BIG EAST became a reality on May 31, 1979, following a meeting of athletic directors from Providence College, St. John’s, Georgetown and Syracuse universities. Seton Hall, Connecticut and Boston College completed the original seven school alliance. While the membership has both increased and changed, the focus of the BIG EAST has not wavered. The conference reflects a tradition of broad-based programs, led by administrators and coaches who place a constant emphasis on academic integrity. Its student athletes own significantly high graduation rates and their record of scholastic achievement notably show a balance between intercollegiate athletics and academics. Any successful organization has had the good fortune to have outstanding leadership. The BIG EAST primarily was the brainchild of Dave Gavitt, who was the conference’s first Commissioner. Michael Tranghese, the league’s first full-time employee, and for 11 years the associate to Gavitt, became Commissioner in 1990. In his first year, he administered the formation of The BIG EAST Football Conference. In 2009-10, the BIG EAST had one significant change. Tranghese stepped down from his position on June 30, 2009. John Marinatto, who had served as senior associate commissioner, moved into the Commissioner’s chair and continued to steer the conference on its path of success. The league has long been considered a leader in innovative concepts in promotion and publicity, particularly regarding television. Those efforts have resulted in unparalleled visibility for BIG EAST student athletes. The conference has enjoyed long-standing relationships with CBS, ESPN, Inc. and ABC. BIG EAST men’s basketball games are regular sellouts at campus and major public arenas, including the annual men’s BIG EAST Championship in Madison Square Garden. The women’s basketball championship has led all conferences in attendance for the past seven years. Attendance figures also are significant in soccer and baseball. More than 575 BIG EAST student-athletes have earned all America recognition and dozens have won individual NCAA national championships. The BIG EAST has been well represented in U.S. or foreign national and Olympic teams. Several athletes earned gold medals. The BIG EAST has its headquarters in Providence, R.I., where the conference administers to more than 5,500 student-athletes.
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The 2010-11 academic year will be the 32nd in the history of The BIG EAST Conference as the unique consortium marches on competing at the highest level with integrity and sportsmanship. The BIG EAST has gone through membership changes since its birth, but the 2010-11 year will mark the conference’s sixth straight with the same 16-member group, the nation’s largest Division I-A conference. The BIG EAST Conference’s goals have always been the same. The outstanding performances of the student-athletes at BIG EAST schools are evidence of the league’s proud tradition of success. The league has always been able to boast that many of its best students are also its best athletes. The 2009-10 year was no different. Seven BIG EAST student-athletes were named NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners. Maya Moore, Connecticut’s women’s basketball standout, won the NCAA Honda-Broderick Award as the nation’s top female student-athlete. She also was named the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year for women’s basketball. Moore was the fifth BIG EAST women’s student-athlete to win the Honda-Broderick Award. In the athletic arena, BIG EAST student-athletes again enjoyed success on the national stage. The Connecticut women’s basketball team won its second straight national championship and its seventh overall crown. The Villanova women’s cross country team also won the NCAA title. The Notre Dame women’s soccer team reached the NCAA College Cup for the second straight year. The Syracuse women’s lacrosse squad reached the Final Four. On the men’s side, West Virginia’s basketball team became the BIG EAST’s 16th team to reach the NCAA Final Four and won the conference’s academic achievement award. The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team advanced to the NCAA championship game. Individually, three BIG EAST student-athletes won NCAA titles. Cincinnati’s Josh Schneider won the 50 freestyle in men’s swimming. In track, Louisville’s D’Ana McCarty repeated as the NCAA indoor winner in the weight throw. Louisville’s Matt Hughes won the 3,000 steeplechase. Another Cardinal, Austen Childs, was the national runner-up in men’s tennis singles. BIG EAST football maintained its national profile as a competitively balanced group. Cincinnati won its second straight league championship in 2009 and compiled an undefeated regular season. The Bearcats finished third in the final Bowl Championship Series standings. Six of the league’s eight squads went to bowl games and helped the BIG EAST post a 4-2 bowl record. Rutgers, one of the bowl winners, also was recognized for having the nation’s highest NCAA APR rating, which measures academic success. The BIG EAST has continued to produce student-athletes who are at the forefront of athletic and academic achievement. In 2009-10, 22 BIG EAST players from 10 schools were chosen to their respective ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Teams. Over 400 studentathletes have earned academic all-America honors. The BIG EAST became the nation’s largest Division I-A conference in 2005-06 when five new members began competing. The new schools were: University of Cincinnati, DePaul University, University of Louisville, Marquette University and the University of South Florida. BIG EAST institutions reside in nine of the nation’s top 35 largest media markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Tampa, Pittsburgh, Hartford, Cincinnati and Milwaukee. With its newest members, BIG EAST markets contain almost one-fourth of all television households in the U.S. Since opening its doors in 1979, the league has won 28 national championships in six different sports and 128 student-athletes have won individual national titles. In 2003-04, Connecticut became the first school in NCAA history to win the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball titles in the same season. In ’02-03, the BIG EAST became the first conference in NCAA history to win the men’s and women’s titles in the same year when the Syracuse men and the Connecticut women captured their respective national
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COMMUNITY SERVICE MOUNTAINER CROSS COUNTRY COACHING STAFF MOUNTAINEER PROFILES 2010 SEASON 2009 REVIEW RECORD BOOK WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
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Winning and working hard are important to the West Virginia University cross country team. But becoming successful and positive role models on and off the course is just as significant. Each year, the Mountaineers work to give back to Morgantown and surrounding communities every chance they find. Most recently, the WVU cross country team has donated its time to helping the Jerry Lewis Telethon. Aimed toward helping kids with muscular dystrophy and related diseases, the 21-and-a-half hour telethon was first aired in 1966 and has allocated over $42 million to research projects and has funded more than 300 projects worldwide. The Mountaineers do their part to help the cause by answering telephones, which are constantly ringing with donors. “It is very important to our program that the student-athletes understand that it is not a right, but more so a privilege, to represent West Virginia University,” Cleary says. “We feel very strongly that we must give back and say “thank you” for the opportunities we are given. Because we have been given opportunities, our hope is that we will want to provide service back because by doing so our lives will be richer.” The Mountaineers are frequent visitors to the WVU Children’s Hospital and help several different local community service projects. The team also regularly donates its time and knowledge by hosting and teaching local youth track clubs, including the WV Flyers, to learn the fundamentals of the sport. Along with strengthening the youngsters’ skills, they also teach the participants the importance of good sportsmanship, courage, determination and hard work. Coach Cleary’s student-athletes can also be found reading to children at elementary schools in the “Read Aloud” program. During their visits, the student-athletes read to students in several classrooms and encourage the school’s older students to apply themselves to their studies. “Being able to put life’s stressful moments into perspective is vital for every one of us,” Cleary says. “Community service is a wonderful avenue by which to have our student-athletes take a step back and realize that those that we are lending our time to in many ways can teach us life’s delicate lessons.” Mountaineer coaches and players also take part in Relay for Life of Monongalia County, the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at WVU’s outdoor track and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.
foot facility providing individual and group study areas ð 8,000-square State-of-the-art labs ð Provides a quietcomputer atmosphere and is open six days a week ð ð The latest in fingerprint technology used when signing in ð Center can be utilized around the student-athlete’s schedule ð Center cost $1.3 million and opened in October of 2007. ð Facility gift was provided by former Mountaineer great Jerry West and his wife, Karen, and the Robbins family.
2010 WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY CROSS COUNTRY
2009 REVIEW RECORD BOOK
COLISEUM ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE CENTER
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The WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is committed to the promotion of the academic achievement of student-athletes as well as their athletic accomplishment and their personal and career development. In support of this position, West Virginia University offers a variety of services and programs to help student-athletes maximize their academic potential. Department staff members work with coaches, on-campus student service providers and faculty to help student-athletes meet the unique demands of the classroom, the sporting arena and the personalsocial challenges they face as developing adults. While many of the headlines center on the Mountaineers’ accomplishments on the playing field, West Virginia athletes have also made some noteworthy strides in the classroom. Some of those strides include having 11 student-athletes being named first team Academic All-Americans in seven of the last nine years and nearly 800 different student-athletes earning a 3.0 GPA during the 2008 and 2009 academic years. To help its student athletes achieve academic success, one of the nation’s finest facilities resides in the WVU Coliseum – The Coliseum Academic Performance Center.
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STUDENT-ATHLETE SERVICES MOUNTAINER CROSS COUNTRY COACHING STAFF MOUNTAINEER PROFILES 2010 SEASON 2009 REVIEW RECORD BOOK WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
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“The Coliseum Academic Performance Center is a significant development for an academically oriented institution such as West Virginia to recognize the special needs required for a modern student-athlete’s success both as an athletic competitor on the field of play and in the classroom.” -- Garrett Ford, Associate Athletic Director for Student Services.
ð ð ð ð
WVU’S ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES PROVIDES Team educational counselors Tutoring and mentoring services Priority registration for student-athletes Post-eligibility assistance
The WVU student services staff, headed by Associate Athletic Director for Student Services Garrett Ford and his assistants Sandy Cole-DeMent, Erica Wycherley, Paul Downey, Stephanie White, Mark Hanselman and Donnie Tucker, makes sure that every studentathlete has the best possible opportunity to obtain a college degree. This process begins as soon as a recruit signs a letter-of-intent to play for the Mountaineers. “We know everything about incoming freshmen academically before they arrive in the fall,” said Ford. “We know which students are ahead of others and which will require more assistance.” Besides keeping in touch with freshmen, incoming student-athletes are encouraged to attend orientation sessions offered for all West Virginia University students during the summer prior to their arrival on campus. This is where new students can learn more about the Morgantown campus and, most importantly, register for classes. During the second week of classes, freshmen are enrolled in mandatory study halls, monitored by Ford and his staff. Those who do well during the first semester are given the option of attending study hall, but if their GPA drops below a certain mark, they must return to the mandatory sessions. During the semester, department officials keep a careful record of each student-athlete’s academic progress. Class and study hall attendance are checked regularly, periodic grade reports are obtained from instructors, and parents, coaches and players are kept up-to-date on their academic progress. During priority registration, all student-athletes, from incoming freshmen to graduating seniors, get advice in scheduling the courses to keep them on track in their degree programs. These measures are succeeding in a noticeable way. Last year, 379 student-athletes earned a place on the Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll with at least a 3.0 grade-point average.
TUTORING SERVICE FACTS
ð Over 75 tutors provide student-athletes with assistance in their classes. Upperclassmen, graduate students and community members serve as ð tutors in their area of specialty. Tutoring services are provided for all student-athletes regardless of ð scholarship status.
MENTORING SERVICE FACTS Experienced educators from the local community serve as mentors for student-athletes who need additional guidance with adjusting to the academic rigors of the college environment. Mentors help incoming student-athletes improve accountability through time management, study skills and organizational skills related to their classes. In another program, former Mountaineer athletes are returning to school to complete work on their degrees, some after as many as 10 years away from Morgantown. But for those who don’t graduate with their class, there’s still hope. A continuing-eligibility program was created in 1989 to give those studentathletes who are close to graduating an opportunity to come back to school to complete their degrees. Since its creation, dozens of students have participated, with a success rate of better than 80 percent. More than 25 student-athletes from all sports participated in the post-eligibility program last year. In 1992, under the direction of associate Ford, WVU joined the growing list of schools that are a part of an NCAA-sponsored consortium. Similar to the post-eligibility program in providing former student-athletes a chance to continue work toward their degrees, the closely screened consortium requires participants to be more involved in community-related activities. The consortium students are often much older athletes, who left the University to pursue professional sports or business careers, but now wish to return to complete their degrees.
WHAT IS SAAC? The West Virginia University Student Athlete Advisory Committee is comprised of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.
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SAAC’S PURPOSE
COACHING STAFF MOUNTAINEER PROFILES
STUDENT ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) provides a forum for the “voice of the student-athlete” on WVU’s campus. SAAC membership provides feedback to administration about how to improve WVU athletic programs. They disseminate information important to student-athletes to share with their teams. Two representatives from each varsity team at West Virginia University are either elected by their teammates or selected by the members of their coaching staff. Under the guidance of SAAC advisor Terri Howes, the SAAC meets regularly to discuss current issues and concerns of WVU’s student-athletes. SAAC leaders attend BIG EAST Conference SAAC meetings to exchange ideas with other studentathletes from BIG EAST schools regarding student-athletes’ collegiate experience.
2010 SEASON
GRADUATION RATES West Virginia University’s graduation rate for student-athletes has been impressive, to say the least, over the past seven years. The ratio of student-athletes graduating to the general student body has increased almost every year. The graduation rate for student-athletes is based upon the number of students who entered the University receiving athletic scholarship aid in a given academic year, and their progress over six years. The most recent figures are based upon the progress of student-athletes who entered WVU during 2002-03.
APR The West Virginia University men’s basketball team, women’s cross country team and women’s soccer team received public recognition in the spring of 2010 by the NCAA for their latest multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores. These teams posted multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads their respective sports. Each year, the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear APR. The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each studentathlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team’s academic performance.
2009 REVIEW
NCAA CERTIFICATION West Virginia University received unconditional recertification in April 2010 from the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification, recognizing that the University’s athletic program is in “substantial conformity with operating principles” adopted by Division I schools. The purpose of athletics certification is to ensure integrity in the institution’s athletics program and to assist institutions in improving their athletics departments, the NCAA said. WVU was one of the first schools to volunteer for the NCAA’s pilot certification program in 1991, and was one of five schools originally certified. WVU’s program was recertified by the NCAA in 1996 and then again in 2001. The most recent round of recertification began in 2008 with a self-study of governance and commitment to rules compliance, academic integrity, as well as gender and diversity and student-athlete well-being. The Division I Committee on Athletics Certification preliminarily reviews an institution’s certification materials and provides a list of issues identified during the evaluation. The university then hosts a visit by peer reviewers who file a report regarding the institution’s resolution of those issues before a final certification decision is rendered. An institution’s failure to satisfactorily respond to the committee may negatively affect certification status. All 335 active Division I members participate in the certification process.
MOUNTAINEER CROSS COUNTRY
STUDENT-ATHLETE SERVICES
1. To generate a student-athlete voice within WVU, the Big East and NCAA structure. 2. Solicit student-athlete response to proposed WVU, Big East and NCAA legislation.
RECORD BOOK
The purpose of West Virginia University SAAC is:
4. Review, react and comment to the governance structure on legislation, activities and subjects of interest. 5. Actively participate in the administrative process of athletics programs and the NCAA. 6. Promote a positive student-athlete image.
2010 WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY CROSS COUNTRY
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3. Recommend potential WVU, Big East and NCAA legislation.
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CHAMPS/LIFE SKILLS MOUNTAINER CROSS COUNTRY
The purpose of this area is to support the academic progress of student-athletes toward intellectual development and timely graduation. Services provided in this component include tutoring, academic counseling and advising, mentoring, U101 equivalent freshman orientation classes (SEP 170) and structured study sessions.
COACHING STAFF
COMMITMENT TO ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE The purpose of this area is to offer athletic programs that are broad-based, equitable, and dedicated to the well-being of the student-athlete. Overall, WVUIA administration program supports and encourages a broad program of sports. CHAMPS/Life Skills acts as a performance psychology professional resource for the coaching and support staff of the athletic programs.
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COMMITMENT TO PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
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The purpose of this area is to support the development of a well-balanced lifestyle for student-athletes, encouraging and supporting emotional well-being, personal growth and decision making skills. CHAMPS/Life Skills services provided within this component include personal counseling, health presentations, improving communication skills, and presentations on social development and fiscal responsibility. A satellite office of the WVU Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services and Well WVU is located in the Coliseum to support this commitment area.
