2017 WVU Cross Country Guide by Joe Swan

MAGGIE

DRAZBA

JILLIAN

FORSEY

AMY

CASHIN

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Managing Editor: Joe Swan Editor/Writer: Joe Mitchin Page Layout/Design: Kristin Coldsnow, Bob Slater, Provations Contributors: Lisa Ammons, John Antonik, Ashley Bailey, Kristin Coldsnow, Grant Dovey, Michael Fragale, Charlie Healy, Maggie Matella, Shannon McNamara, Bryan Messerly, Joe Mitchin, Mike Montoro, Chris Pharis, Amy Prunty, Joe Swan, Cheryl Wire

Contents

TABLE OF

Contributing Photographers: All-Pro Photography by Dale Sparks, Nick Arthur, M.G. Ellis, Don Paul, Dan Friend, Erin Irwin, E.J. Linger, Joe Mitchin, Brian Persinger, Steve Prunty, Megan Raymond, Niesha Shafer, Jenny Shepherd, Cheryl Treworgy and Norman Wills © 2017 West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action institution. The indicia depicted are registered trademarks of West Virginia University. Reproduction of any material appearing herein is prohibited without approval of the West Virginia University Intercollegiate Athletics.

In the Spotlight �� 2

2016 REVIEW

A Championship Program �� 3

A Look Back at 2016 �� 44

All-Americans �� 4

2016 Results �� 46

Big 12 Conference �� 6

Meet-by-Meet Breakdown �� 46

Athletic Training �� 8

Individual Times �� 48

Strength and Conditioning �� 10

Accolades �� 48

Community Service �� 11

RECORD BOOK

Student-Athlete Development �� 12

NCAA Honors �� 50

Campus Life �� 14

Conference Honors �� 50

COACHING STAFF

All-Americans �� 51

Sean Cleary �� 18

GENERAL INFORMATION

Erin O’Reilly �� 22

President E. Gordon Gee �� 56

Support Staff �� 22

Director of Athletics Shane Lyons �� 57

MOUNTAINEER PROFILES

Intercollegiate Athletics Staff �� 58

2017 Roster �� 24

Head Coaches �� 58

Profiles �� 26

WVU Intercollegiate Athletics 2016-17 �� 59

2017 PREVIEW

Media Information �� 60

A Look at 2017 �� 38

Contact Information �� 61

Q&A with Coach Sean Cleary �� 40

Athletic Facilities �� 62

2017 Schedule �� 41

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Spotlight IN THE

Choosing to become a Mountaineer student-athlete is special.

Without a professional sports team in the state, West Virginia residents and fans throughout the region love West Virginia University athletics. The Mountaineers have the unique opportunity to represent themselves, their teammates and their University to news media, alumni, friends, family and the general public. The interaction with these groups is also part of their educational process. If you take advantage of these opportunities, it can have a positive effect, not only on your career as a student-athlete at West Virginia, but also on your life after you have donned the Old Gold and Blue.

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Program

A CHAMPIONSHIP

In 10 seasons as the cross country head coach, Sean Cleary has led WVU to unprecedented national success and has been named Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year three times.

Kate Harrison crossed the line at the 2011 NCAA Championships in an all-time program best eighth place and helped lead the team to an eighthplace finish as well.

During Cleary’s first season in 2007, the Mountaineers became the fourth program in school history to capture a Big East Championship title with Marie-Louise Asselin placing second overall. WVU would go on to finish ninth at the NCAA Championships - the first top 10 finish in program history.

In 2014, the Mountaineers recorded an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, where they earned two All-Americans (Jillian Forsey and Katie Gillespie), and an NCAA Elite 89 Award Winner (Kelly Williams). Gillespie joined Asselin and Bland in becoming a three-time All-American as she placed 26th overall at the National Championship. Cleary has produced all of the program’s 15 All-America titles and numerous all-conference runners.

The 2008 season saw WVU earn a school-best fourth place at the NCAA Championships and first at the Mid-Atlantic Regional. Asselin became the first Mountaineer runner to earn the individual title at the Big East Championship. Keri Bland and Asselin became the first three-time All-Americans in cross country in 2009, leading the team to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships after placing in 31st and 34th place, respectively.

Since then, Cleary has led three individuals – Millie Paladino (2015), Jillian Forsey (2016) and Maggie Drazba (2016) – to the NCAA Championships in the past two seasons. In all, WVU has appeared in nine NCAA Championships as a team, all of them with Cleary a part of the program in some capacity. The Mountaineers have finished in the NCAA top-10 five times since 2007.

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KATE HARRISON 2011

Americans ALL-

West Virginia has produced 15 All-America selections from eight individuals, including at least one All-American performer in five of the last seven seasons. Each year Sean Clearyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roster is filled with talent, looking for the next All-American at WVU.

Winning and working hard are important to the West Virginia University track and field team. But becoming successful and positive role models in the community is just as significant.

CHARITY WACHERA 1998

ch year, the Mountaineers work to give back to Morgantown and surrounding communities. The WVU track and field team has donated its time to helping the Jerry Lewis Telethon that is aimed toward helping kids with muscular dystrophy and related diseases. The Mountaineers do their part to help the cause by volunteering their time and answering telephones, which are constantly ringing with donors. The team also regularly donates its time and knowledge by hosting and teaching local youth track clubs the fundamentals of the sport. Along with strengthening the youngstersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; skills, they also teach the participants the importance of good sportsmanship, courage, determination and hard work.

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CLARA GRANDT 2009

JILLIAN FORSEY 2014

MEGAN METCALFE 2002, 2004

MARIE-LOUISE ASSELIN 2007, 2008, 2009

KERI BLAND

2007, 2008, 2009

KAITLYN GILLESPIE 2010, 2011, 2014

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Conference

BIG 12

The

Big 12 Conference is comprised of 10 institutions and many of them share traditional rivalries throughout their histories.