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COMMITMENT TO SERVICE The purpose of this component is to engage interested student-athletes in service to his or her campus and surrounding communities. Activities for student-athletes within this component include peer education, guest speaking at campus and community events and mentoring local children. The many challenges that today’s college student-athletes face, both on and off the playing field, are unmatched in the history of higher education. Unfortunately, many students are not well prepared to face these challenges or encounter life issues that undermine health and success in college. To prepare studentathletes for the demands of college life and beyond, the NCAA developed the CHAMPS (Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success)/Life Skills program. In the spring of 1995, the West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics initiated its own CHAMPS/Life Skills program. WVU was one of only 170 schools selected by the NCAA to participate in their national pilot program. Five programming “commitment” areas viewed as critical to personal growth are part of WVU’s model. They are: 1) academic excellence, 2) personal development, 3) career development, 4) athletic excellence and 5) community service. COMMITMENT TO ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
COMMITMENT TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT The purpose of this area is to encourage student-athletes to develop and pursue career and life goals in a timely manner. The CHAMPS/Life Skills program fulfills this purpose by offering career development presentations, sport career retirement programs, transitions from college class in the spring semester (SEP 493), and by working in conjunction with the WVU Carruth Center and the WVU Career Services Center on identifying an individual’s interests, career goals, crafting resumes and facilitating job search process. For more information, contact WVUIA psychologist Dr. Ed Etzel in Room 275a in the Coliseum at (304) 293-7062 or visit GTA Michelle McAlarnen in Room 288 of the Coliseum.
For more information on Student Services, visit www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?section=12102
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head coach sean cleary mountainer cross country Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season 2009 Review record book west virginia university
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Sean Cleary
Cross Country and Track Coach Fourth season/19th with program
Sean Cleary Coaching Experience West Virginia University, 1993-Present • Fourth season as head coach • No. 5 on the 2010 Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award list in 2010 • 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championship sixth-place finish • Eight All-American cross country runners • Two Academic All-Americans • Coached two cross country runners to three career All-America honors – Marie-Louise Asselin and Keri Bland • Saw highest ever school ranking at No. 3 - Oct. 6, 2009 • 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championship fourth-place finish • 2008 1,000 NCAA APR score Coached 2008 BIG EAST Individual • Champion - Asselin • Three Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year honors (2004, 2007, 2008) • NCAA Mid-Atlantic team champions (2004, 2008) • 2007 BIG EAST Champions • 2007 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year • Coached 21 NCAA all-Mid Atlantic Region runners • 12 all-BIG EAST runners
Sean Cleary, one of the sport’s most talented coaches, is in his fourth season at the helm of the West Virginia University cross country and track teams after being associated with the program for 19 years. With his expertise in the mentoring, training, conditioning and recruiting of distance runners, Cleary has quickly built West Virginia’s cross country program into a national powerhouse with four All-Americans and numerous allconference runners. This success was proven at the completion of the 2009-10 track season, as WVU was recognized as the fifth-best team on the Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award list announced by the United States Track and Field and Cross County Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The award is given annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division I women’s cross country and track and field programs and honors the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year based on the institution’s finish at the NCAA Division I Championships in the three seasons. Cleary’s winning traditions were shown in the 2009 cross country season as WVU finished sixth at the NCAA Championships, marking its third consecutive Top 10 finish. The Mountaineers were ranked in the Top 10 by the USTFCCCA throughout the entire season and debuted at No. 3 on Oct. 6, for the highest ranking in school history. They finished second at the BIG EAST Championships and third at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals. Additionally, Cleary and his staff aided three runners to All-America honors. Seniors Marie-Louise Asselin and Keri Bland became the first and second Mountaineers to earn three All-America honors in the sport, while senior Clara Grandt earned her first honor in cross country. Running Experience During the season, Grandt, a West Union, W.Va., native, led the team in all of its races. West Virginia University, 1991-92 She was named the BIG EAST Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week of Sept. 24, • Helped 1991 team to Atlantic 10 title after finishing first at the Midwest Open and crossing the line in 17:00.1, 19 seconds ahead of • Earned all-conference honors in 1992 second place, for the fastest course time in over 20 years. • Team Captain The Mountaineers also had five all-region runners, including Asselin and Bland, who became the third and fourth runners to earn the honor four straight years, and three all-conferEducation ence student-athletes. West Virginia University The Mountaineers also were named an All-Academic Team by the USTFCCCA. The • Bachelor’s degree (physical education) group was ranked ninth in the nation in terms of overall grade point average (GPA) and had the highest GPA of any team that finished in the top 25 at the national championships. The Mountaineers’ momentum carried over to the track season as the team finished 10th in the indoor season and 16th during the outdoor season at NCAAs. The indoor season proved to be historic as WVU sent a school-record seven student-athletes to compete at the NCAA Championships. Ranked No. 15 going into the meet, Cleary and his team exceeded all expectations, with all seven studentathletes earning All-America honors as they raced to the No. 10 spot. Junior Chelsea Carrier, the Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year, led the team as she earned her first-ever All-America honor with a fourth-place finish in the pentathlon (4,133 points). The Buckhannon, W.Va., native also raced to her second honor with a sixth-place showing in the 60-meter hurdles. The 2010 outdoor track season was one for the ages as four runners earned All-America status. Among the highlights, Asselin, Kate Harrison and Sarah-Anne Brault finished in first, second and third places respectively at the BIG EAST Championships in the 5,000-meter race, unprecedented for the conference. Bland, Grandt and Asselin ended the season as the only Mountaineers to earn All-America honors in three different sports in the same year. Cleary helped produce three All-Americans in 2009: Clara Grandt, In just his second year as head coach, Cleary Keri Bland and Marie-Louise Asselin led the squad to several top finishes as it rewrote
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season 2009 Review record book
fellow coaches within the region. Cleary and the cross country staff have won four regional coaching Staff of the Year awards. From 1998 to 2004, WVU’s distance medley relay team qualified for nationals seven consecutive years, the second-longest streak in the nation under Cleary’s watch. Since 1999, WVU has qualified nine distance medley relay teams for nationals. Cleary helped lead West Virginia to all four of its NCAA Championship appearances and also has coached 16 athletes who have competed at the World Track and Field, World Cross Country, World University Games and Pan American Championships. Cleary worked closely with former head coach Martin Pushkin in building the women’s cross country team into a national contender. Cleary was responsible for the recruitment and mentoring of NCAA mile champion Kate Vermeulen as well as All-Americans Rebecca Stallwood, Merissa Sexsmith and Metcalfe. Metcalfe became Cleary’s second national champion, 72nd All-American and 151st NCAA qualifier. Under his guidance, Cleary’s coaching produced several All-America runners, including four-time All-American Bob Donker, NCAA cross country All-Americans Wynston Alberts, Mike Dudley and Steve Bohan, two-time NCAA qualifiers Jeff Metcaff and Bohan, NCAA qualifier Ian Collings and 5,000-meter All-American Mark Vilardo. Cleary, who holds a USATF Level I Certification, is the primary recruiter for the cross country squad, attracting the best in-state, out-of-state and international athletes. Cleary is also responsible for scheduling all meets and serves as the director for home meets. He was a member of the Mountaineer team in 1991 and 1992, and helped the 1991 squad capture the Atlantic 10 cross country title and he earned all-conference honors his last season, while helping West Virginia to a second-place conference finish. Cleary attended Central Oregon Community College where he helped lead the team to the National Junior College Athletic Association title. Cleary received a bachelor’s degree in physical education from WVU in 1992.
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the school record books. In the Top 10 of the USTFCCCA Women’s National Poll the entire season, the Mountaineers were ranked a then-team-best No. 5 three times throughout the year. Also in 2008, Cleary led his nationally ranked squad to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championship, the highest-ever in school history, and guided Asselin and Bland to their second consecutive All-America honors. The Mountaineers qualified for nationals with their second NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Championship, where they tied Princeton with 51 team points. WVU also garnered more honors with six runners being named to the all-Mid-Atlantic Region team. Additionally, Asselin became the first individual champion in school history to win a BIG EAST championship, where the team finished second. Asselin, Grandt and Bland were all named to the all-BIG EAST team. For his accomplishments in leading the Mountaineers, Cleary was named the 2008 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year for the third time in his career and for the second-consecutive season by the USTFCCCA. The 2009 track team also had a successful year with three runners qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Grandt led the team as she earned All-American honors for finishing fourth in the 10,000-meter finals. Grandt then went on to be named Mid-Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA. Cleary also led his team to a solid finish in the conference as it finished in seventh-place at the BIG EAST Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Grandt took the title in the 5,000-meter, while Carrier captured the 100-meter hurdle title. The Mountaineers qualified three for the NCAA Championships in Asselin, Grandt and Carrier. The Georgetown, Ontario, native’s first season as head coach was a record-setting one as he guided the 2007 cross country team to its first BIG EAST Championship in school history. Cleary had a then-school record three all-BIG EAST performers and brought WVU back into the Top 25 of the national polls for the first time since 2004. He then followed up a conference title with a second-place finish at the Mid-Atlantic Regional to qualify for the team’s fourth-ever appearance at nationals. There, he ran a lineup of all sophomores and placed ninth in the country, the highest finish in school history at the time. Asselin and Bland earned All-America honors, and Cleary was named the Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. Also in his first season as head coach, Cleary saw Asselin and Bland claim BIG EAST indoor titles in the 3,000-meter and 1,000-meter, respectively, while the distance medley relay (DMR) set a BIG EAST meet record in winning the indoor crown. The DMR went on to place fourth at nationals and Asselin placed seventh in the 3,000-meter to earn All-America honors. He also coached Grandt to break a 28-year-old record in the 10,000-meter at the ECAC Outdoor Championships and saw Carrier win her first league title in the 100-meter hurdles outdoors as a freshman. Bland finished the 2008 outdoor season by earning All-America honors in the 1,500-meter to become the first female in WVU history to earn All-America honors in three sports in the same year. Cleary previously had been the distance coach in 2005 and 2006 and was a full-time assistant from 2001-04, serving as the primary coach and trainer for the cross country team during that span. Prior to the 2001 season, Cleary served as a graduate assistant coach for eight seasons at WVU. In 2006, Cleary brought a young team along nicely before season’s end. The ’06 squad claimed a sixth-place finish at the 2006 BIG EAST Championship, improving from 12th the year before. Then, perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships was the finish of Cleary’s group. Despite having more than 60 percent of the roster comprised of freshmen, WVU registered a fourth-place finish at regionals after spending all season ranked between 10th and 12th in the regional polls. Four of WVU’s top five finishers were freshmen. In the 2005 outdoor track season, Cleary coached five NCAA regional qualifiers. In 2005, Jennifer Kemp won the NCAA Regional Championship in the 800-meter run, while Jennifer Davis was the 3,000-meter run ECAC champion. Megan Metcalfe won the national championship in the 5,000-meter race, becoming the third women’s track athlete in school history to win an individual national championship. Cleary helped the Mountaineers win their first-ever Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship in 2004 and was a major part of WVU’s 15th-place finish at the NCAA Championship that same year. For his efforts, Cleary was named the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year by a vote of 31
mountaineer cross country
head coach sean cleary
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Q&A with sean cleary mountainer cross country
Who will lead this year’s team? Jessica O’Connell and Kaylyn Christopher are All-Americans in the distance medley relay from track and also have a lot of experience in cross country. Kate Harrison, Sarah-Anne Brault, Ahna Lewis and Maria Dalzot have proven over time to be consistent and we hope they can do great things this year. That group of five or six is going to be judged based on how fast they run and if they make nationals. I think what we have lost in terms of experience, we more than make up in terms of readiness and training.
Coaching Staff
Who will be tough in conference? The BIG EAST is amazing this year once again. I would put Villanova as the top team in the country even after losing some key girls. They’ll be favored to win the national title. Syracuse is always tough and they’re hosting the conference championship, so they’ll have the edge to compete for the conference title. Notre Dame and Georgetown are also looking really good. It will be a challenge as always to compete in this league.
Mountaineer Profiles
What is your philosophy on redshirting? My philosophy in coaching is to protect the kids. By that I mean looking at the overall clock with the distance runners to look at five years knowing that I want to redshirt those kids that I feel can be national class distance runners for us. I want to protect them and redshirt them and get them into a situation where as fifth-year seniors we have them as athletes in our program and at the pinnacle of their athletic career.
2010 Season
How do you determine who will race each meet and how do injuries come into play? It just depends on who shows up to compete for spots in the preceding weeks before a meet. Sometimes the kids can get a bit stale from being held out. Other times they are so fresh and ready to race that they run the best race of the whole year. I would say that we haven’t faltered in terms of sickness or injury with any of the girls. They are probably anticipating and wanting to race more than anyone.
What are the expectations after the success in 2009? The expectations are always the same for our teams - train with the championship portion of the season in mind. I want to prepare this group to run its very best races in the final moments of the year. Should we achieve this, we should be in a good position to be back in the NCAA finals. Either way, our goal is to be at Indiana State in November prepared to take on the nation’s best distance runners.
2009 Review
Having a relatively young team, how did the girls approach the offseason? The girls understand that it is a very long year to get through June. So the emphasis is to put ourselves in the best position at the end of the summer and into the fall to be prepared for the best cross country and track seasons possible. I am very happy with the quality and focus that we achieved this summer. Traditions are made over generations; the team understood what it needed to do this summer and handled itself like veterans.
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What is your favorite part of coaching? Watching a young athlete mature. I am involved in coaching to help invoke behavior change off the field that will help performances on the field. It is a great moment for me when I watch the athletes that I work with fully understand the things about themselves that are needed to to be improved upon in order to become better friends, roommates, daughters and finally, teammates. It gives me great satisfaction to see the end result of such change transpire into fantastic races. It is very difficult to change certain qualities about ourselves but when we do, life becomes more meaningful and invites brand new goals. What is the team’s overall goal for this season? To be at the NCAA Championship running the best race of our lives on the day that matters most.
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What does this year’s roster say about running talent in the state of West Virginia? The roster continues to be filled with West Virginia natives. As long as I am the head coach of the Mountaineers, this will remain the case. Talent is hidden in every small town in America; it is simply a matter of finding it and nurturing it. We are very proud of our West Virginia tradition.
Education West Virginia University, 2001-06 • Bachelor’s degree (English) • Master’s degree (Elementary education)
Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles
Running Experience West Virginia University, 2001-05 • Two-time All-American • Two-time Academic All-American • Qualified for NCAA competition five times • Four-time BIG EAST Academic all-star
2010 Season
Coaching Experience West Virginia University, 2007-Present • Assistant Coach • Coached three cross country All-Americans - Marie-Louise Asselin, Keri Bland and Clara Grandt • Coached two cross country runners to three career All-America honors – Asselin and Bland • Aided squad to NCAA Mid-Atlantic team title in 2009 • 11 all-Mid-Atlantic region runners
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Former Mountaineer distance runner Jennifer Davis is back for her fourth season as an assistant coach at her alma mater. Davis aided one of the most decorated squads in school history in 2009, as the Mountaineers finished sixth at the NCAA Championship, marking the thirdconsecutive Top 10 finish. She also watched seniors Marie-Louise Asselin and Keri Bland become the first runners to earn three All-America honors in the sports, while senior Clara Grandt earned her first. In 2008, Davis helped coach WVU’s cross country team to its highest finish in school history, as the Mountaineers finished fourth at the NCAA Championships and guided juniors Asselin and Bland to their secondconsecutive All-America titles. The squad also was the NCAA Mid-Atlantic team champions, while a record-setting six runners were named to the all-Mid-Atlantic Region team. The fourth-place accomplishment topped the 2007 record-setting ninth-place finish. That team won the BIG EAST title for the first time ever and produced two All-Americans in Asselin and Bland, as well as three all-BIG EAST and all-region performers. During the track season, Davis worked with the distance medley relay squad that finished fourth in the country. She also helped Alison Spiker qualify for the NCAA regionals in the steeplechase, despite never previously running the event in her career. Prior to her full-time promotion in 2007, the Romney, W.Va., native had been a volunteer assistant to Sean Cleary since 2005 and was responsible for steeplechase training, while coordinating home cross country meets. Davis administered workouts for the program’s middle and long distance runners. She also worked with six NCAA individual qualifiers from 2005-07. From 2003-07, Davis worked as an assistant coach with the West Virginia Flyers club. Davis administered workouts, assisted with meet management and served as the web manager for the running club. During that span, the club produced 45 West Virginia high school state champions in the middle and long distance events (800-3200-meter). She also oversaw 14 members who received Division I scholarships. Davis ran track and cross country at WVU from 2001-05 and qualified for NCAA competition at total of four times in cross country, the distance medley relay and 5,000-meters. She captained and helped guide the WVU cross country team to a Mid-Atlantic regional championship in 2004 under then-assistant coach Cleary. In track, Davis was the first West Virginia native to run the 1,600-meters in less than five minutes. She also earned All-America honors twice as the anchor of the distance medley relay team. She has the second fastest time in the steeplechase (10:42.58) at WVU and was a member of the school-record holding 4x800 relay team (8:48.07) in 2003. In 2005, she captured the ECAC 3,000-meter title with a time of 9:33.61. A four-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star, Davis was twice named an Academic All-American. Davis received her bachelor’s degree in English from WVU in 2005 and finished her master’s in elementary education in the fall of 2006.