Member

universities include – Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia.

The

Big 12 is a strong conference that, like WVU, values quality academic and athletic programs, and has a great tradition of success.

the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships, the Big 12 had six institutions represented and has had four individual champions all-time.

Since

1996, the Big 12 has had a team finish in the top 10 every year at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

The

conference office is headquartered in Irving, Texas.

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Training

ATHLETIC

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The West Virginia athletic training program looks to get its student-athletes back on the field in a timely manner while providing quality health care for its student-athletes and coaches. The scope of the athletic training services encompass various domains including injury recognition, treatment, rehabilitation, prevention, education, and counseling that will enable the student-athlete to maintain an optimal quality of life beyond the span of athletic competition. Multiple athletic training rooms are available for student-athletes furnished with the latest in technology and equipment. The athletic training staff works in conjunction with the team physicians and athletic administration to assure the student-athletes receive quality care throughout their careers at WVU.

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Conditioning

STRENGTH AND

WVUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

Equipped with excellent amenities and staffed by some of the finest strength coaches in the nation, athletes who come to West Virginia University know they are in good hands when it comes to their athletic capacity.

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.

In cross country, special attention is paid to certain strengths and weaknesses that a distance runner has.

All student-athletes will also have their own program individually calculated and updated throughout the year.

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Cross country runners spend a great deal of time on specific dynamics like speed drills and strength and conditioning exercises so that when the team gets on the course, not only are they the fittest in the race, but also the strongest.

Service

COMMUNITY

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. The WVU cross country team has donated its time to helping the Jerry Lewis Telethon, an event aimed toward helping kids with muscular dystrophy and related diseases. The Mountaineers do their part to help the cause by answering telephones, which are constantly ringing with supportive donors. The Mountaineers are also frequent visitors to the WVU Children’s Hospital and help several different local community service projects. The team regularly donates its time and knowledge by hosting and teaching local youth track clubs the fundamentals of the sport. Along with strengthening the youngsters’ skills, the Mountaineers 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 local elementary schools in the “Read Aloud” program. During their visits, the student-athletes read to students in several classrooms and encourage them to apply themselves to their studies. Mountaineer coaches and players also take part in Relay for Life of Monongalia County, the American Cancer Society’s staple event, which offers everyone in the community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer.

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Development

STUDENT-ATHLETE

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 supporting arena and the personal-social challenges they face as developing adults. While many of the headlines center around the Mountaineers’ accomplishments on the playing field, West Virginia student-athletes have also made some noteworthy strides in the classroom. Some of those strides include 12 consecutive years where the department has had at least one first team Academic All-American. To help its student-athletes achieve academic success, one of the nation’s finest facilities resides in the WVU Coliseum – The Athletic Academic Performance Center. The 8,000-square foot facility provides individual and group study areas, a plethora of computer stations and the latest in fingerprint technology used when signing in. A total of 510 student-athletes were represented in 2016-17 on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (fall and spring), of which 108 of them registered a 4.0 GPA. Additionally, six student-athletes were named recipients of the fifth annual Dr. Gerald Large Academic Achievement Award, the Big 12 Conference’s highest academic honor. Over 500 student-athletes were honored on WVU’s Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll. Implemented in 1989, the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll was created to recognize students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or better. Since the program began in 1989, nearly 4,000 student-athletes have earned a place on the honor roll. Ford retired in 2011 after 44 years of service with the WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

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2016-17 SEASON

Two CoSIDA Academic-All American Second Team (Amy Cashin, Jillian Forsey)

Two CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team (Cashin, Forsey)

Three USTFCCCA All-Academic (Cashin, Maggie Drazba, Forsey)

Cumulative 3.49 team GPA

Nine Academic All-Big 12 First Team (Cashin, Allie Diehl, Drazba, Forsey, Brynn Harshbarger, Olivia Hill, Brianna Kerekes, Rebecca Wendt, Megan Yuan)

Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Forsey)

Order of Augusta Award winner (Cashin)

WVU Most Outstanding Senior honor (Drazba)