JENN DAVIS
2009 Review
Assistant Coach Fourth Season
record book
Jenn Davis
mountaineer cross country
assistant coach jenn davis
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
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support staff mountainer cross country Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles
Bryan Fitzpatrick
Liz Bunn
Coordinator of Speed Development
Paul Downey
Educational Counselor
Steve Bierer
Daniel Whitehead
2010 Season
Athletic Trainer
2009 Review
Bubba Schmidt Equipment Manager
Assistant Equipment Manager
Sports Communications Graduate Assistant
record book west virginia university
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Dr. Matt Lively Medical Director
Cindy Smith
Administrative Assistant
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
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west virginia university
record book
2009 Review
2010 Season
Mountaineer Profiles
Coaching Staff
mountaineer cross country
rosters mountainer cross country Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles
Name Yr. Ht. Hometown High School Stephanie Aldea.......................................Jr............................ 5-8............................Windsor, Ontario.................................................................St. Anne Sarah-Anne Brault....................................r-So........................ 5-6............................Winnipeg, Manitoba............................................ Collège Louis-Riel Rachel Buser............................................r-So........................ 5-5............................Berkeley Springs, W.Va........................................ Berkeley Springs Stephanie Caruso.....................................r-Jr.......................... 5-1............................Wheeling, W.Va......................................Wheeling Central Catholic Kaylyn Christopher...................................Sr............................ 5-6............................Kingwood, W.Va.................................................................. Preston Jamie Cokeley..........................................r-Sr......................... 5-2............................Pennsboro, W.Va...................................................... Ritchie County Josie Crouch............................................Fr............................ 5-9............................Hurricane, W. Va..............................................................Hurricane Maria Dalzot.............................................r-Sr......................... 5-2............................Morgantown, W.Va.......................................................Morgantown Alex Dent..................................................Fr............................ 5-4............................Hurricane, W. Va..............................................................Hurricane Katie Gillespie..........................................So........................... 5-2............................Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio............. Cuyahoga Falls Christian Academy Jordan Hamric..........................................r-So........................ 5-4............................Bruceton Mills, W.Va........................................................... Preston Kate Harrison...........................................Sr............................ 5-6............................Toronto, Ontario............................................... Birchmount Park Cl. Chelsea Jarvis..........................................r-Fr.......................... 5-2............................Clendenin, W.Va................................................................... Capital Alison Kimble............................................Fr............................ 5-0............................Morgantown, W.Va...........................................................University Ahna Lewis...............................................r-Jr.......................... 5-6............................Morgantown, W.Va.......................................................Morgantown Lydia Martinelli..........................................Fr............................ 4-11..........................Morgantown, W.Va...........................................................University Sarah Martinelli........................................r-Fr.......................... 5-2............................Morgantown, W.Va...........................................................University Aubrey Moskal..........................................r-So........................ 5-3............................Morgantown, W.Va.......................................................Morgantown Jessica O’Connell.....................................Sr............................ 5-2............................Calgary, Alberta.....................................................Western Canada Allison Pettit..............................................r-Fr.......................... 5-6............................Morgantown, W.Va.......................................................Morgantown Hallie Portner............................................r-So........................ 5-1............................Morgantown, W.Va...........................................................University
2010 Season
By State/Province West Virginia............................................16 Ontario......................................................2 Alberta......................................................1 Manitoba...................................................1 Ohio .........................................................1
By Class Freshmen.................................................7 Sophomores.............................................6 Seniors.....................................................5 Juniors......................................................3 2009 Review record book west virginia university
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Pronunciation Guide Last Names Aldea........................................................all-Dia Brault........................................................Breaux Crouch......................................................kruck Dalzot.......................................................Dowl-zott Moskal......................................................Moss-cull First Names Hallie Portner............................................Howl-ee Ahna Lewis...............................................AW-nuh
At West Virginia in 2008: Placed 110th (21:17) at NCAA Championships … finished 23rd with a time of 22:14 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals ... named to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic all-Region team ... finished 18th at the BIG EAST Championship with a time of 21:09 ... placed ninth (20:59) at the Penn State National Invitational ... finished 38th with a time of 21:24 at the Paul Short Invitational ... beat her personal- and course-best time of 15:19, crossing the finish line at 15:17 at the WVU Gold-Blue Meet (2.5 miles). At West Virginia in 2007: Immediately competed at a high level as a freshman … one of the top freshmen in the BIG EAST … won the WVU Invitational … took third at Lock Haven (21:28) … finished 54th at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh … fifth Mountaineer to finish at the Penn State National Open, taking 38th place (21:58) … placed 43rd at the BIG EAST Championships (21:57) … fourth WVU runner to cross at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional with a time of 21:17, 30th overall … placed 137th (22:35) as the sixth WVU finisher at the NCAA Championships … in the offseason, placed 16th in the junior 6000m run at the USA Cross Country Championships in San Diego. Prep: McCoy Award Winner as a senior at Preston High as state’s top track and field performer … named Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year as junior … member of state champion track squad as a sophomore and senior … state champion and record holder in the 1600-meter run as a sophomore, junior and senior … won state championship and set record in 3200-meter run as a junior … named all-state and finished third in the 4x400 relay as a junior … state champion and record holder in the 800-meter run as a junior and senior … cross country state runner-up as a junior and senior … earned fifth place and named all-state cross country as a sophomore … took third place and earned all-state honors in the 800-meter run as a freshman and sophomore … member of record setting, state champion 4x800 relay team as a freshman, sophomore and senior … contributed on state runner-up 4x400 relay team as a sophomore.
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season
At West Virginia in 2009: Raced well at the 2009 NCAA Championships, finishing 87th with a time of 21:21 … named to the all-region team after crossing the line in 24th at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals (21:45) … finished in 28th at the BIG EAST Championships … placed 21st (20:56) in WVU’s first-place showing at the Paul Short Invitational ... placed 11th at the Penn State Invitational (21:02) … also earned ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America third team honors.
Personal: Daughter of William and Janet Christopher … one of five children … birthday is April 10 … Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … BIG EAST Academic all-Star … 2009-10 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American … 2008 NCAA Division I United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association Women’s all-Academic Team … majoring in journalism.
2009 Review
State native who is constantly improving … has NCAA and BIG EAST Championship experience … heavily recruited, but chose to stay close to home … earned All-America honors as a member of the distance medley relay team during the indoor track season … All-American in the mile ... looks to be one of the leaders this fall.
record book
5-6, Senior, Kingwood, W.Va.
west virginia university
Kaylyn Christopher
mountaineer cross country
christopher
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cokeley mountainer cross country
Jamie Cokeley 5-2, r-Senior, Pennsboro, W.Va.
Coaching Staff
In-state native who is gaining experience at the collegiate level … ran at the ECAC Championship … has a passion for the sport.
Mountaineer Profiles
At West Virginia in 2009: Ran at the ECAC Championship … finished with a time of 20:06.0 … started the season finishing 26th (20:21.06) at the Maryland Eastern Shore Lid-Lifter Invitational … ran at the Paul Short Invitational, finishing with a time of 23:35.
At West Virginia in 2008: Finished 110th at Princeton Invitational (26:36.00) … placed 77th at the ECAC Championship with a time of 19:53.
At West Virginia in 2007: Placed 16th at the WVU Invitational with a time of 17:53 … did not compete in any other meet. 2010 Season 2009 Review record book west virginia university
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At West Virginia in 2006: Received a redshirt.
Prep: Three-time all-state runner and team captain for coach Terry Spangler at Ritchie County High … all-conference each of her four years.
Personal: Daughter of Larry and Angela Cokeley … one of three children … birthday is Oct. 4 … Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … majoring in sport management.
At West Virginia in 2009: Raced well at the ECAC Championships … placed 22nd with a time of 18:00.2 … finished 35th at the BIG EAST Championship (22:27) … helped the Mountaineers to a first-place showing at the Paul Short Invitational, finishing in 60th (21:37) out of almost 300 runners. At West Virginia in 2008: Received a medical redshirt. At West Virginia in 2007: Consistently counted toward the team score as a sophomore … was the fourth Mountaineer to finish at nationals in 121st place… finished 31st at the Mid-Atlantic Regional as the fifth Mountaineer to cross the line … was the fourth Mountaineer finisher, 30th overall, at the BIG EAST Championship … placed 86th at the Penn State National Open … was the fifth Mountaineer to finish and took 91st at the Paul Short Invitational … missed the first few meets of the year to compete in the World Mountain Running
Coaching Staff
Hometown runner who has the ability to compete internationally … has made great progress in college … has tremendous enthusiasm for the sport … will be looked upon to contribute greatly this season.
Mountaineer Profiles
5-2, r-Senior, Morgantown, W.Va.
2010 Season
Maria Dalzot
mountaineer cross country
dalzot
At West Virginia in 2006: Strong runner who made immediate impact on team as a freshman … finished 44th at Mid-Atlantic Regionals … took 48th at first BIG EAST Championship … finished fourth at WVU Open … 29th at Lock Haven Invitational … second WVU finisher and 28th overall at Spiked Shoe Invitational … finished 23rd at USA Cross
2009 Review
Tournament in Switzerland … placed eighth out of 53 runners in the international race.
champion … member of cross country state runner-up in 2002 … also ran with the WV Flyers track club. Personal: Daughter of Rick and Kathy Dalzot … one of three children … birthday is April 8 ... Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … BIG EAST Academic All-Star … majoring in human nutrition and foods.
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
west virginia university
Prep: Member of three state championship cross country teams at Morgantown High … was the 2005 3200-meter West Virginia state
record book
Country Championship.
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harrison mountainer cross country
Kate Harrison 5-6, Senior, Toronto, Ontario
Coaching Staff
International talent who has made her mark as a Mountaineer … NCAA and BIG EAST competitor … made the top seven lineup as a freshman … continues to improve under Cleary’s guidance … should be a top finisher through the season.
Mountaineer Profiles
At West Virginia in 2009: Finished in 94th (21:25) at the 2009 NCAA Championship … placed 19th at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals (21:40) to be named to the all-region team … finished 21st at the BIG EAST Championship (22:20) … finished 20th (20:56) in the Mountaineers’ first-place showing at the Paul Short Invitational.
2010 Season
At West Virginia in 2008: Placed 69th in NCAA Championship race (20:57) … finished 23rd at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals with a time of 22:26 ... named to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic All-Region Team ... finished 32nd (21:34) out of 137 runners at BIG EAST Championship ... placed 18th (21:07) at Penn State National Invitational ... finished 17th at Paul Short Invitational with a time of 20:53.
2009 Review
At West Virginia in 2007: Became a key part of team’s success toward the end of the year … finished in second place at the WVU Invitational … placed fifth (21:35) at the Lock Haven Invitational … was the fourth WVU finisher and took 39th at the Paul Short Invitational … took 36th (21:57) at the Penn State National Open as the fourth Mountaineer to cross … fifth West Virginia runner to cross at the BIG EAST Championship in 33rd place (21:40) … ran a time of 22:52 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic regional and was the seventh Mountaineer to finish.
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Prep: Ran for Bill Stephens while attending Birchmount Park C.I. … finished eighth in the 3,000-meter run at 2005 Canadian Junior Nationals … ran to a seventh-place finish in the 3,000-meter run at 2006 Canadian Junior Nationals … won bronze in the 3,000-meter run at the 2005 OFSAA … took silver in the 3,000-meter run at the 2006 OFSAA. Personal: Daughter of David and Wilhelmina Harrison … has one brother and one sister … birthday is June 20 … named all-academic honoree by the USTFCCCA … Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … majoring in exercise physiology.
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Immediate contributor to the Mountaineer program … proven runner with national and international experience … has performed well at various prestigious meets as a part of three national teams … will be a leader as one of the top seven runners. At West Virginia in 2009: First Mountaineer to cross the line at the ECAC Championships … finished ninth with a time of 17:37.6 … finished 74th at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals … placed 30th at the BIG EAST Championships (22:20) … first Mountaineer to finish at the Paul Short Invitational, finishing 10th with a time of 20.24 … finished in 18th at the Penn State Invitational (21:20).
Coaching Staff
5-2, Senior, Calgary, Alberta
Mountaineer Profiles
Jessica O’Connell
mountaineer cross country
o’connell
Prep: Ran for Mike Van Tighem at Western Canada High … 2006 Athletics Alberta Juvenile Athlete of the Year … was a finalist for same award in 2007 … cross country athlete of the year as a sophomore and senior … track athlete of the year as a junior and senior … fivetime high school provincial champion in track … owns three provincial records and two provincial high school records … placed ninth at the NACAC Cross Country Championship … also third in 3,000-meter and fourth in 1,500-meter at the Pan-Am Junior Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil … recipient of the Melissa Bone scholarship. Personal: Daughter of Steve and Annette O’Connell … one of two children … birthday is Feb. 10 … also Irish danced for 10 years … Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … majoring in exercise physiology.
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
2009 Review
Junior Championships in Poland.
record book
At the University of Calgary: Rookie of the year for track and cross country … two-time all-Canadian (1,500-meter and 4x800-meter) … team placed second at the CIS Cross Country Championship … ran impressive time (4:19.42) to take second in the 1,500-meter at the Victoria International Track Classic … qualified for World Junior Cross Country Championship … 1,500-meter qualifier for the 2008 World
west virginia university
Invitational.
2010 Season
At West Virginia in 2008: Finished 16th at NCAA Championship (21:40) … placed 33rd at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals with a time of 22:53 ... ran the BIG EAST Championship in 21:30 to finish in 29th place ... finished in 21st place (21:11) at the Penn State National
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alDea/caruso/Brault mountainer cross country
Stephanie Aldea 5-8, Junior, Windsor, Ontario Will enter WVU as a junior after transferring from the University of Houston.
Personal: Daughter of Terry and Jasna Aldea … has one sister … birthday is Feb. 1 … plans to major in economics … career goal is to be a professional athlete.
Coaching Staff
Prep: Ran for Scott Moncur at St. Anne High … OFSAA medalist during senior season in the 1500 meter and 3000 meter … WECSSAA 3,000-meter record holder, breaking a 26-year record.
Mountaineer Profiles
Stephanie Caruso 5-1, r-Junior, Wheeling, W.Va. Talented in-state product who has improved time and gained strength … gained valuable experience during the track season … should make an impact this season.
2010 Season 2009 Review
At West Virginia in 2009: Raced well at the ECAC Championships … finished with a time of 18:52.4 … started the season with a sixth-place finish (19:05.87) at the Maryland-Eastern Shore Lid-Lifter Invitational … finished 20th at the Midwest Open (18:45.4) … raced at the Paul Short Invitational and finished with a time of 21:44.
At West Virginia in 2008: Finished 52nd at the ECAC Championships (19:15) … finished 27th at the Princeton Invitational (23:26.70) ... came in third place at the Preston Relays (18:14.00). At West Virginia in 2007: Received a redshirt. Prep: State champion in the 3,200-meter run her sophomore, junior and senior years at Wheeling Central Catholic High … 2007 state champion in the 1600-meter race … member of the winning 2004 OVAC cross country team. Personal: Daughter of Michael and Cheryl Caruso … has one sister and one brother … birthday is April 24 … Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … majoring in exercise physiology.
Sarah-Anne Brault 5-6, r-Sophomore, Winnipeg, Manitoba record book west virginia university
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Made huge strides during the 2009-10 cross country and track seasons … should step up as a top runner this season … has a triathlon background. At West Virginia in 2009: Finished seventh (18:05.3) at the Midwest Open 5,000-meter course … placed 13th at the Paul Short Invitational (6,000-meters), crossing the line with a time of 20:35 … crossed the line in eighth (20:59) at the Penn State Invitational. At West Virginia in 2008: Received a redshirt. Prep: Ran for coach Alphonse Bernard at Collège Louis-Riel … voted Manitoba Distance Female Athlete of the Year in 2006 and 2007 … owns
5,000-meter junior female provincial record … silver medal winner in 3,000-meter race at Canadian junior nationals in 2006 and 2007 … represented Manitoba at cross country junior nationals in 2005 and 2006 … 2008 Manitoba Half Marathon winner … 2007 provincial champion in 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter events … member of Manitoba High School Athletic Association … four-time cross country provincial champion (2004-07) … MHSAA 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter race junior varsity champion in 2005, 2006 … varsity champion in 1,500-meter race in 2007 … member of 2007 4x400 MHSAA champion relay … member of junior national triathlon team from 2006-08. Personal: Daughter of David Brault and Sylvie De Serres … one of three children … birthday is Dec. 1 … Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … majoring in economics.
5-5, r-Sophomore, Berkeley Springs, W.Va. One of the most highly decorated distance runners in state history … broke numerous state records … adds to the list of in-state talent.
was also an AAU Cross Country Girls Youth national champion … three-time champion and owns state class records in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter races ... also owns state record in the 4x800 … played basketball as well.
At West Virginia in 2009: Saw limited action.
Personal: Daughter of Steve and Betsy Buser ... has one brother …birthday is May 27 ... majoring in human nutrition and food.
Mountaineer Profiles
Prep: All-American at Berkeley Springs High … placed third at the USATF Junior Olympic Championship to earn the honors … was a four-time A/AA state champion ... earned the McCoy Award and was named WV Track Athlete of the Year …
Coaching Staff
Rachel Buser
mountaineer cross country
buser/gillespie/Hamric
Kaitlyn Gillespie Distance runner that joined the team mid-semester last season from Cedarville University … has lots of experience … will continue to gain strength this season … looks to make an impact in the program.
Personal: Daughter of Jim and Diane Gillespie … has one brother and one sister … birthday is June 28 … majoring in exercise physiology.
2009 Review
Prep: Captain of the cross country team at Cuyahoga Falls Christian Academy … 2008 state champion in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter … cross country team also won the 2008 state championship … Dapper Dan Club of Akron honoree.
2010 Season
5-2, Sophomore, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Strong, determined runner who is looking to gain experience … has a strong track and soccer background. At West Virginia in 2009: Received a medical redshirt. At West Virginia in 2008: Received a redshirt. Prep: Ran cross country and track for coach Paul Martin at Preston High … was the state champion of the 3,200-meter
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
as a junior … second in 3,200-meter as a senior … member of record-setting 4x800-meter state champion relay in 2005 and 2007… third in the 1,600-meter and 4x400-meter relay as a sophomore … third in 1,600-meter as a junior … all-state and finished ninth at cross country state meet. Personal: Daughter of Ron and Michelle Hamric … has one sister, Karly, who also ran cross country at WVU from 2006-09 … birthday is Oct. 4 … majoring in exercise physiology.
west virginia university
5-4, r-Sophomore, Bruceton Mills, W.Va.
record book
Jordan Hamric
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lewis/Moskal/Portner mountainer cross country
Ahna Lewis 5-6, r-Junior, Morgantown, W.Va.
Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles
One of the most dependable runners on the team … has NCAA and BIG EAST Championship experience … improved greatly over the course of last season … hometown talent who excels on the course and in the classroom.
to break the WVU Agronomy Farm course record during intrasquad Gold-Blue meet (2.5 miles) ... finished in 15:07 ... first overall with a time of 17:32.80 at the Preston Relays, her first collegiate race.
At West Virginia in 2009: Placed 27th at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals (21:45) …also raced at the NCAA Championships and finished with a time of 22:13 … finished ninth at the Midwest Open after crossing the line with a time of 18:17.9.
Prep: Member of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 state champion Morgantown High cross country team … 2003 individual state runner-up in cross country … team also finished second … co-captain of cross country and track teams … co-MVP of cross country team … 2004 state champion in the 1,600-meter run … finished first in her class out of 377 students … awarded the John Rockis Award that acknowledges the Morgantown High athlete with the highest cumulative GPA … awarded the Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete Award.
At West Virginia in 2008: Placed 163rd (21:41) at NCAA Championship race … finished in 15th place at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals on Nov. 15 with a time of 22:09 ... named to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic all-Region team ... finished with a time of 21:17 in 22nd place at BIG EAST Championship ... finished in eighth place (20:56) at Penn State National Invitational ... ran the Paul Short Invitational in 20:49 to finish15th ... was the first collegiate runner, and second overall, at the Old Nassau Run with a time of 21:53.10 ... one of three runners
At West Virginia in 2007: Received a redshirt.
Personal: Daughter of Charles and Virginia Lewis … has one sister … birthday is Oct. 5 … Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … 2008 NCAA Division I USTFCCCA Women’s AllAcademic Team … majoring in secondary education.
Aubrey Moskal 2010 Season
5-3, r-Sophomore, Morgantown, W.Va. Hometown runner who has national experience … strong runner who has relay background … brings leadership after captaining a state title team in high school.
2009 Review
At West Virginia in 2009: Raced at the ECAC Championship … finished with a time of 18:25.2 …finished 21st (19:53.39) at the Maryland-Eastern Shore Lid-Lifter Invitational. At West Virginia in 2008: Received redshirt … finished 33rd (23:10) in the junior women’s 6K at the United States World Cross Country Trials in February.
Prep: A top-15 finisher at the state cross country meet for three years at Morgantown High … all-state in cross country as a freshman … captain of state runner-up cross country team as a senior … also captained the track team as a senior … part of state 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams … all-state in 800-meters and 4x800 as a senior … participated in the WV Flyers track club. Personal: Daughter of Pam Moskal … birthday is Feb. 20 … Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … majoring in elementary education.
Hallie Portner record book west virginia university
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5-1, r-Sophomore, Morgantown, W.Va. Motivated hometown product … has strong middle-and long-distance strength … will look to make an impact this season … has great potential. At West Virginia in 2009: Raced at the ECAC Championships … crossed the line with a time of 18:18.9 … posted a seventhplace finish at the Maryland-Eastern Shore Lid-Lifter Invitational, crossing the line with a time of 19:06.85. At West Virginia in 2008: Received redshirt … finished 32nd (23:08) in the junior women’s 6K at the United States World Cross Country Trials.
Prep: Coached by Ed Frohnapfel at University High … was the NCAC 1,600-meter champion and took third at 2008 state track meet in that event … sixth in state in the 3,200-meter in ’08 … was fourth at 2007 state meet in 3,200-meter and as a member of the 4x800 relay … helped cross country team win 2007 NCAC, regional and state titles … took third individually at the 2007 state cross country meet … all-conference in track and cross country … also played soccer for three years at UHS. Personal: Daughter of Robert and Darlene Portner … full name is Hallina … grew up in Colorado Springs, Colo., before moving to Morgantown … one of two children … birthday is May 14 … Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll … majoring in exercise physiology.
Will compete in track and cross country at WVU. Prep: Ran for coach Bill Posey at Hurricane High … also played soccer ... member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta … state champion in the 400-meter dash in 2007, 2008 and 2010 … state champion in the 4x800 and 800-meter dash from 2008-10
… all-state cross country runner … member of a state champion track and field team in 2008 ... also played soccer for the Rowdies Soccer Club, winning the state championship three years in a row. Personal: Daughter of Joe and Jennifer Crouch … has one brother and one sister … father played baseball at the collegiate level … majoring in exercise physiology … birthday is Aug. 1.
Alex Dent 5-4, Freshman, Hurricane, W.Va.
Prep: Ran for coach Bill Posey at Hurricane High … cross country state champion in 2009 … track state champion in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter events in 2010 … three-time member of state champion distance medley relay team for the 4x800 event.
Personal: Daughter of Chuck and Deidra Dent … father ran track and cross country in college … has one sister … birthday is Aug. 19 … majoring in occupational therapy.
2010 Season
Enters WVU as a highly touted recruit.
Coaching Staff
5-9, Freshman, Hurricane, W.Va.
Mountaineer Profiles
Josie Crouch
mountaineer cross country
crouch/dent/JarvIs/KIMBLE
Chelsea Jarvis
At West Virginia in 2009: Received a redshirt.
Prep: Four-time MVP for coach Cali Wesson at Capital High … was a three time regional champion …also ran for Wapiti Runners.
Personal: Daughter of Scott and Terri Jarvis ... has one sister … majoring in biology … birthday is Dec. 27.
record book
Brings tremendous stamina to the team … will become a mainstay in WVU’s distance program.
2009 Review
5-1, r-Freshman, Clendenin, W.Va.
Alison Kimble 5-0, Freshman, Morgantown, W.Va.
Prep: Ran for coach Ed Frohnapfel at University High … member of the 2010 all-state 4x800 distance medley relay team … was named second team all-state in cross country in 2009 … lettered in cross country for three years and four years of track and field …
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
member of the National Honor Society … also played soccer for two years … participated with the West Virginia Flyers club team. Personal: Daughter of Rocky and Anna Kimble … has two brothers … birthday is Aug. 3 … majoring in accounting … hopes to become a tax attorney following her WVU career.
west virginia university
Comes to WVU with a strong running ability and background.
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l. martinelli/ S. martinelli/pettit mountainer cross country
Lydia Martinelli 4-11, Freshman, Morgantown, W.Va. Talented runner from nearby University High who adds depth to the roster.
… birthday is June 11 … majoring in secondary education and hopes to become a social studies teacher.
Coaching Staff
Prep: An all-state runner for three consecutive years at University High … ran for coach Dan Demchalz. Personal: Daughter of David and Paula Martinelli … has one brother and two sisters … sister, Sarah, also competes for the team
Mountaineer Profiles
Sarah Martinelli 5-2, r-Freshman, Morgantown, W.Va.
2010 Season
Gifted runner who adds to the list of local talent ... will work to improve this season after gaining strength last year. At West Virginia in 2009: Received a redshirt.
state titles ... placed 10th individually at states in 2008 … was named first team all-conference in 2007-08. Personal: Daughter of David and Paula Martinelli ... has one brother and two sisters … sister, Lydia, also competes for the team … birthday is Sept. 25 … majoring in biology.
Prep: 2008 captain for coach Ed Frohnapel at University High … helped team to two-straight
2009 Review
Allison Pettit 5-6, r-Freshman, Morgantown, W.Va. record book west virginia university
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Another local runner who adds to the list of West Virginia talent ... excels in the classroom as well ... will continue to improve after receiving a redshirt last season.
Prep: MVP of Morgantown High cross country and track teams ... ran under coach John Patti and coach Mike Ryan … awarded the Arthur Clyde Award ... also a National Honors Society member and officer.
At West Virginia in 2009: Received a redshirt.
Personal: Daughter of John and Denise Pettit ... father competed for WVU swim team … has one sister ... birthday is Nov. 20 ... majoring in exercise physiology.
west virginia university
record book
2009 Review
2010 Season
Mountaineer Profiles
Coaching Staff
mountaineer cross country
community service
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
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season preview mountainer cross country
Kaylyn Christopher
Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season 2009 Review record book west virginia university
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The casual observer might view West Virginia University’s cross country roster as having a plenitude of youthful runners and think the team is in for a season of growing pains. Gone from a successful 2009 campaign are All-Americans MarieLouise Asselin, Keri Bland and Clara Grandt, as well as experienced runners Karly Hamric, Mandy McBean, Katie Burda, Brenna Hagerty and Kerry Davis. However, WVU coach Sean Cleary doesn’t believe in rebuilding or even reloading. What he does believe in is strengthening and empowering the current runners to give them opportunities to find success in 2010. “The girls we lost to graduation have been great leaders and great mentors and we will miss them,” Cleary says. “For this season, any one of five or six girls could take over. All the girls are doing their summer mileage and putting in the work for next year hoping they are No. 1 and finally get to lead this group.” Expected to lead the team are seniors Kaylyn Christopher, Jessica O’Connell and Kate Harrison as well as juniors Sarah-Anne Brault and Ahna Lewis. A strong sixth candidate is senior Maria Dalzot, who has proven to be consistent throughout her WVU career. “I sometimes think Dalzot is the forgotten one,” Cleary says. “I would say that on three to four occasions she single-handedly was the runner who unexpectedly came in and made us better. She didn’t know she was going to do it and then at the last possible second she just came in and did it for us. “She also did it in 2007 when we won the BIG EAST title – just popped up when one of our girls had a bad day and she came in to
save the day. She is also having her finest season of training since she has been in Morgantown. Not to mention she has a 4.0 GPA and all kinds of academic awards.” Christopher ran well at the 2009 NCAA Championships, arriving in 87th place overall in 21:21. She was named all-region after finishing 24th at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals and came in 28th overall at the BIG EAST Championship. O’Connell was the first Mountaineer to finish at the 2009 ECAC Championships, coming in ninth place in 17:37. She came in 74th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals and also finished first for the team at the Paul Short Invitational in 10th place overall. Harrison completed a successful 2009 season by racing well at the NCAA Championships and finishing in 23rd place at regionals. The Toronto native came in 21st place at the BIG EAST Championship and 20th at the prestigious Paul Short Invitational. Brault, a fellow Canadian, also had a great season in 2009, finishing seventh at the Midwest Open and 13th at the Paul Short Invitational. Morgantown product Ahna Lewis placed 27th at regionals and finished the NCAA Championship with an impressive time of 22:13. Her best finish of the year came at the Midwest Open, where she crossed the line in ninth place in 18:17. Featuring a well-rounded roster with a promising upswing, the WVU cross country team hopes to build on past seasons’ efforts and continue to improve in 2010. Looking to contribute this year are senior Jamie Cokeley, junior Stephanie Caruso, sophomores Rachel Buser, Jordan Hamric, Aubrey Moskal and Hallie Portner, and redshirt freshmen Allison
Kate Harrison and Sarah-Anne Brault
Mountaineer Profiles
Coaching Staff
mountaineer cross country
season preview
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
september Sept. 4 ........................................................ WVU Invitational
Morgantown, W.Va.