Eight

4.0 GPAs

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CAMPUS LOCATIONS West Virginia University is a family of distinctive campuses united by a single mission. From the groundbreaking research of our flagship in Morgantown (ranked R1, the highest research category institution) to student-centered focus of WVU-Keyser to the technology-intensive programs at WVU-Beckley — we are leveraging our talents and resources to create a better future for West Virginia and the world. The WVU-Beckley campus offers 40+ majors, including one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the country, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. WVU-Keyser has one of the lowest tuition rates of all of the nation’s four-year institutions. Offering more than 50 majors, this campus combines the personal attention of a small college with the benefits of a major university. The WVU System also includes divisions of the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center in Charleston and Martinsburg, as well as 10 experimental farms and four forests throughout the state and WVU Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp. The WVU Morgantown campus is located in a town named “No. 1 Small City in America” by BizJournals.com for its exceptional quality of life. Morgantown, population 31,073, was also rated the ninth best college town in America by Business Insider and is within easy traveling distance of Washington, D.C., to the east, Pittsburgh, Pa., to the north, and Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, to the northwest. Other recent rankings: Kiplinger.com included Morgantown in their 10 great places to live list; one of “Best Sports Cities” by Sporting News; 5th “Best Small Metro” by Forbes; 12th overall “Hottest Small City” by Inc.; one of “50 Smartest Places to Live” by Kiplinger’s; and the second-ranking “Best College Town for Jobs” by Forbes. STUDENT PROFILE Fall 2016 enrollment, on WVU campuses statewide, was 31,287, including 28,488 in Morgantown. WVU System enrollment included: • 15,907 West Virginia residents and 15,380 nonresidents • 25,149 undergraduates • 4,510 graduate and 1,628 professional students ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE WVU ranks nationally for prestigious scholarships: 25 Rhodes Scholars, 22 Truman Scholars, 44 Goldwater Scholars, two British Marshall Scholars, five Morris K. Udall Scholars, five USA Today All-USA College Academic First Team Members (and 11 academic team honorees), 22 Boren Scholars, 37 Gilman Scholars, 49 Fulbright Scholars, three Department of Homeland Security Scholars, 28 Critical Language Scholars, one Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholar, five National Institute of Standards and Technology Fellowships and four National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. MAJOR ACADEMIC DIVISIONS Fourteen colleges and schools offering 341 majors in agriculture, natural resources and design; arts and sciences; business and economics; creative arts; dentistry; education and human services; engineering and mineral resources; law; media; medicine; nursing; pharmacy; physical activity and sport sciences; and public health. Hundreds of distance education and online classes are available. wvu.edu/academics STUDENT LIVING EXPERIENCE WVU students benefit from a vibrant array of student life programs, including Project 168, an undergraduate curriculum that helps students to enrich every moment on campus; Welcome Week, which launches the academic year with academic, service and recreational activities; WVUp All Night, a weekend package of safe, fun and healthy activities; the Campus Read, which involves first-year students in a common reading experience to promote dialog and critical thinking; an award-winning Student Recreation Center; and the Mountaineer Parents Club, helping families stay connected with their students’ education and life at WVU. Living and Learning Communities are student communities in certain residence halls formed around a theme or specific field of study. Students can live with others who share their academic and social interests. studentlife.wvu.edu SAFETY WVU offers 24-hour campus security protection. Students can download LiveSafe, a free app that is an on-thego way to connect with authorities. The University also sends urgent news through WVU Alert text messages. alert.wvu.edu STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS Students can choose from more than 460 student organizations and participate in an active intramural program and many club sports. studentengagement.wvu.edu ALUMNI Chartered in 1873, the WVU Alumni Association is made up of more than 200,000 graduates worldwide in some 135 nations. alumni.wvu.edu ADMISSIONS Information is available from the Office of Admissions, PO Box 6090, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6090; or call 304-293-2121; email:wvuadmissions@mail.wvu.edu or on the web at admissions.wvu.edu.

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CoachingStaff

MOUNTAINEER

Sean Cleary �� 18 Erin O’Reilly �� 22 Support Staff �� 22

CROSS COUNTRY COACH

11TH SEASON / 25TH WITH PROGRAM

SEAN C leary

Sean Cleary, one of the sport’s most talented coaches, enters his 11th season at the helm of the West Virginia University cross country and track and field teams, and he has been associated with both programs for two-and-a-half decades. With his expertise in mentoring, training, conditioning and recruiting distance runners, the Georgetown, Ontario, native has built West Virginia’s cross country program into a national powerhouse, producing 15 All-America honors and numerous all-conference runners. The 2016 cross country season featured multiple runners reach the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Redshirt juniors Jillian Forsey and Maggie Drazba raced in the Terre Haute, Indiana event marking the first time since 2010 that multiple individuals qualified for the National Championship in the same season. Drazba placed 58th out of 250 runners, while Forsey finished 97th. At the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals in State College, Pennsylvania, Forsey earned the silver medal (20:09), earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Championships. Drazba finished 11th, while redshirt junior Amy Cashin placed 22nd. All three were named All-Mid-Atlantic Regional performers. West Virginia also secured a third-place finish at the Big 12 Cross Country Championship in 2016. Forsey led the way for the Mountaineers, crossing the finish line in second place and earning All-Big 12 honors. In the classroom, the cross country team was named an All-Academic Team (USTFCCCA) in 2016 and saw three individuals earn national All-Academic status. Forsey was named the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the third such award in the last five years for a member of the Mountaineer cross country team. The 2015 season also saw many accomplishments

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academically and athletically. Cleary led the Mountaineers to a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championship, attained two All-Mid-Atlantic Region honorees, coached an individual qualifier to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, had one Academic All-American First Team runner, two Academic All-District Team honorees, and 12 who were named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team. At the Big 12 Cross Country Championship, three sophomores posted top-22 finishes on the 6k course in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Drazba crossed the finish line first for the Mountaineers and 19th overall (21:32.5), sophomore Millie Paladino placed 21st (21:34.30) and sophomore Brynn Harshbarger came in 22nd (21:40.40). At the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional meet in Princeton, New Jersey, West Virginia finished in fifth place overall. The regional meet was highlighted by Paladino and senior Savanna Plombon’s All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors for posting top-25 finishes. Paladino led the Mountaineers while crossing the finish line in 11th place with a time of 21:16.20, and Plombon crossed the finish line in 23rd overall (21:25.20). Paladino was the lone Mountaineer to qualify for the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, the second straight championship showing for Paladino at the time. She placed 77th overall with a career-best time of 20:41.60 on the 6k course at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park. On the academic side, senior Kelly Williams was named to the 2016 Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-America First Team (selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)) for the second consecutive year while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Additionally, junior Amy Cashin and Williams were named to Academic All-District First Team. With the guidance of Cleary, the 2014 season demonstrated true athleticism and dedication from young athletes. In the fall, he led the Mountaineers to a secondplace finish at the Big 12 Championship for the second