2010 Season
2010 Schedule
Sept. 11...................................................................Syracuse Syracuse, N.Y.
october Oct. 1.............................................Paul Short or Notre Dame Bethlehem, Pa./Notre Dame, Ind. Oct. 15/16............................................................. Penn State
2009 Review
University Park, Pa. Oct. 30 .........................................BIG EAST Championships Syracuse, N.Y.
november Nov. 13........................................................ NCAA Regionals University Park, Pa.
record book
Nov. 20............................................... ECAC Championships Bronx, N.Y. Nov. 22............................................... NCAA Championships Terre Haute, Ind. Nov. 27.........................Canadian World Cross County Trials february Feb. 5..................................USA World Cross Country Trials
west virginia university
Pettit, Sarah Martinelli and Chelsea Jarvis. In addition to the returning talent, Cleary has signed a strong group of newcomers that have potential to make a big impact at WVU, if not this year than in upcoming seasons. Added to the roster are true freshmen Josie Crouch, Alex Dent and Lydia Martinelli. Junior Stephanie Aldea is transferring from the University of Houston and sophomore Katelyn Gillespie is transferring from Cedarville University in Ohio. One newcomer in particular that Cleary wants to further evaluate is Gillespie. “Gillespie is one we have tucked away to let her train and make a good transition into our program,” Cleary says. “She has trained very well and she is a pure cross country runner who loves the sport. My feeling is that she is going to be amongst our top runners this season.” The Mountaineers will face another challenging schedule in 2010 due to the difficulty of the courses and racing against some of the nation’s best competition in the BIG EAST Conference. After hosting the WVU Invitational on Sept. 4 at its home course at the WVU Agronomy Farm, the team will travel to Syracuse, N.Y., to compete and have an opportunity to experience the same course that the BIG EAST Championship will be held later in the season on Oct. 30. Before the conference championship, WVU will compete in the Paul Short Invitational and at Penn State two weeks later to prepare for the championship races. “We will run the girls with less experience during the early part of the season for them to be able to gain valuable experience and learn the feel of competitive races,” Cleary says. “It will also let them see the courses and know how difficult it will be at the conference championship. If this group can come together as a team, not just as individuals, good things will happen. If they manage to keep their heads on throughout the season emotionally, mentally and physically, they can finish very high at every race.”
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season preview mountainer cross country Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season 2009 Review record book west virginia university
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With the BIG EAST being one of the toughest conferences in the country, the Mountaineers will have their work cut out for them to compete for another league championship. “The BIG EAST is amazing this year once again,” Cleary says. “I would put Villanova as the top team in the country even after losing some key girls. They’ll be favored to win the national title. Syracuse is always tough and they’re hosting the conference championship, so they’ll have the edge to compete for the conference title. Notre Dame and Georgetown are also looking really good. It will be a challenge as always to compete in this league.” Despite the challenging courses and tough competition, Cleary believes his team will perform at the highest level to represent themselves and the university well. “The girls are working hard this summer to make sure they are aerobically fit and fresh for the next nine months for cross country and track,” Cleary says. “All the girls were made aware of their needs at the end of this recent track season, goals were set, and I have the confidence in them that they are conditioning so well as to meet these goals.”
Aubrey Moskal
west virginia university
record book
2009 Review
2010 Season
Mountaineer Profiles
Coaching Staff
mountaineer cross country
community service
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
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season review mountainer cross country
Extraordinary, exciting, historic – those are just a few words that
had a talented squad on his hands that could finish at the top, despite a
can be used to describe the West Virginia University cross country
few setbacks.
team over the past few seasons, and 2009 was just a continuation of
those adjectives. After finishing in fourth place at the NCAA Cham-
have asked me if we would take sixth, I would have said yes – we were
pionships in 2008, marking the highest finish in school history; the
limping into the national championships with sicknesses and things such
“When we walked into the competition that day, if someone would
Mountaineers returned a star lineup to continue the winning tradition.
as that,” Cleary said. “We thought we could have finished higher, but to
That winning tradition included WVU’s third-straight top 10 finish at the
have a run of finishing ninth, fourth and sixth with those seniors at the
NCAA Championship, the highest mid-season ranking in school history
national championship is remarkable. We have never had three straight
and three earning All-America status.
top 10 finishes before, so it was good for the program.”
Coaching Staff
After returning its entire starting squad including All-Americans
At the completion on the 2010 track season, the finish proved to be
Marie-Louise Asselin and Keri Bland, the Mountaineers finished the
excellent for the program as the WVU cross country and track programs
season with a sixth-place showing at the NCAA Championship in Terre
were listed at No. 5 on the Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award
Haute, Ind. BIG EAST foe Villanova took the top spot, while Florida
list announced by the United States Track and Field and Cross County
State took second (133), Washington third (188), Texas Tech fourth
Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
(191), Princeton fifth (251) and WVU in sixth with 259 points.
The award is given annually to the most outstanding NCAA Division
I women’s cross country and track and field programs. The award honors
Senior Clara Grandt led the team, finishing in 13th place (20:19)
Mountaineer Profiles
to earn her first-ever All-America honors in cross country.
the institution that has achieved the most success in each academic year
Asselin and Bland then became WVU’s first ever three-time All-
based on the institution’s finish at the NCAA Division I Championships in
Americans in cross country, finishing 31st (20:43) and 34th (20:45),
the three seasons.
respectively. Sophomores Kaylyn Christopher and Kate Harrison also
had excellent races, as Christopher finished 87th (21:21) and Harrison
West Virginia,” Cleary said after the announcement of the award. “To be
“What a tremendous compliment to our track and field teams here at
crossed the line in 94th place (21:25).
considered a top five program when analyzing cross country and indoor
A remarkable finish that concluded an amazing season and an
and outdoor track and field is simply remarkable. This award is a reflec-
amazing run by the program, third-year coach Sean Cleary knew he
tion of the support that we are given within the athletic department, the commitment and ability of our coaching staff and finally the belief, disci-
2010 Season
Marie-Louise Asselin
pline, dedication and unbridled desire to succeed of our student athletes.” On the road to excellence, the Mountaineers made stops at the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic regionals in which they finished second and third, respectively. At the conference championship, WVU finished in second place for the second-straight year behind eventual national champion, Villanova. Grandt led the pack by finishing in fifth place overall with a time of 21:20, while Asselin and Bland followed in seventh (21:26) and 13th
2009 Review
(21:46), respectively. Also scoring for WVU were Harrison and Christopher. Harrison finished 21st and Christopher crossed the line in 28th (22:19). Juniors Jessica O’Connell and Maria Dalzot finished in 30th (22:20) and 35th (22:27). Ranked No. 7 in the country at the time, WVU placed third at the Mid-Atlantic regionals, with a record five runners being named to the allregion team. Grandt once again led the team as she crossed the line in
record book
eighth place (20:53). Asselin and Bland also raced well, following in 13th and 18th, while Harrison and Christopher finished in 19th and 24th, respectively. At the ECAC Championships, senior Karly Hamric and O’Connell led the WVU cross country team to a fifth-place showing as the Mountaineers scored 128 points, behind Boston College (54), William and Mary (60), James Madison (116) and Stony Brook (116). O’Connel was the first Mountaineer to cross the line in ninth place
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with a time of 17:37, while Hamric finished 15th with a time of 17:50. For their efforts, both were named to the all-East team. During the regular season, the Mountaineers showed that they were a force to be reckoned with as they won three of four races, including the Paul Short Invitational, the Midwest Open and the Penn State National Open.
At the Midwest Open, Grandt
2009 results
astonished those watching as she ran the fastest course time in over 20 years. The West Union, W.Va.,
Date
native crossed the line in 17:00.1,
Sept. 5............ UMES..............................................................Karly Hamric................................... 2nd
19 seconds before Louisville’s Tarah
Sept. 19.......... Midwest Open.................................................Clara Grandt.................................... 1st
BIG EAST Runner of the Week for the finish. The following weekend, WVU returned to capture first place at the Paul Short Invitational as O’Connell finished in 10th place with a time of
Top Individual
Team Finish
Oct. 2 ............. Paul Short.......................................................Jessica O’Connell........................... 1st Oct. 16............ Penn State National Invitational...................... Keri Bland........................................ 1st Oct. 31............ BIG EAST Championship................................ Clara Grandt................................... 2nd Nov. 14........... NCAA Regionals, UMES................................. Clara Grandt....................................3rd Nov. 21........... ECAC Championships.................................... Karly Hamric.................................... 5th Nov. 23........... NCAA Championships.................................... Clara Grandt.................................... 6th
Coaching Staff
McKay (17:19.4). She was awarded
Event
mountaineer cross country
season review
20:24. Redshirt freshman Sarah-
respectively. For their efforts, the Mountaineers jumped to No. 3 in the national poll announced by the USTFCCCA on Oct. 6, for the highest national ranking in school history. The Mountaineers capped their season with a first-place finish at the Penn State National Open. Due to inclement weather, the meet was forced to be moved an hour and a half away to Lehigh, which put together the race in a short amount of time. Despite racing in rough conditions, WVU came out on top as seven runners finished in the top 20. Bland led with a second-place finish, crossing the line in 20:22, while Asselin followed in fourth (20:36) and Grandt in fifth (20:38).
At season’s end, the Mountaineers not only proved they were talented, but also consistent. With three straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championship and a lengthy list of accolades, WVU has engraved its name into the list of powerhouse programs in the sport of cross country.
“Summarizing last year, we had three All-Americans and I
think there was only one other team that tied us or had more,” Cleary stated. “Keri and Marie graduated with three All-America
Mountaineer Profiles
while Harrison and Christopher finished 20th (20:56) and 21st (20:56),
honors apiece, and we have never had that before. We were still the runner up at the BIG EAST Championship and had a good showing at regionals.
“It’s been a dream run.”
2010 Season
Anne Brault followed in 13th (20:35),
Brault then finished ninth (20:59), while Christopher placed 12th (21.02). Harrison and O’Connell finished in 14th (21:07) and 19th (21:20), respectively. Clara Grandt
west virginia university
record book
2009 Review
Keri Bland
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
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2009 meet-by-meet mountainer cross country Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season 2009 Review record book west virginia university
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Lid-Lifter Invitational, Sept. 05: Princess Anne, Md. Senior Karly Hamric finished second behind Maryland’s Kristin Reed to lead the WVU cross country team to a second-place finish. The Mountaineers finished with 50 points behind Maryland (21) and in front of St. Joseph (59), Wilmington (127), UMES (142) and Delaware State (158). Hamric crossed the line at 18:33.30 to pace the team. Sophomore Stephanie Caruso and freshman Hallie Portner also placed well, finishing in sixth and seventh with times of 19:05.87 and 19:06.85, respectively. Also scoring for the Mountaineers was freshman Aubrey Moskal, who finished 21st (19:52.39) and senior Jamie Cokeley, who placed 26th (20:21.06). Midwest Open, Sept. 19: Kenosha, Wis. Senior Clara Grandt astonished those watching as she ran the fastest course time in over 20 years. The West Union, W.Va., native crossed the line in 17:00.1, 19 seconds before Louisville’s Tarah McKay (17:19.4). She was named BIG EAST Runner of the Week for the finish. Sarah-Anne Brault finished in seventh (18:05.3) in the 5,000-meter course, while Ahna Lewis arrived in ninth place with a time of 18:17.9. Stephanie Caruso came in 20th place in 18:45 for a strong finish. Paul Short Invitational, Oct. 12: Bethlehem, Pa. The No. 4 WVU cross country team took first place in one of the most prestigious events in the country, taking the top spot out of 75 teams with 105 team points. Guelph finished in second (127), followed by Indiana (143), North Carolina State (153) and Cornell (183). Junior Jessica O’Connell led the Mountaineers, finishing in 10th place with a time of 20:24. Redshirt freshman Sarah-Anne Brault followed in 13th (20:35), while juniors Kate Harrison and Kaylyn Christopher finished 20th (20:56) and 21st (20:56), respectively. Redshirt junior Maria Dalzot finished in 60th with a time of 21:37, while redshirt sophomore Stephanie Caruso crossed the line in 74th (21:44). Penn State National Open, Oct. 16: Lock Haven, Pa. Despite inclement weather and a course relocation, the No. 3 WVU cross country team won the Penn State National Invitation, taking first place with 27 points, followed by the host Nittany Lions (56), Providence (75), Cornell (131) and Boston College (134). WVU had seven runners in the top 20 as senior All-American Keri Bland led the team with a second-place finish, crossing the line at 20:22. Senior Marie-Louise Asselin followed in fourth (20:36), while senior Clara Grandt finished fifth (20:38). Also racing well and scoring for the Mountaineers were SarahAnne Brault, who finished ninth (20:59), Kaylyn Christopher, who finished 12th (21.02) and Kate Harrison and Jessica O’Connell, who finished in 14th (21:07) and 19th (21:20), respectively. BIG EAST Championship, Oct. 31: Kenosha, Wis. The No. 4 WVU cross country team finished second at the BIG EAST Championship for the second consecutive year as Villanova took first place with 30 points. WVU followed with 74, Syracuse with 84, Georgetown with 92 and Providence with 108. Senior Clara Grandt led the Mountaineers with a fifth-place overall finish as she crossed the line at 21:20, while classmates MarieLouise Asselin and Keri Bland followed in seventh (21:26) and 13th (21:46), respectively. Also racing well and scoring for WVU were juniors Kate Harrison and Kaylyn Christopher. Harrison finished 21st while Christopher crossed the line in 28th. Juniors Jessica O’Connell and Maria Dalzot competed and finished in 30th (22:20) and 35th (22:27), respectively.
NCAA Regionals, Nov. 14: Princess Anne, Md. The No. 7 WVU cross country team finished in third place at the NCAA Regionals as senior Clara Grandt crossed the line in eighth place overall with a time of 20:53. Villanova took the top spot with 23 points, while Princeton followed in second (77), WVU in third (82), Penn State in fourth (98) and Georgetown in fifth (100). Seniors Marie-Louise Asselin and Keri Bland also raced well, following in 13th and 18th, respectively, while sophomores Kate Harrison and Kaylyn Christopher finished in 19th and 24th, respectively. For finishing the top 25, Grandt, Asselin, Bland, Harrison and Christopher were named to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic all-region team. Asselin and Bland finished their Mid-Atlantic Region careers as only the second and third Mountaineers to be named as four-time all-region runners. Sophomore Ahna Lewis finished the race in 27th with a time of 21:45, while junior Jessica O’Connell crossed the line in 74th (23:39). ECAC Championships, Nov. 21: Bronx, N.Y. Senior Karly Hamric and junior Jessica O’Connell led the WVU cross country team to a fifth-place showing at the ECAC Women’s Cross Country Championship in Bronx, N.Y. The Mountaineers finished in fifth with 128 points, behind Boston College (54), William and Mary (60), James Madison (116) and Stony Brook (116). O’Connel was the first Mountaineer to cross the line in ninth place with a time of 17:37, while Hamric finished 15th with a time of 17:50. For their efforts, both were named to the all-East team. Also racing well were Maria Dalzot, who finished in 22nd (18:00.2), Hallie Portner in 40th (18:18.9) and Aubrey Moskal, who crossed the line in 43rd (18:25.2). NCAA Championship, Nov. 23: Terre Haute, Ind. Seniors Clara Grandt, Keri Bland and Marie-Louise Asselin raced to All-America honors as they led the WVU cross country team to a sixthplace finish at the 2009 NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, Ind. BIG EAST foe Villanova took the title (86), while Florida State took second (133), Washington third (188), Texas Tech fourth (191), Princeton fifth (251) and WVU sixth (259). Grandt was the first Mountaineer to cross the line in 13th place (20:19), as she earned her first-ever All-America honor in cross country. She paced the team to its second-highest finish at the NCAAs in school history. Asselin and Bland became WVU’s first ever three-time All-Americans in cross country, finishing 31st (20:43) and 34th (20:45), respectively. Sophomores Kaylyn Christopher and Kate Harrison also had excellent races, as Christopher finished 87th (21:21) and Harrison crossed the line in 94th place (21:25). Sarah-Anne Brault finished 145th (21:54) and Ahna Lewis finished 174th (22:13).
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NCAA HONORS All-Americans Marie-Louise Asselin...................................................2007, 2008, 2009 Keri Bland....................................................................2007, 2008, 2009 Clara Grandt....................................................................................2009 Megan Metcalfe.....................................................................2002, 2004 Charity Wachera..............................................................................1997
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Division I District II Coaching Staff of the Year Martin Pushkin/Sean Cleary........................................1995, 1997, 2000 Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year Sean Cleary.................................................................2004, 2007, 2008 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Team Champions 2004, 2008
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NCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Champion Megan Metcalfe...............................................................................2002
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NCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region Ahna Lewis......................................................................................2008 Kate Harrison........................................................................2008, 2009 Kayla Christopher..................................................................2008, 2009 Clara Grandt................................................................2007, 2008, 2009 Marie-Louise Asselin.........................................2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Keri Bland..........................................................2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Susan Davis..........................................................................2004, 2005 Jennifer Davis..................................................................................2004 Tara Struyk..................................................................2002, 2003, 2004 Megan Metcalfe.................................................2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 Merissa Sexsmith..................................................................1999, 2000 Rebecca Stallwood................................................................1999, 2000 Karin Lockhart.......................................................................1998, 2000 Kate Vermeulen...............................................................................1998 Charity Wachera..............................................................................1998 Nancy Knapp ..................................................................................1998 Francine Darroch.............................................................................1998
NCAA Team Qualifiers 1997, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 Individual NCAA Qualifiers Susan Davis....................................................................................2005 Megan Metcalfe ....................................................................2002, 2003 Tara Struyk......................................................................................2003 Merissa Sexsmith............................................................................1999 Rebecca Stallwood..........................................................................1999 Kate Vermeulen...............................................................................1998 Charity Wachera....................................................................1995, 1997 Vicki Stum........................................................................................1990 NCAA Woman of the Year Rebecca Stallwood..........................................................................2001
CONFERENCE HONORS BIG EAST Team Champions 2007 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Megan Metcalfe...............................................................................2000 BIG EAST Women’s Cross Country Individual Champion Marie-Louise Asselin 2008 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year Charity Wachera..............................................................................1997 All-BIG EAST Marie-Louise Asselin...................................................2007, 2008, 2009 Keri BlandA..................................................................2007, 2008, 2009 Clara Grandt................................................................2007, 2008, 2009 Susan Davis....................................................................................2005 Tara Struyk............................................................................2002, 2003 Megan Metcalfe.................................................2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 Rebecca Stallwood................................................................1999, 2000 Merissa Sexsmith............................................................................1999 Charity Wachera..............................................................................1997 Atlantic 10 Team Champions 1994 Atlantic 10 Individual Champions Vicki Stum........................................................................................1991
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Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year Charity Wachera..............................................................................1994 Heather Bury...................................................................................1993
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All-Atlantic 10 1994.....................................................................Charity Wachera, 2nd Carisa Brown, 5th Heather Bury, 7th Kerryn Davidson, 10th 1993.......................................................................Kerryn Davidson 3rd Heather Bury, 5th 1992...................................................................... Kerryn Davidson, 9th 1991................................................................................Vicki Stum, 1st Erin O’Reilly, 3rd 1990............................................................................... Vicki Stum, 3rd
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Charity Wachera was one of WVU’s best distance runners during her career. The Nairobi, Kenya, native earned AllAmerica honors in the 10,000 meters with a sixth-place finish (34:29.64) at the 1998 NCAA outdoor championship. She also set two school records during her tenure. She ran a 16:27.27 in the 5,000 meters and a 34:24.00 in the 10,000 meters during the 1998 outdoor track season. Her mark in the 10,000m still stands today, while her mark in the 5,000 meter was broken by fellow All-American Rebecca Stallwood in 2001. In 1997, Wachera finished 11th with a time of 17:00 to become WVU’s first female cross country All-American.
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Charity Wachera 1998
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Megan Metcalfe, a nine-time All-American, is the most prolific distance runner in Mountaineer women’s track & field history and the first Mountaineer to achieve two All-America honors in cross country. The Edmonton, Alberta, native earned her first All-America accolade as a member of the 2001 distance medley relay team, which finished in eighth place. Metcalfe’s second All-America award, and first individual, came with a third-place finish in the 3,000-meter race at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships in a WVU record time of 9:09.95. Also an outstanding cross country runner, Metcalfe was named the 2000 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. Her third All-America honor came with a ninth-place finish at the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships, making her just the second female cross country All-American in school history and only the fourth Mountaineer to earn All-America honors in two sports. She earned her fourth and fifth AllAmerica accolades in 2003 by finishing fourth in the 3,000-meters at the indoor championships and was a part of the school record setting distance medley relay team in that same meet. Her sixth and seventh awards came in March, 2004, when she was fifth in the 3,000-meters and again was a member of the DMR team. Metcalfe’s eighth and school-record setting All-America honor came at the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championships where she recorded a 16th place overall finish. Metcalfe capped off her brilliant career with a ninth All-America honor and a national championship when she won the 5,000-meters at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She also competed at the World Cross Country Championships twice during her tenure at WVU and competed at the World University Games in Turkey. In 2008, Metcalfe reached the top, as she ran in the 5,000-meter race for Canada in the Beijing Olympics.
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Marie-Louise Asselin 2007, 2008, 2009 Marie-Louise Asselin capped off her cross country career as one of the most decorated runners in WVU history. As of 2010, the Sarnia, Ontario, native owns seven All-America medals, including three in cross county and four in track. Asselin’s last cross country season, 2009, was one for the record books as she became one of only two WVU runners to earn three All-America honors in the sport. Along with teammate Keri Bland, Asselin achieved the honor as she finished in 31st place (20:43) at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championship. The Mountaineers went on to finish sixth, marking the third-consecutive year that WVU finished in the top 10 at the national championships. Asselin also earned all-region honors for the fourth time in her career and all BIG EAST honors for the third time. Her success continued into the track season as she posted a second-place finish in the 5,000-meter race at the NCAA Indoor Championships (15:50.53) and a second-place finish in the 5,000 meter at the NCAA Outdoor Championships (15:53.93). In 2008, she led WVU to its most successful season in school history, as the Mountaineers took a historic fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championship, first at the NCAA all-Mid-Atlantic Regionals and second at the BIG EAST Championship. Asselin became the first BIG EAST Women’s Cross Country Individual Champion in 2008, as she took the top spot with a time of 20:10. She then placed 17th at the NCAA Championship race with a time of 20:27 to earn her second consecutive All-American honor. She earned her first All-American title in 2007 as the Mountaineers captured their first BIG EAST Championship and finished ninth in the country. Even though she was just a sophomore at the time, Asselin became WVU’s third All-American in the sport when she finished 17th (14th in the team standings) with a time of 20:39 at the 2007 NCAA Championship. It was a fitting ending to an outstanding season that saw her post the team’s highest finish in the final five meets. Asselin showed glimpses of her abilities just weeks earlier at the BIG EAST Championship where she took second and at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional race, where she placed third in leading her team to an overall second-place finish. Asselin, an all-BIG EAST and all-Mid-Atlantic region selection, was joined by Bland as an All-American, marking the first time in program history that two teammates earned the honor in the same season. In the 2008 indoor season, Asselin went on to place seventh in the 3,000-meter to earn All-America honors and was on the All-America distance medley relay team that took fourth at nationals.
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Clara Grandt saved her best season for last as she posted the finest season of her career and earned her first All-America honor in cross country. The West Union, W.Va., native led the team to a sixth-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Championship, the first Mountaineer to cross the line in 13th place overall. Grandt also earned allregion and all-BIG EAST honors and was named BIG EAST Cross Country Athlete of the Week on Sept. 24, for her efforts in the Midwest Open. There she crossed the line in 17:00.1, 19 seconds before Louisville’s Tarah McKay (17:19.4), for the fastest course time in over 20 years. In the track season, Grandt earned her second honor of the year by virtue of finishing as one of the top U.S. citizens in the 5,000-meter race at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships. She then capped off her final season as a Mountaineer with a fourth-place showing in the 10,000-meter race at the outdoor championships, giving her four total All-America honors. Grandt became WVU’s 24th track and field All-American as she earned the honors with a fourth-place showing in the 10,000-meter finals at the NCAA Championship in 2009. Grandt started off the race behind the lead pack before finding her stride around the 6,000-meter mark. The junior closed the gap, and finished with a time of 33:45.16.
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Keri Bland, a seven-time All-American, continued to leave her name in the WVU record books as she aided the Mountaineers to a sixth-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships, marking the third-straight year WVU finished in the nation’s top 10. Bland, along with teammate Marie-Louise Asselin, became the only Mountaineers in school history to earn All-America honors for three seasons in cross county, as she finished 34th (20:45). The Fairview, W.Va., native earned two All-America honors in the 2009 indoor track season, as she placed eighth in the mile and was a part of the distance medley relay team. Bland continued to dominate in the outdoor season, as she earned her fourth honor of the year by virtue of finishing as one of the top U.S. citizens in the 1,500-meter race, marking the second time she earned honors in all three seasons (cross county, indoor track and outdoor track). Bland was an essential part of the Mountaineers team in 2008, when she led WVU to its most successful season in school history as the squad placed fourth at the NCAA Championship, first at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals and second at the BIG EAST Championship. She was the first Mountaineer to finish at the NCAA Championship, where she finished 14th with a time of 20:20. In 2007, Bland and Asselin helped guide the Mountaineers to their first conference title and the highest finish at nationals in school history (ninth) in 2007. At nationals, Bland was the second Mountaineer to cross the line in 23rd at 20:58. Bland, along with Asselin, was named a first team All-American, marking the first time WVU’s cross country program had multiple All-Americans in the same year. Bland earned all-BIG EAST and all-Mid-Atlantic region accolades during the season after finishing fourth and seventh, respectively, in those races. In the 2008 indoor track season, Bland was a part of the All-America distance medley team that set a school record and placed fourth in the country. She finished the 2008 outdoor season by earning All-America honors in the 1,500-meters to become the first female in WVU history to earn All-America honors in three sports in the same year.
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The highest finish in school history, two All-Americans and the team’s first BIG EAST championship propelled the West Virginia cross country program into the nation’s elite during the 2007 season. What made the year even more special was the realization that WVU’s success was accomplished with a group of underclassmen and a first-year head coach in Sean Cleary. The Mountaineers were led by All-America sophomores Marie-Louise Asselin and Keri Bland, who became the first pair of teammates in WVU history to earn All-America status in the same season. West Virginia’s banner year is attributed to the development of Cleary’s one-two-three punch of Asselin, Bland and fellow sophomore Clara Grandt, a group who earned all-region and allBIG EAST honors. The Mountaineers competed in their first meet at full strength on Sept. 28 at the Paul Short Invitational. The squad finished second in a race that featured four nationally ranked teams. Asselin took third, Bland took seventh and Grandt was 15th as WVU moved into the top 25 of the polls for the first time since 2004. Asselin showed a glimpse of what kind of season she was going to have when she claimed the individual title at the Penn State National Open. Bland and Grandt were close behind at fourth and seventh, respectively, as WVU convincingly won the meet with 86 points. The confidence gained from the Penn State race proved to be valuable as the Mountaineers entered the conference championship as one the teams with a legitimate shot at the league title. West Virginia took advantage and became the fourth program in WVU history to win a BIG EAST Championship title. Asselin finished second overall, while Bland was fourth and Grandt eighth. The effort from WVU’s main three was key, but big performances turned in by Dalzot (30th) and Harrison (33rd) may have been the
difference as defending champ Providence finished just 10 points behind West Virginia in second. Asselin, Bland and Grandt received all-BIG EAST honors, marking the most ever in one season for the Mountaineers. “Winning a BIG EAST Championship was just as memorable as a top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships,” Cleary said. “Winning the league title proved to these young women that they were as good as the nation’s elite.” If the season had ended that day after winning a conference title, it would have been a spectacular year. But the Mountaineers still had a lot more they wanted to achieve and looked ahead to the tough challenge awaiting at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. Not only did WVU have to worry about revenge-seeking foes from the BIG EAST, Georgetown and Villanova, it had to compete against Penn State and perennial power Princeton as well. West Virginia pulled together down the stretch and edged the Hoyas by two points to finish in second place and earn the final automatic qualifying spot to nationals. Asselin finished third, Grandt sixth and Bland seventh, while two different women stepped up in the No. 4 and 5 slots as Christopher came in 30th and Dalzot placed 31st. It marked just the fourth time in school history that WVU would qualify for the NCAA Championships. Cleary, the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year, and his young squad entered nationals ranked 13th. Asselin was WVU’s top finisher at 14th, followed by Bland (23rd), Grandt (52nd), Dalzot (121st) and Mandy McBean (165th). In the end, West Virginia finished ninth, the highest finish in Mountaineer history. Asselin and Bland were named All-Americans, marking the first time WVU had two athletes earn that honor in the same year. Perhaps no one believed Cleary in August when he said he thought that the 2007 team could be the most talented group he had ever been associated with. Four months later, the team re-wrote the record books in putting together the most memorable season in West Virginia cross country history.
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West Virginia University is a leading 21st century land-grant institution that is improving people’s lives through teaching, discovery, and outreach.
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Sharing WVU knowledge with state citizens and the nation is a major component of the land-grant mission. 15 WVU colleges and schools offer 188 degree programs from the bachelor’s through the doctoral and first-professional levels.
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WVU’s campus offers one of the nation’s safest college environments — Reader’s Digest ranked it 18th among 135 U.S. colleges and universities and gave WVU an A for its strong commitment to safety. A Farmer’s Insurance study ranked Morgantown as the 8th most secure place to live among U.S. towns with populations less than 150,000.
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Morgantown was named the No. 1 small city in America by BizJournals.com and as the best small city in the East by Prometheus Publications. The American institute for Economic Research named Morgantown one of America’s “Best College Towns.” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine listed the city 29th among “50 Smart Places to Live.” Recreational and job opportunities were among the factors Men’s Journal magazine cited in naming Morgantown the nation’s third-best small city. The Wellness Councils of America named Morgantown an elite “Well City,” and Sporting News named Morgantown one of its “Best Sports Cities.” National media outlets such as CNBC spotlighted Morgantown as an oasis of economic strength in the midst of a global recession, and Careerbuilder.com ranked the city as one of the “25 Best Cities to Find a Job.” A report by Fortune Small Business ranked Morgantown the 7th best small city to launch a small business. The FBI chose WVU as its national leader for biometrics research. WVU is the academic arm of the FBI’s Biometric Center of Excellence.
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WVU’s main Morgantown location includes three distinct campuses—Downtown, Evansdale and the Health Sciences campus .The Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system — named top people-mover in the nation - has shuttled people among the campuses since the U.S. Department of Transportation built it 30 years ago. The Student Recreation Center offers a six-lane lap pool and a leisure pool; a 20-person whirlpool; seven courts for basketball, volleyball, and badminton; fitness machines and free weights covering 17,000 square feet; and a 50-foot climbing wall. WVU has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars, more than any other school in the BIG EAST Conference. Many WVU students have received other prestigious scholarships, including 21 Truman Scholarships, 33 Goldwater Scholarships, two British Marshall Scholarships, two Morris K. Udall Scholarships; seven Boren Scholarships; two Gilman Scholarships, two Department of Homeland Security Scholarships, and one Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship. Six WVU students have appeared on the USA Today All-USA College Academic First Team. The WVU School of Medicine’s Rural Medicine Program is ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s top 10 graduate programs in the field. More than two dozen WVU graduate programs are ranked by the publication as among the nation’s best.
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WVU students receive $317 million annually in grants, loans, work study, fee waivers and scholarships.