straight year. Forsey finished 12th, earning Big 12 AllConference honors, along with Kaitlyn Gillespie and Drazba. The Mountaineers appeared in their ninth NCAA Championships and sixth under Cleary. In the 2014 season, he oversaw a top-8 finish, two All-Americans and an Elite 89 Award winner. The team earned its fifth NCAA top-10 finish since 2007. Gillespie was honored as an All-American in her final race as a Mountaineer, finishing 26th, along with Forsey, who finished 14th overall. Williams earned the Elite 89 Award for having the highest cumulative grade point average out of all participants at the NCAA Championships. Cleary was named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) President for Division I Cross Country prior to the start of the 2013 cross country season. He guided the Mountaineers to their sixth NCAA appearance in seven seasons under his direction as well. West Virginia posted a second-place result at the Big 12 Championship, while senior Sarah Martinelli went on to claim All-Big 12 and All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors. West Virginia entered into a more highly-competitive conference as it competed in the Big 12 for the first time in 2012. Cleary used the season to build on to his framework of confidence and winning at a higher level. Sarah-Anne Brault returned from training for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London for her final season as a Mountaineer by running in her fourth consecutive NCAA Championships. On the way, Brault garnered all-conference honors for the second time in her career, all-region honors for the third time and finished her career by becoming the 13th runner in program history to qualify individually for the NCAA Championships. The Mountaineers finished No. 8 in the country in 2011 at the NCAA Championships – their fourth top-10 national finish in five years. The team finished in fourth place at the Big East Championship and followed it with a thirdplace mark at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. Cleary then led his team to its eighth-place finish at nationals where Kate Harrison and Gillespie became All-Americans, with Harrison finishing in eighth place, an all-time WVU best individual finish for the event. In 2010, Cleary sent Gillespie and Brault to the NCAA Championships, where Gillespie became Cleary’s sixth All-American with a 34th-place finish in 20:46. Brault arrived in 71st place. During indoor track season, three athletes were named All-Americans and all seven athletes who qualified for the outdoor NCAA Championships achieved All-America status. For the achievements, Cleary was named the NCAA’s Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year for track and field. The 2009-10 season was equally successful as the team achieved sixth place at the NCAA Championships, its third straight top-10 finish. Clara Grandt, Keri Bland and Marie-Louise Asselin each earned All-America status for their successful campaigns. Asselin and Bland achieved the honor for the third time in their WVU careers, while Grandt earned her first. Ranked in the top 10 all year, the team received its highest-ever ranking as a program at No. 3 midway through the season. Between indoor and outdoor track that year, 11 All-America honors were distributed, while Bland, Grandt and Asselin became the first Mountaineers to achieve the status in three sports in the same year. Overall, 17 All-American honors were given to WVU athletes

SEAN CLEARY ■■ 11th season as head coach and 25th overall ■■ Coached a total of 19 athletes who competed

at the World Track and Field, World Cross Country, World University Games and Pan American Championships ■■ Coached six All-Big 12 athletes ■■ Coached three cross country runners to three career All-America honors – Marie-Louise Asselin, Keri Bland and Katie Gillespie ■■ Three Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award winners – Sarah Martinelli, Kaitlyn Gillespie and Jillian Forsey ■■ Six NCAA Cross Country Championships appearances in the last 10 seasons ■■ Coached individuals to NCAA Championships in 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016 ■■ Five NCAA top-10 finishes since 2007 ■■ Three-time Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year ■■ Three straight top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships from 2007-09 ■■ Five Top-10 NCAA finishes from 2007-2014 ■■ Has won both Atlantic 10 and Big East team championships ■■ 2007 Big East Coach of the Year ■■ Served role in some capacity at WVU since 1991 (student-athlete, graduate assistant, assistant coach, head coach) ■■ Named USTFCCCA President of Division I cross country in 2013 ■■ Holds USATF Level I Certification COACHING EXPERIENCE ■■ West Virginia University, 1993-Present ■■ Head coach, 2007-Present RUNNING EXPERIENCE ■■ West Virginia University, 1991-92 ■■ Captain of 1991 Atlantic 10 title team ■■ Earned all-conference honors in 1992 EDUCATION ■■ West Virginia University ■■ Bachelor’s degree (physical education) – 1992 PERSONAL ■■ Wife, Heather ■■ Son, Patrick ■■ Resides in Morgantown

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between cross country, indoor and outdoor track in what became one of the most successful seasons in school history. At the completion of the 2009-10 cross country and track seasons, WVU was recognized as the fifth-best team on the Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award list, announced by the 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 over three seasons. In 2008, the team had its best-ever finish at the NCAA Championships, arriving in fourth after being ranked No. 5 most of the year. WVU won its second NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region championship and Cleary was named Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year. Asselin became the first runner in school history to win an individual Big East title, helping the team finish in second. In Cleary’s first season as head coach in 2007, he was named Big East Coach of the Year after the program’s first-ever conference championship. Three runners were named All-Big East as the team entered the top 25 for the first time in three years. For the fourth year in a row, the Mountaineers were named an All-Academic Team by the USTFCCCA in 2007. The group was ranked 17th in the nation in terms of overall grade point average (GPA) and had the second-highest GPA in the Big East with a 3.61 average. 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. His primary duties included recruiting and coaching the middle distance and long-distance runners.

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WVU’s distance medley relay team qualified for nationals for seven consecutive years from 1998 to 2004, the secondlongest streak in the nation at the time, under Cleary’s watch. Cleary has coached 17 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 Megan Metcalfe. Under his guidance, Cleary’s coaching has produced several men’s All-America runners, including four-time All-American Bob Donker, NCAA cross country AllAmericans 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 to Morgantown. He 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, helping the 1991 squad capture the Atlantic 10 cross country title. Cleary earned all-conference honors in 1992. Prior to WVU, Cleary attended Central Oregon Community College, where he helped lead the team to the National Junior College Athletic Association title. He received a bachelor’s degree in physical education from West Virginia in 1992. Cleary resides in Morgantown with his wife, Heather. They have one son, Patrick Nolan Cleary, who was born on April 30, 2014.