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WVU: A Brief Profile West Virginia University is one of only 11 schools in the country that are land-grant, doctoral research universities with a comprehensive medical school.
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Students: WVU’s main campus fall 2009 enrollment was 28,898. Alumni: The new Erickson Alumni Center is a gathering place for WVU’s more than 175,000 alumni worldwide. Degree Programs: WVU offers 188 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional degree programs. Division Campuses: Potomac State College of WVU; WVU Institute of Technology Health Sciences Center Divisions: Charleston Division, Health Sciences Center, Charleston, W.Va.; Eastern Division, Health Sciences Center, Martinsburg, W.Va.
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Major Academic Divisions: Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Economics, College of
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Creative Arts, School of Dentistry, College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, Honors College, College of Human Resources and Education, Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, College of Law, School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Potomac State College of WVU, WVU Institute of Technology
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Visitors Resource Center: Located on the Morgantown Waterfront, the Visitors Resource Center features unique, cutting-edge displays and traditional West Virginia hospitality. Operating hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. (closed Sundays and most University holidays). Guided tours with friendly knowledgeable student guides M-F at 10:30 a.m. and 2
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p.m. and Sat. at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., except home football Saturdays. Phone: 304-293-3489. Visit: http://visit.wvu.edu
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Admission Information: Information is available from the Office of Admissions and Records, PO Box 6090, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6090; or call 304-293-2121 or visit WVU on the web: http://www.wvu.edu;
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E-mail: go2wvu@mail.wvu.edu
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Mountaineer Parents Club Helpline: Receive information or share comments by calling 1-800-WVU-0096. Someone will respond within one business day if possible.
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James P. Clements James P. Clements has said that no university in the country means as much to its state as West Virginia University means to West Virginia. Since becoming WVU’s 23rd president on June 30, 2009, Dr. Clements has shown a strong dedication to expanding the University’s role as a 21st century land-grant institution, providing superior academic programs, expanding a wellness initiative for students, technologically advancing research for use around the globe and strengthening service and health-care initiatives for the community. Dr. Clements has already announced several initiatives in support of this commitment, including: adding100 new faculty members to achieve goals directly related to WVU’s mission; building a new student health facility to increase wellness efforts; dedicating capital funds to expand outdoor recreational space for students; creating a grants budget office to assist researchers; and increasing research to strengthen the University’s position as a leader in fields such as energy, biometrics and health sciences. Additional priorities have been to continue offering world-class health care and – through WVU’s Top-10 ranked Rural Health Program – remain committed to increasing state outreach in the health sciences. Other goals include finding more efficient and effective ways to use technology to drive progress, increasing the diversity of WVU’s learning community and developing an even broader global focus in preparing students for new international opportunities. He also plans to focus on increasing student retention, increasing WVU’s doctoral program enrollment, enhancing leadership development and increasing operating funds. In 2009-10, private giving to the University increased, external and competitive funding for research grew, and student applications increased, keeping enrollment strong. A major strategic planning process was launched, several new facilities opened and ground was broken on a project to house WVU’s nationally acclaimed Physics Program. Recently, Dr. Clements was appointed to the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Commission on Women in Higher Education and was appointed to serve as the Outreach Liaison for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), representing the Mid-Atlantic Region. Dr. Clements’ previous experience in higher education demonstrates his ability to help achieve these objectives and guide WVU to continued stability, growth and prominence. Before joining the Mountaineer family, Dr. Clements served as provost and vice president at Towson University, the secondlargest public university in Maryland. Under his leadership, Towson developed academic and student support programs that led to impressive increases in enrollment as well as retention and graduation rates. Towson’s externally-funded research increased by 36 percent during Dr. Clements’ tenure as provost. Prior to becoming provost, he served as Towson University’s vice president for economic and community outreach and as the Robert W. Deutsch Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences. He was a fourtime recipient of Towson’s Faculty Member of the Year Award given by students at the university.
With a background in computer science, Dr. Clements also brings technological savvy to his role as president. He has a B.S. in computer science and an M.S. and Ph.D. in operations analysis from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), as well as an M.S. in computer science from Johns Hopkins University. His project management textbook, in its fourth edition, is used in more than 20 countries and is published in four languages. At WVU, Dr. Clements is a tenured professor in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources’ Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. In October 2009, he was named UMBC’s Alumnus of the Year in the Engineering and Information Technology category. Dr. Clements chairs the boards of the WVU Research Corporation, the West Virginia United Health System, and the WVU Hospitals. He also serves as an ex-officio member of the WVU Foundation and WVU Alumni Association boards. He is married to Beth Clements, and they have four children – Tyler, twin daughters Hannah and Maggie, and Grace.
The Clements family: Maggie, Tyler, Hannah (standing); Beth, Grace, Jim (seated), near WVU’s historic Woodburn Hall.
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Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season 2009 Review record book
Oliver Luck is the right man at the right time for West Virginia University. President James P. Clements appointed the former Mountaineer quarterback Director of Athletics on June 9, 2010, making him the 11th person to hold that title at WVU. “Oliver Luck is someone who has succeeded at the highest levels at everything he has done – from his college and professional football playing days to his academic pursuits and his professional business career,” said Clements. “He is the clear choice to carry forward what has truly been a golden era in athletics.” “It’s an incredible honor for me to be appointed as athletic director at my alma mater,” said Luck. “I care deeply about this school. I’ve had an opportunity to serve on the Board of Governors the last couple of years, and it’s given me a tremendous Former Mountaineer quarterback Oliver Luck became West Virginia University’s viewpoint of how important intercollegiate athletics is at a 11th director of athletics on June 14, 2010. land-grant institution like WVU. “WVU is truly one of the outstanding land-grant universities in the country, and I am so pleased to be a part of its momentum and growth. NFL Europe in 1996. Luck totaled more than 10 years with the National This is a tremendous opportunity - a chance to return to a University Football League before becoming chief executive officer of the Harris and a state that I love at a dynamic and strategic time in its history.” County-Houston Sports Authority in 2001. Luck’s athletic and professional career has been the epitome of In that role, Luck oversaw the development and management of a success, first as a record-setting quarterback for the Mountaineers $1 billion professional sports and entertainment complex for the city of from 1978-81, then as a professional quarterback for the Houston Houston that included Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, Oilers, and later as a professional sports executive. Reliant Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, the Toyota Center, home Luck’s journey to the big chair at WVU began in his native of the Houston Rockets, Comets and Aeros and the Livestock Show and Cleveland, where in 1977 he was named the Cleveland Touchdown Rodeo. Club Player of the Year at St. Ignatius High. Luck chose WVU over Ivy In 2005, Luck was appointed as the first president of Major League League schools Harvard and Yale, embarking upon a career that saw Soccer’s Houston Dynamos, helping that organization to a pair of MLS him establish school records for touchdown passes and completions Cup titles in his first two years at the helm. Luck was in the midst of during his playing days, while also leading the Mountaineers to a 26-6 securing the funding for an $80 million soccer complex to house the upset victory over Florida in the 1981 Peach Bowl. Dynamos when the call came to return to his alma mater. His best season came as a senior in 1981 when he completed 216 Prior to his current position at WVU, Luck was appointed by Gov. of 394 passes for 2,448 yards and 16 touchdowns. He passed for a Joe Manchin in 2008 to a four-year term on the West Virginia University career-high 360 yards in a 27-24 loss to Syracuse at the Carrier Dome Board of Governors, a spot he relinquished in June 2010, to become in the final regular-season game of his career. director of athletics. Luck ended his college career with 5,765 yards and 43 touchdown The Rhodes Scholar finalist graduated from WVU magna cum laude passes, both figures still ranking among the best in school history. in 1982 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He also earned a law degree Luck was a two-time team MVP in 1980 and 1981, and also received from the University of Texas, graduating cum laude in 1987. In 1997, the Louis D. Meisel Award for the WVU football student-athlete with Luck was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame, the highest grade point average. The two-time ESPN The Magazine and in 2008, he was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Academic All-American was the recipient of Today’s Top Five, Hall of Fame. presented for scholastics by the NCAA and was selected by the He is married to the former Kathy Wilson. They have two sons and National Football Foundation as one of its 10 scholar-athletes to make two daughters: Andrew, the starting quarterback and a Heisman Trophy a keynote speech at its annual banquet in 1982. candidate at Stanford; Mary Ellen, an incoming freshman volleyball Selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Houston player at Stanford; Emily and Addison. Oilers (44th overall pick), Luck spent four years with the Oilers from 1982-86. His most extended action came in 1983 when he started WVU’s Directors of Athletics six games and finished the season completing 124-of-217 passes for • Anthony Chez 1904-13 • E.R. Sweetland 1913-14 1,375 yards and eight touchdowns. • George Pyle 1914-17 • Harry Stansbury 1917-38 After retiring from football, Luck became vice president of business • Roy “Legs” Hawley 1938-54 • Robert “Red” Brown 1954-72 development for the National Football League and later was appointed • Leland Byrd 1972-78 • Richard Martin 1978-81 general manager of the Frankfurt Galaxy of the newly created World • Fred Schaus 1981-89 • Ed Pastilong 1989-2010 League of American Football. He spent the ’95 season as general • Oliver Luck 2010-present manager of the Rhein Fire before being named President and CEO of
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oliver luck
mountaineer cross country
director of athletics
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intercollegiate athletics mountainer cross country Coaching Staff
Oliver Luck Director of Athletics
Mike Parsons Deputy Director of Athletics
Garrett Ford Terri Howes Keli Cunningham Associate Athletic Director Associate Athletic Director Associate Athletic Director Student Services Sports Development Governance & Compliance
Mountaineer Profiles
Niles Eggleston Michael Fragale Patrick Hairston Brad Howe Mike Kerin Assistant Athletic Director Assistant Athletic Director Assistant Athletic Director Assistant Athletic Director Assistant Athletic DirectorDevelopment Communications Marketing & Sales Football Operations
2010 Season Linda Burdette-Good Gymnastics
Mike Carey Women’s Basketball
Bob Huggins Men’s Basketball
Jimmy King Rowing
Marlon LeBlanc Men’s Soccer
2009 Review
Nikki Izzo-Brown Women’s Soccer
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Bill Stewart Football
Craig Turnbull Wrestling
Sean Cleary Womens’ Cross Country Women’s Track & Field
Jill Kramer Volleyball
Greg Van Zant Baseball
Jon Hammond Rifle
Vic Riggs Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving
mountaineer excellence
Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic all-District II team Marie-Louise Asselin...................................................................... Track Nicco Campriani...............................................................................Rifle Kaylyn Christopher......................................................................... Track Chelsey Corrotto.......................................................... Women’s Soccer Eric Jobe.................................................................................... Football Andy Lamson...................................................................................Rifle Josh Lider .................................................................................. Football Liz Repella . ............................................................Women’s Basketball Kiersten Spoerke.................................................................. Gymnastics Reed Williams ........................................................................... Football
2010 Season
Andy Lamson
Heather Saffel
2009 Review
ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-Americans Liz Repella . ......................................... Women’s Basketball (first team) Marie-Louise Asselsn............................................. Track (second team) Andy Lamson...........................................................Rifle (second team) Reed Williams ................................................... Football (second team) Kaylyn Christopher......................................................Track (third team)
mountaineer cross country
Team Record Baseball..........................................................................................27-30 Cross Country.............................................................Sixth place NCAA Men’s Basketball........31-7 (NCAA Final Four) – BIG EAST Champions Finished No. 3 nationally in Coaches’ Poll Women’s Basketball......................................... 29-6 (NCAA 2nd Round) Finished No. 15 nationally in Coaches’ Poll Football.................... 9-4, (22/25 in final national polls – 2nd BIG EAST) Gymnastics.......................................................................................19-9 Rowing............................................................................. 6th BIG EAST Men’s Soccer...................................................................................7-5-6 Women’s Soccer...........................................10-7-6 (NCAA 2nd Round) Men’s Swimming and Diving 5-3, 4th BIG EAST (5 NCAA Qualifiers), CSCAAA Scholar-Athlete All-America team Women’s Swimming and Diving................................ 5-6, 3rd BIG EAST Women’s Tennis...............................................................................17-7 Rifle.............................................................................. 11-0 (3rd NCAA) GARC Regular Season and Postseason Champions Women’s Track....................... Indoor: 10th NCAA, Outdoor: 16th NCAA Volleyball........................................................................................17-13 Wrestling.............................................................3-10, 3 NCAA qualifiers
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BIG EAST Academic All-Stars Max Anderson............................................................................ Football Don Barclay................................................................................ Football Carmen Connolly........................................................................ Football Zac Cooper................................................................................. Football Eric Jobe.................................................................................... Football Scott Kozlowski.......................................................................... Football Josh Lider................................................................................... Football Scott Loving................................................................................ Football Cody Nutter................................................................................ Football Keith Tandy................................................................................. Football Tyler Urban................................................................................. Football Reed Williams............................................................................ Football
record book
NSCAA Scholar All-East Region Heather Saffel (Honorable Mention)............................. Women’s Soccer
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National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society Josh Lider................................................................................... Football Reed Williams............................................................................ Football
Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles
EAGL All-Academic Team Amy Bieski............................................................................ Gymnastics Hailey Fairchild..................................................................... Gymnastics Arlene Hathaway.................................................................. Gymnastics Naja Johnson....................................................................... Gymnastics Stephanie Keaton................................................................. Gymnastics Emily Kerwin......................................................................... Gymnastics Tina Maloney........................................................................ Gymnastics Faye Meaden....................................................................... Gymnastics Shelly Purkat........................................................................ Gymnastics Alaska Richardson............................................................... Gymnastics Jenn Sharon......................................................................... Gymnastics Kiersten Spoerke.................................................................. Gymnastics Chelsi Tabor.......................................................................... Gymnastics Ashley Wilson....................................................................... Gymnastics Jessica Young...................................................................... Gymnastics
2010 Season
CRCA All-Academic Nicco Campriani...............................................................................Rifle Michael Kulbacki..............................................................................Rifle Andy Lamson...................................................................................Rifle Justin Pentz......................................................................................Rifle Kyle Smith........................................................................................Rifle Ashley Zultanky................................................................................Rifle
2009-10 First Team All-Americans Marie-Louise Asselin ........ Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track Keri Bland ......................... Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track Da’Sean Butler.............................................................Men’s Basketball Nicco Campriani...............................................................................Rifle Kaylyn Christopher.............................................................. Indoor Track Brandi Eskew...................................................................................Rifle Clara Grandt ..................... Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track Jedd Gyorko.............................................................................. Baseball Karly Hamric..................................................................... Outdoor Track Michael Kulbacki..............................................................................Rifle Andy Lamson...................................................................................Rifle Jessica O’Connell................................................................ Indoor Track April Rotilio.......................................................................... Indoor Track Bryant Wallizer.................................................................................Rifle
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Marie-Louise Asselin
Second Team All-Americans Carolyn Blank............................................................... Women’s Soccer Da’Sean Butler.............................................................Men’s Basketball Jedd Gyorko.............................................................................. Baseball Andy Lamson...................................................................................Rifle Tommy Santelli.................................................................................Rifle Bryant Wallizer.................................................................................Rifle
Da’Sean Butler
Third Team All-Americans Scott Kozlowski.......................................................................... Football Da’Sean Butler.............................................................Men’s Basketball