MAJOR CROSS COUNTRY ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNDER CLEARY ■■ Two 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships qualifiers – Jillian Forsey and Maggie Drazba ■■ Three All-Mid-Atlantic Regional performers in 2016 – Jillian Forsey, Maggie Drazba, Amy Cashin ■■ 2016 Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Jillian Forsey ■■ 2016 All-Academic Team (USTFCCCA) ■■ Three All-Academic Individuals – Jillian Forsey, Maggie Drazba, Amy Cashin ■■ Two Mountaineer graduates competed at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics – Sarah-Anne Brault (Triathlon), Jessica O’Connell (5,000m) ■■ Clara (Grandt) Santucci raced at the 2016 Olympic Trials ■■ 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championship individual qualifier – Millie Paladino ■■ One Academic All-America First Team (CoSIDA) in 2015 – Kelly Williams ■■ Two all-region honors in 2015 – Millie Paladino and Savanna Plombon ■■ 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championship eighth-place finish ■■ 2014 Big 12 Championship and Mid-Atlantic Regional second-place finish ■■ Coached 2014 NCAA Elite 89 Award winner Kelly Williams

■■ 2014 Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Kaitlyn Gillespie ■■ Two 2014 All-American honors – Jillian Forsey and Kaitlyn Gillespie ■■ Jillian Forsey qualified for the World Cross Country team in 2014 ■■ 2013 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional fourth-place finish ■■ Three all-region and one allconference runner in 2013 ■■ 2013 Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Sarah Martinelli ■■ 2012 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region fifth-place finish ■■ 2011 NCAA Cross Country Championship eighth-place finish ■■ 2011 Two All-Americans - Kate Harrison, Kaitlyn Gillespie ■■ Coached 2011 NCAA Elite 89 Award winner Ahna Lewis ■■ Five all-region and three allconference runners in 2011 ■■ 2010 All-American Kaitlyn Gillespie ■■ No. 5 on the 2010 Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award list ■■ NCAA Cross Country Championship sixth-place finish in 2009 ■■ Highest weekly national ranking – No. 3 on Oct. 6, 2009

■■ Three 2009 All-Big East runners – Marie-Louise Asselin, Keri Bland, Clara Grandt ■■ 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championship fourth-place finish ■■ Coached 2008 Big East Individual Champion Marie-Louise Asselin ■■ 2007 NCAA Cross Country Championship ninth-place finish ■■ 15 All-America sections from eight individuals ■■ At least one All-American selection in five of the last eight seasons ■■ 37 NCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors from 17 runners ■■ At least one All-Mid-Atlantic Region honor every year since taking over program in 2007 ■■ 13 All-Big East honors from six runners ■■ Multiple 1,000 NCAA APR team scores ■■ 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

■■ Five All-Mid-Atlantic Region runners in 2009 ■■ Three 2009 All-Americans – Marie-Louise Asselin, Keri Bland, Clara Grandt

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ASSISTANT COACH

ERIN O ’Reilly FIFTH SEASON

Erin O’Reilly is in her fifth season as an assistant cross country coach at West Virginia University after re-joining the staff in August 2013. Her familiarity with WVU has been beneficial to the team and its student-athletes as the program continues to excel. O’Reilly has been a part of four individual NCAA appearances with the Mountaineers, along with the team’s eighth-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships. She also works primarily with the long-distance sprinters and middle-distance runners for the track and field team. O’Reilly was a huge contributor to WVU’s success during the 2016 cross country and track and field season both athletically and academically. In cross country, West Virginia qualified two runners to compete at the NCAA Championships, earned a silver medal at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals – thanks to redshirt junior Jillian Forsey – added three all-region honors and placed third at the Big 12 Cross Country Championship, led by Forsey who posted a runner-up finish to earn All-Big 12 honors. The 2016-17 track and field season had eight Mountaineers qualify to compete at the NCAA East Region Preliminary Rounds, eight earn All-Big 12 honors at the outdoor championship and seven indoor honorees. Eleven Mountaineers earn Academic All-Big 12 honors as well. Senior Kelly Williams was named to the 2016 Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-America First Team selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), for the second consecutive year while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Additionally, junior Amy Cashin and Williams were named to Academic All-District First Team. West Virginia’s accomplishments in the classroom also led to three individual student-athletes being recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for their academic success during the 2016-17 season. Redshirt juniors Amy Cashin, Maggie Drazba and Jillian Forsey were named to the USTFCCCA Women’s All-Academic Individuals Team. Additionally, the WVU squad was named an All-Academic Team for maintaining a cumulative 3.49 GPA. Forsey earned Big 12 Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the third award for the Mountaineer cross country team in the past five years. Additionally, nine Mountaineers were named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, while Cashin was highlighted for her 4.0 GPA. During the 2015 cross country season, O’Reilly helped the Mountaineers to a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championship, guided two All-Mid-Atlantic Region honorees, assisted an individual qualifier to the NCAA Cross Country