Honorable Mention All-Americans Kayla Andrews.........................................................Women’s Swimming Rachael Burnett.......................................................Women’s Swimming Morgan Callaway.....................................................Women’s Swimming Brandon Hogan.......................................................................... Football Scott Kozlowski.......................................................................... Football Michael Kulbacki..............................................................................Rifle Justin Pentz......................................................................................Rifle Shaunna Purtell.......................................................Women’s Swimming Tommy Santelli.................................................................................Rifle Major Award Winners Carolyn Blank............................ TopDrawerSoccer National Third Team Da’Sean Butler..........................................Lowes’ Senior CLASS Award Chelsea Carrier............................. Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year Noel Devine................................ Konica Minolta Gator Bowl WVU MVP Jon Hammond................................................. GARC Coach of the Year Andy Lamson...................................................... GARC Scholar-Athlete Eric Schoenle.............................. TopDrawerSoccer all-rookie first team Reed Williams......National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete/Konica Minolta Gator Bowl WVU Scholar-Athlete All-Region Carolyn Blank............................................................... Women’s Soccer Da’Sean Butler (East Region All-Tournament).............Men’s Basketball Raymon Gaddis................................................................. Men’s Soccer Zach Johnson ................................................................... Men’s Soccer Kevin Jones (East Region All-Tournament)..................Men’s Basketball Nicole Mailloux............................................................. Women’s Soccer Joe Mazzulla (East Region MVP).................................Men’s Basketball Megan Mischler............................................................ Women’s Soccer Eric Schoenle.................................................................... Men’s Soccer
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
Shaunna Purtell
Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season
Brandon Hogan
All-BIG EAST Kayla Andrews.........................................................Women’s Swimming Marie-Louise Asselin........................... Cross Country and outdoor track Kimberly Benda........................................................................... Rowing Tyler Bitancurt............................................................................ Football Keri Bland......................................................................... Cross Country Carolyn Blank .............................................................. Women’s Soccer Jarrett Brown.............................................................................. Football Asya Bussie.............................................................Women’s Basketball Robin Burnett..........................................................Women’s Swimming Da’Sean Butler.............................................................Men’s Basketball Morgan Callaway.....................................................Women’s Swimming
2009 Review
BIG EAST Champions Marie-Louise Asselin................................Outdoor Track (5,000 meters) Clara Grandt...........................................Outdoor Track (10,000 meters) Carly Hamric.............................................Outdoor Track (1,500 meters)
record book
BIG EAST Major Award Winners Kim Benda........................................ BIG EAST Female Scholar Athlete Da’Sean Butler.......................................... BIG EAST Tournament MOP George Farquhar.................................. BIG EAST Male Scholar Athlete Jedd Gyorko............................Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Sarah Miles.............................. BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Reed Williams................................................... Football Scholar Athlete
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ECAC All-Star Robert Sands............................................................................. Football
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mountaineer excellence mountainer cross country Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season
Taylor Camp.................................................................Men’s Swimming Korinne Campbell....................................................Women’s Basketball Selvish Capers........................................................................... Football Noel Devine................................................................................ Football Devin Ebanks...............................................................Men’s Basketball Brad Eichenseer...........................................................Men’s Swimming Lauren Evans...........................................................................Volleyball George Farquhar..........................................................Men’s Swimming Jared Goldthorpe..........................................................Men’s Swimming Clara Grandt........................................ Cross Country and outdoor track Jedd Gyorko.............................................................................. Baseball Karly Hamric...................................................................... Outdoor track Brandon Hogan.......................................................................... Football Zach Johnson.................................................................... Men’s Soccer Kevin Jones..........................................Men’s Basketball all-tournament Sarah Kosmak.........................................................Women’s Swimming Scott Kozlowski.......................................................................... Football Nicole Mailloux............................................................. Women’s Soccer Robyn Matthews......................................................Women’s Swimming Gift Maworere.................................................................... Men’s Soccer Sarah Miles..............................Women’s Basketball and all-tournament Megan Mischler............................................................ Women’s Soccer Chris Neild.................................................................................. Football Mandie Nugent........................................................Women’s Swimming Shauna Purtell.........................................................Women’s Swimming Liz Repella................................Women’s Basketball and all-tournament Caroline Rettig............................................................................. Rowing Bri Rodriguez................................. Women’s Soccer and all-tournament Robert Sands............................................................................. Football Eric Schoenle.................................................................... Men’s Soccer Chelsi Tabor
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Caroline Rettig
Abel “Shadow” Sebele....................................................... Men’s Soccer Stephanie Shupe.....................................................Women’s Swimming Hugh Simmonds...........................................................Men’s Swimming Caroline Szwed............................................................ Women’s Soccer J.T. Thomas................................................................................ Football Reed Williams............................................................................ Football All-EAGL Amy Bieski............................................................................ Gymnastics Nicole Roach........................................................................ Gymnastics Tina Maloney........................................................................ Gymnastics Chelsi Tabor.......................................................................... Gymnastics All-GARC Brandi Eskew...................................................................................Rifle Michael Kulbacki..............................................................................Rifle Andy Lamson...................................................................................Rifle Justin Pentz......................................................................................Rifle Tommy Santelli.................................................................................Rifle Kyle Smith........................................................................................Rifle Bryant Wallizer.................................................................................Rifle NACGC/W Scholastic All-America Kiersten Spoerke.................................................................. Gymnastics Shelly Purkat........................................................................ Gymnastics Stephanie Keaton................................................................. Gymnastics Jenn Sharon......................................................................... Gymnastics Hailey Fairchild..................................................................... Gymnastics Amy Bieski............................................................................ Gymnastics Jessica Young...................................................................... Gymnastics Tina Maloney........................................................................ Gymnastics Arlene Hathaway.................................................................. Gymnastics
2010 WEST VIRGINIA university cross country
2009 Review record book
Women’s basketball, also set a school record for most wins in a season (29), finished second in the BIG EAST with 13 wins and was the BIG EAST Championship runner-up for the second time in school history. WVU reached as high as No. 7 in both major polls, marking its highest ranking in school history, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second round for the third time in the last four years. Liz Repella was named an ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA first team Academic All-American while Repella, Sarah Miles, Asya Bussie and Korinne Campbell were named all-BIG EAST. Coach Mike Carey was named BIG EAST co-Coach of the Year. Cross Country finished sixth at the NCAA Championships, marking the third-straight Tp 10 national finish for the Mountaineers. Seniors Marie-Louise Asselin, Keri Bland and Clara Grandt earned All-America and all-BIG EAST honors and the squad was named an all-academic team by the USTFCCCA by showing the ninth-highest team GPA in the country, which also marked the highest GPA of any of the Top 25 teams at nationals. The cross country success carried over to the indoor track season as the team posted a program-best fourth-place finish at the BIG EAST Championships and school-best 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Junior Chelsea Carrier and Asselin won conference titles in the pentathlon and 5,000-meter race, respectively, while seven student-athletes were named All-Americans, headlined by Carrier, Asselin, Bland, Grandt, Kaylyn Christopher, Jessica O’Connell and April Rotilio. Outdoor track finished 16th at the NCAA Championships, marking the highest finish in program history. Four Mountaineers garnered All-America honors led by senior Asselin’s second-place showing in the 5,000-meter race. Senior Grandt finished fourth in the 10,000-meters, while classmates Karly Hamric and Bland
2010 Season
Mountaineer Profiles
Coaching Staff
Jarrett Brown
west virginia university
The more things change, the more they stay the same. That certainly held true for West Virginia University Intercollegiate Athletics during the 2009-10 academic year. What stayed the same? Simply, it was WVU flexing its collective athletic muscles in the BIG EAST and on the national scene, yet again, in what continues to be the contemporary Golden Era. What changed? Simply, it was just changing the calendar to another year. Leading the way in what was yet another banner season for the department was the men’s basketball team’s school-record 31 wins, which saw the squad reach the NCAA Final Four for the second time in school history and win its first-ever BIG EAST championship. The team finished the year No. 3 in the final ESPN/USA Today poll, defeated seven ranked teams, reached the “Sweet 16” for the fifth time in the last six NCAA Tournament appearances, and coach Bob Huggins won his 670th career game in the Elite 8 victory over Kentucky. Individually, Da’Sean Butler led the way for WVU, garnering John Wooden, Basketball Times and Associated Press All-America honors and was named the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award winner. Devin Ebanks, Kevin Jones and Joe Mazzulla also garnered postseason honors. Football posted a 9-4 record and a 5-2 BIG EAST mark, tying for second in the league. WVU posted its fifth-straight season of nine wins or more, played in its eighth-straight bowl game and sixth New Year’s Day Bowl in the decade when it played Florida State in the Gator Bowl. WVU finished No. 22/25 in the final polls, marking the fifth- straight season WVU has finished in the Associated Press’ Top 25. Quarterback Jarrett Brown became the first 2,000-yard passer since 1998, and Noel Devine rushed for 1,465 yards, marking the 13th season out of the last 14 years where a Mountaineer eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark. Ten Mountaineers earned all-BIG EAST honors, while Reed Williams, a two-time Academic All-American, was named the BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year and a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete. West Virginia is the only school in the country during the last six years to win two BCS Bowl Games in football and make four Sweet 16 appearances in men’s basketball.
mountaineer cross country
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year in review mountainer cross country Coaching Staff Mountaineer Profiles 2010 Season 2009 Review record book west virginia university
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finished sixth and ninth, respectively, in the 1,500 meters. Rifle, fresh off its 14th national championship in 2009, posted an 11-0 record in 2010, a third-place finish at nationals and was the GARC regular season and postseason champions. Seven shooters earned 12 National Rifle Association All-America honors, while coach Jon Hammond was named the GARC Coach of the Year. Gymnastics qualified for its 27th regional, and the Mountaineers were hosts of the NCAA Southeast Regional, finishing fourth. On the year, WVU posted a 19-9 record and a 10-2 EAGL record. Four Mountaineers garnered all-EAGL honors headlined by junior Amy Bieski garnering five accolades, including two first-team honors. At Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, the Mountaineer women’s soccer team qualified for its 10th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance with a 10-7-6 record, knocked off the highest-ranked opponent in school history with a 2-1 victory at No. 5 Penn State, and coach Nikki Izzo-Brown won her 200th career game in the 1-0 decision at Providence. Five Mountaineers garnered all-BIG EAST accolades, led by All-American Carolyn Blank’s all-BIG EAST first team recognition. The men’s soccer team advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament for the sixth straight season with a 7-5-6 mark, while four players earned all-BIG EAST honors. WVU defeated two ranked teams in 2010, including No. 3 USF at home, marking the highest ranked opponent defeated since knocking off No. 1 Connecticut in 2007. Goalkeeper Zach Johnson and defender Eric Schoenle led the team in individual honors.
The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams had a combined 13 student-athletes garner all-BIG EAST accolades as both teams finished third at the BIG EAST Championships. Four swimmers earned honorablemention All-America honors. Volleyball boasted its best league finish in over a decade and posted a 17-13 overall mark. Junior Lauren Evans was named all-BIG EAST. Women’s tennis finished the season 17-7, the most wins since 2004, and 7-3 in BIG EAST competition. The Mountaineers had a nine-match winstreak during the season and defeated BIG EAST-rival Pitt for the first time in three years. WVU was honored by the ITA as a 2009 all-academic team, and Stephanie LaFortune and Veronica Cardenas were named scholar-athletes. Wrestling qualified three student-athletes for the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Four Mountaineers finished the season ranked in the nation’s Top 33 and three Mountaineers placed second in their respective weight classes at the EWL Championships. Rowing placed sixth at the BIG EAST Championship with 63 points as the Varsity 4+ boat of Amanda Hirsch, Kaitlyn Brownson, Kensie Phillips, Brittany Brooks and coxswain Anastasia DuPont won a bronze medal. Senior Kimberly Benda garnered first team all-BIG EAST accolades and was named a BIG EAST Institutional Female Scholar-Athlete. Baseball posted a 27-30 record, led by all-BIG EAST shortstop Jedd Gyorko, who finished his career as the school’s career leader in batting average (.404), doubles (73), extra base-hits (113) and is tied for the school record in home runs (35). Gyorko was selected 59th overall in the second round by the San Diego Padres in Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft.
mountaineer cross country
media information Media Information Media Services The West Virginia University Sports Communications Office will be available throughout the entire 2010 cross country season to accommodate media requests.
Coaching Staff
Following are some guidelines that should make it easy for media members to cover the West Virginia cross country team. Any additional questions should be directed to the sports communications cross country contact, Daniel Whitehead.
Mountaineer Profiles
During the Week Any member of the media wishing to interview a student-athlete or member of the coaching staff during the week should speak with the cross country contact, Daniel Whitehead, at the sports communications office via phone, (304) 293-2821, at least 24 hours in advance. Photography Members of the media interested in coaches and student-athlete head shots and select action photos can request a photo CD from the WVU Sports Communications Office.
Comprehensive Coverage All news releases are posted on MSNsportsNET.com. Media can access the latest happenings of Mountaineer cross country by checking in regularly to MSNsportsNET.com’s home page or the cross country page. Event Coverage MSNsportsNET.com is the place for media and fans to go for the latest on West Virginia cross country before, during and after an event. Extensive postgame coverage also can be found on MSNsportsNET. com, including game recaps, photo galleries and more.
2010 Season
MSNsportsNET.com
2009 Review
BIG EAST Media Services For the latest news about the BIG EAST Conference, visit the BIG EAST’s website at www.bigeast.org. The site contains information on all BIG EAST schools, including individual pages for every school and every sport.
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And Much More Updated daily, MSNsportsNET.com also provides ticket information, radio and television listings, viewer surveys, trivia contests, links to other great sports sites, the BIG EAST and information on West Virginia’s 16 other varsity sports. Log on by typing in www.MSNsportsNET. com to get the latest Mountaineer news. The place to go daily for all the latest Mountaineer news is West Virginia’s interactive online site, MSNsportsNET.com. The attractive site offers everything for the West Virginia cross country fan. From live statistics and commentaries, to all the information on the next opponent plus game notes, press releases, player features and breaking news, MSNsportsNET.com is a Mountaineer cross country fanatic’s haven. And Mountaineer fans from anywhere in the world never have to miss the big game again thanks to MSNsportsNET.com.
record book
Team Coverage Looking for information on any Mountaineer student-athlete or coach? It’s all on MSNsportsNET.com. Player and coaching staff bios are available at the click of a finger.
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Sports Information The West Virginia University Sports Communications Office is located in the WVU Coliseum near the Red Gate. The main sports communications office is Room 107 with additional offices in Room 214. Daniel Whitehead is in his first season as the cross country contact. Mailing Address Sports Communications Office West Virginia University P.O. Box 0877 Morgantown, WV 26507-0877 Overnight Shipping Address Sports Communications Office West Virginia University 107 Coliseum Monongahela Blvd. Morgantown, WV 26505
Staff Michael Fragale........................ Assistant Athletic Director, Communications Bryan Messerly....................................................Sports Information Director Joe Swan........................................................... Sports Publications Director John Antonik............................................................... Director of New Media Mike Montoro........................................Director of Football Communications Katie Kane.......................................... Associate Sports Information Director Tim Goodenow...................................Assistant Sports Publications Director Shannon McNamara........................... Assistant Sports Information Director Lisa Ammons.................................................................... Business Manager Amy Prunty........................................................................Program Assistant Cheryl Maust.....................................................................Program Assistant Julie Brown...................................................................... Graduate Assistant Kelly Tuckwiller................................................................ Graduate Assistant Daniel Whitehead............................................................ Graduate Assistant Tiffany Doolittle................................................................... Student Assistant Grant Dovey....................................................................... Student Assistant
Phone Information Office: 304-293-2821 Fax: 304-293-4105
Directions to the WVU Agronomy Farm From I-68: Take exit 7: Airport/Mileground exit. From there, go straight through the stoplight of the Glenmark Center intersection. Make the next right onto Old Cheat Road near the bottom of the hill. After about half a mile, Agronomy Farm Road will be on the left. From town: Take Route 705 to the Mileground. Follow the Mileground to where it meets North 19 and turn right at the light. Old Cheat Road will be an immediate left. After about half a mile, Agronomy Farm Road will be on the left.