Support Staff

Championships and helped two earn Academic All-District Team. Twelve were named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team. The NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional meet was highlighted by sophomore Millie Paladino and senior Savanna Plombon’s performances that led to All-MidAtlantic Region honors for posting top-25 finishes. Paladino led the Mountaineers by crossing the finish line in 11th place with a time of 21:16.20, while Plombon placed 23rd overall (21:25.20). Paladino also was the lone Mountaineer who qualified to compete at the 2015 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky, the second-straight championships for Paladino. She placed 77th overall with a career-best time of 20:41.60 on the 6k course at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park. In the 2014-15 track and field season, she helped guide seven Mountaineers to qualify for the NCAA East Region Preliminary Championships, as each were ranked in the top 48 in their respective events. At the 2015 Big 12 Outdoor Championship, O’Reilly coached four Mountaineer freshmen to top-five finishes, all of them earning spots on the podium. She also helped guide Kaitlyn Gillespie to All-America honors after finishing ninth in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Championships. In 2014, she led three Mountaineers to All-Mid-Atlantic Region distinctions, three All-Big 12 recognitions and two All-America honors. In her first season in 2013, O’Reilly oversaw three individual qualifiers to the NCAA Championships and five qualifiers to the NCAA East Regional. O’Reilly was a member of the Mountaineer team in the early 1990s and graduated from WVU in 1993 with a degree in physical education. She was an integral part in the coaching of former Mountaineer Ailene Smith to AllAmerica status in 2000-01. Smith became a two-time All-American as a member of the distance medley relay team and in the 4x800 relay. As a runner, she garnered many accolades while also serving as a team captain for cross country and track. O’Reilly finished third at the Atlantic 10 Championship as a junior and was named to the A-10 All-Conference Team. She was the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) champion and a NCAA provisional qualifier in the 1,000 meters in track during her senior year. O’Reilly held seven school records in cross country and track by the end of her career. The Canton, Ohio, native also served as a member of coach Cleary’s staff from 1994-2002. During that time, the Mountaineers registered 22 AllAmerican honors and 13 Mid-Atlantic Region distinctions in cross country and track combined. In 2003, O’Reilly joined the Boston College coaching staff as an assistant and held the position for 10 seasons. While on staff, she helped guide the Golden Eagles to multiple ECAC titles and numerous appearances at the NCAA Championships. O’Reilly earned her master’s degree in athletic coaching education from WVU in 2004.

AmyHILE

JoeMITCHIN

SandyCOLE-DEMENT

BubbaSCHMIDT

A.J.MONSEAU

CindySMITH

NettiePUGLISI FRESHOUR

ConnorMcNAMARA

TyBIGELOW

Athletic Trainer

Graduate Assistant Athletic Communications

Assistant Director, StudentAthlete Academic Services

Equipment Manager

Medical Doctor

Administrative Assistant

Directory of Sports Nutrition

Assistant Equipment Manager

Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer

CROSS COUN T RY

Profiles

MOUNTAINEER

Roster �� 24 Profiles �� 26

2017 Name

Roster Ht.

Class

Hometown/High School

Marianne Abdalah

5-4

Fr.

Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy

Antigone Archer

5-4

r-Fr.

Southlake, Texas/Southlake Carroll

Amy Cashin

5-5

r-Sr.

Werribee, Australia/Werribee Secondary College

Abby Colbert

5-5

r-Fr.

Sheperdstown, W.Va./Jefferson

Allie Diehl

5-4

r-Sr.

Chardon, Ohio/Chardon

Maggie Drazba

5-1

r-Sr.

St. Marys, W.Va./St. Marys

Jillian Forsey

5-4

r-Sr.

Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador/Stephenville

Brynn Harshbarger

5-2

r-Sr.

Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown

Olivia Hill

5-5

r-So.

Scott Depot, W.Va./Teays Valley Christian

Hayley Jackson

6-0

Fr.

Lusby, Md./Patuxent

Candace Jones

5-5

r-So.

Bristow, Va./Patriot

Andrea Pettit

5-4

r-So.

Morgantown, W.Va./Morgantown

Bree Warren

5-7

Fr.

Belgrave, Australia/Monash University

Rebecca Wendt

5-10

r-Sr.

Whitby, Ontario/Henry Street

Sarah Wills

5-7

r-Fr.

Morgantown, W.Va./University

By State/Province Australia 2 Maryland 1 Newfoundland and Labrador 1 Ohio 1 Ontario 1 Pennsylvania 1 Texas 1 Virginia 1 West Virginia 6 By Class Freshmen 6 Sophomores 3 Juniors 0 Seniors 6 Pronunciation Guide Last Names Abdalah Ab-doll-ah Drazba drawz-buh Forsey FOR-see Hashbarger HARSH-BAR-GUR Pettit Pett-it Wendt Went

CROSS COUN T RY

Marianne

Antigone

Amy

5-4, Freshman Pittsburgh, Pa.

5-4, r-Freshman Southlake, Texas

5-5, r-Senior Werribee, Australia

ABDALAH

ARCHER

CASHIN

Abby

Allie

Maggie

5-5, r-Freshman Shepherdstown, W.Va.

5-4, r-Senior Chardon, Ohio

5-1, r-Senior St. Marys, W.Va.

COLBERT

DIEHL

DRAZBA

Jillian

Brynn

Olivia

5-4, r-Senior Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador

5-2, r-Senior Morgantown, W.Va.

5-5, r-Sophomore Scott Depot, W.Va.

FORSEY

HARSHBARGER

HILL

Hayley

Candace

Andrea

6-0, Freshman Lusby, Md.

5-5, r-Sophomore Bristow, Va.

5-4, r-Sophomore Morgantown, W.Va.

JACKSON

JONES

PETTIT

Bree

Rebecca

Sarah

5-7, Freshman Belgrave, Australia

5-10, r-Senior Whitby, Ontario

5-7, r-Freshman Morgantown, W.Va.

WARREN

WENDT

WVUCrossCountry

WILLS

@WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCross Country

Returners JILLIAN r.SENIOR | 5-4

STEPHENVILLE, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR 2017 (r-Sr.) 2016 (r-Jr) ■■ Named Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team ■■ Named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team ■■ Earned Big 12 Runner of the Week on Sept. 13 ■■ Competed at the NCAA Championships, placing 97th overall with a 6k time of 20:49.8 ■■ Runner-up finish at the NCAA MidAtlantic Regionals with a season-best 6k time of 20:09, earning all-region and individually qualifying for the NCAA Finals ■■ All-Big 12 honors for placing second at the Big 12 Championship with a 6k time of 20:32 ■■ Won the 6k race at the Texas Tech Open with a time of 21:05.50 ■■ Crossed the finish line in fourth place at the Paul Short Invitational with a 6k time of 20:14 ■■ Finished 11th at the Penn State Nationals with a 6k time of 20:31 ■■ Named WVU student-athlete of the week on Sept. 12 and Nov. 14 2015 (Jr.) ■■ Did not compete

CROSS COUN T RY

Forsey 2014 (So.)

■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team,

while maintaining a 4.0 GPA

■■ USTFCCCA All-American ■■ Capital One Academic All-

America Third Team

■■ Competed at the 2014 IAAF World

Junior Track & Field Championship, earning a top-10 finish ■■ Varsity Sports Report Athlete of the Week (11/17) ■■ First WVU runner to cross the line at four competitions ■■ Placed 14th (20:17.9) overall in the 6k at the NCAA Championships, where she earned All-America status ■■ Finished second overall, with a time of 20:18 (6k) at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, earning AllMid-Atlantic region honors ■■ Placed 12th (6k) at the Big 12 Championship in 20:54.9, earning All-Big 12 recognition ■■ Finished 11th overall (6k) at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational, helping WVU knock off 17 ranked teams ■■ Crossed the line in fifth overall with a 5k time of 16:58.69 at the Greater Louisville Classic ■■ 2013 (Fr.) ■■ Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team ■■ Named to the All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team following a 25th-place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional

■■ Ran a personal-best time of 20:53

at the regional meet, while being the third Mountaineer to cross the line ■■ Finished in 25th place (21:34), as her first appearance of her career at the Big 12 Championship ■■ Competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, coming in 145th, with a time of 21:37.5 ■■ Claimed a Silver medal while representing the Canadian National Team at the 2014 North American, Central and Caribbean (NACAC) Cross Country Championship in Trinidad and Tobago Prep ■■ Ran at Stephenville High for coach Ray Will ■■ Newfoundland Provincial Champion in the 800-meter run, 1,500-meter run and 3,000-meter run for six straight years ■■ Member of Team Canada for the World Junior Cross Country Championship, where she placed 49th with a 6k time 20:40 ■■ Placed eighth at the 2013 4k NACAC Cross Country Championship ■■ Finished first at the 2012 Canadian Cross Country Championship with a 5k time of 17:21 ■■ Won the Athletics Ontario Cross Country Championship with a 5k time of 17:45 ■■ Finished second at the Maine Cross Country Festival of Champions ■■ Named the 2012 Newfoundland and Labrador Female Athlete of the Year ■■ Won the 800-meter run and 1,500-meter run at the 2012 Nike High School Grand Prix ■■ Ran for Team Canada and finished 13th at the NACAC Cross Country Championship ■■ Won the gold medal in the 3,000-meter event at the 2012 Athletics Ontario Championship ■■ Finished 14th at the 2011 Canadian Cross Country Championship ■■ Placed fifth in the 3,000-meter run and seventh in the 1,500-meter run at the 2011 Canadian Youth National Championship ■■ Finished seventh in the 3,000-meter run at the 2011 Canadian Junior Championship ■■ Bronze medalist in the 1,200-meter run and fourth in the 2,000-meter run at the 2010 Canadian Youth National Championship ■■ Also a competitive cross country skier and was a member of the 2012 National Talent Squad that won a Bronze medal in the 5k freestyle at the 2011 Canadian National Championship Personal ■■ Daughter of Bill Forsey and Rosemary Ryan ■■ Has one brother ■■ Birthday is June 9 ■■ Majoring in exercise physiology ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ■■ Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll

AMY

r-SENIOR | 5-5 WERRIBEE, AUSTRALIA

2017 (r-Sr.) 2016 (r-Jr.) ■■ Earned the 2017 Order of Augusta Award, WVU’s post prestigious senior honor ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA ■■ Named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team ■■ Competed at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, placing 22nd overall to earn all-region honors with a 6k time of 21:12 ■■ Finished 20th at the Big 12 Championships with a 6k time of 21:25 ■■ Took 23rd at the Penn State Nationals, crossing the finish line on the 6k course in 20:56 ■■ Ran a season-best time of 20:32 at the Paul Short Invitational to place 18th overall on the 6k course ■■ Was the first Mountaineer finisher and 14th overall at the Spiked Shoe Invite with a 6k time of 21:45 2015 (r-So.) ■■ Named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team ■■ Earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA

Cashin ■■ Crossed the finish line in 27th with a time

of (6k) 21:45.7 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional ■■ Finished 26th on the 6k course with a time of 21:47.6 at the Big 12 Championship ■■ Ran a 6k time of 21:15.3 to place fourth out of the Mountaineer finishers and 126th overall at the Wisconsin Invitational ■■ Had a top-5 finish at the Greater Louisville Classic, placing fifth overall in (5k) 17:57.21 2014 (So.) ■■ Did not compete 2013 (Fr.) ■■ Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team ■■ Sixth Mountaineer to cross the line (6k), placing in 40th overall, with a time of 21:51.3 in her first appearance of the season at the Big 12 Championship ■■ Came in 63rd, with a time of 21:35 (6k) at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional ■■ Fourth Mountaineer to cross the line, with a 6k time of 22:03.8 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships Prep ■■ Captain at Werribee Secondary College for coach Peter Burke

WVUCrossCountry

■■ Member of Team Australia for the World

Junior Cross Country Championship, where she placed 50th with a 6k time of 20:48 ■■ 2013 Victoria State U-20 champion in the 1,500-meter run ■■ Silver medalist at the 6k U-20 Australia Cross Country Championship ■■ Part of Team Victoria for cross country and track & field from 2007-13 ■■ 2012 U-20 Cross Country Champion in Victoria ■■ Bronze medalist at the 2010 4k U-18 Australia Cross Country Championship ■■ Silver medalist at the 2009 4k U-16 Australia Cross Country Championship ■■ Champion in the U-16 3,000-meter run at the 2009 Australia Track & Field Championship Personal ■■ Daughter of Peter and Brenda Cashin ■■ Has one brother and one sister ■■ Birthday is July 28 ■■ Majoring in sport and exercise psychology ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ■■ Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll ■■ President’s List ■■ Dean’s List

@WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCross Country

ALLIE

r-SENIOR | 5-4 CHARDON, OHIO

2017 (r-Sr.) 2016 (r-Jr.) ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team ■■ Crossed the finish line in 80th at the Big 12 Championship with a 6k time of 21:47 ■■ Was the fourth Mountaineer finisher and 36th (23:17) overall on the 6k course at the Spiked Shoe Invite ■■ Finished 177th at the Penn State Nationals with a 6k time of 22:54 ■■ Came in 311th at the Paul Short Invitational with a 6k time of 22:51 2015 (r-So.) ■■ Named to the Academic AllBig 12 First Team ■■ Finished 73rd overall with a 5k time of 19:06.13 at the Greater Louisville Classic ■■ Crossed the finish line (6k) in 21st place with a time of 23:34 at the PSU Spiked Shoe Invite ■■ Finished second for the Mountaineers and 11th place overall for a then-career-best time (23:07) at the Penn State Open (6k)

CROSS COUN T RY

Diehl 2014 (r-Fr.) ■■ Competed at four meets ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA ■■ Finished 21st overall at the Lehigh Invitational to open the season, with a 6k time of 23:31.76 ■■ Placed 52nd overall in the 6k event (23:39) at the PSU Spiked Shoe ■■ Third WVU runner to cross the line (6k) at PSU Nationals and 26th competitor to finish overall in 24:08 ■■ Placed 114th in the B Division 5k race at the Greater Louisville Classic 2013 (Fr.) ■■ Redshirted Prep ■■ Ran for coach Mike Combs at Chardon High ■■ Named valedictorian of senior class ■■ Four-year varsity letterwinner in cross country and track ■■ First-team All-PAC Conference ■■ Four-time regional qualifier

■■ Recipient of the Chardon High

School Scholar-Athlete Award

■■ OHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award

Personal ■■ Daughter of Robert and Rachel Diehl ■■ Has two brothers and a sister ■■ Cousin ran track at Arkansas ■■ Birthday is September 29 ■■ Majoring in industrial engineering ■■ Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ■■ Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll

MAGGIE

Drazba

r-SENIOR | 5-1 SAINT MARYS, W.VA.

2017 (r-Sr.) 2016 (r-Jr.) ■■ Named WVU’s Foundations Outstanding Senior ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team ■■ Named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team ■■ Qualified to compete at the NCAA Championships where she crossed the finish line in 58th place with a 6k time of 20:34.8 ■■ Earned all-region for placing 11th overall at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals with a 6k time of 20:47 ■■ Second Mountaineer to cross the finish line and 17th overall at the Big 12 Championship with a 6k time of 21:16 ■■ Came in second place at the Texas Tech Open with a 6k time of 21:27.90 ■■ Led WVU at the Penn State Nationals, placing 10th overall with a 6k time of 20:38 ■■ Crossed the finish line in a season-best time of 20:27 at the Paul Short Invitational to place 15th on the 6k course 2015 (r-So.) ■■ Earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors for maintaining a 3.20 GPA or higher ■■ Crossed the finish line in 37th place with a time of 22:00.4 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional ■■ Was the first Mountaineer to cross the finish line and 19th overall with a time of 21:32.5 at the Big 12 Championship

■■ Finished second for the Mountaineers,

placing 115th overall with a season-best time of 21:08.5 at the Wisconsin Invitational ■■ Top-5 finisher in the women’s 5k blue race, placing second overall for a season best time of 17:36.79 at the Greater Louisville Classic

2014 (r-Fr.) ■■ NCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region ■■ USTFCCCA All-Academic honors ■■ All-Big 12 Conference honors ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA ■■ Third WVU runner to cross the line at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing the 6k course in 91st overall (21:09.2) ■■ Placed 13th overall at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in 20:58 ■■ Finished eighth overall (20:40.1) in the 6k course at the 2014 Big 12 Championship ■■ Placed 15th overall and third among WVU competitors at the Greater Louisville Classic, completing the 5k course in 17:20.56 ■■ Raced to a 127th-place finish (6k) at the Wisconsin Adidas Invite in 21:31 2013 (Fr.) ■■ Redshirted

WVUCrossCountry

Prep ■■ Four-year letterwinner at St. Marys High ■■ 2011 and 2012 Gatorade West Virginia Girls Cross Country Athlete of the Year ■■ 2013 Gatorade West Virginia Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year ■■ 2009, 2011 and 2012 West Virginia AAA State Cross Country Champion ■■ Placed third at the Foot Locker Southwest Regional with a time of 17:10 to qualify for the 2012 Foot Locker Cross Country Championship, where she placed 22nd overall ■■ Second place at the 2012 USATF Cross Country Junior Championship ■■ Helped lead Team USA to the championship at the 2012 NACAC, where she placed fourth individually ■■ Holds the West Virginia State Meet record for cross country with a time of 17:17 ■■ Took top honors at the 2012 Great American Cross Country Festival ■■ Part of a St. Marys squad that won the 2009 AA-A West Virginia Cross Country Championship ■■ Undefeated in Little Kanawha Cross Country Conference Championship competition all four years ■■ West Virginia outdoor track and field record holder in the mile (4:53), 1,600-meter run (4:51), 3,000-meter run (9:37), 3,200-meter run (10:27) and two-mile run (10:37) ■■ West Virginia indoor track and field record holder in the 3,200 (10:41), two-mile run (10:29) and the 5,000-meter run (17:40) ■■ Finished second at the 2013 Penn Relays in the 3,000-meter run ■■ Four-time West Virginia track and field state champion in class A in the 800-meter run (2010-13) and the 1,600-meter run (2010-13) ■■ Three-time West Virginia track and field state champion in class A in the 3,200-meter run (2011-13) ■■ Part of the 4x800-meter relay team that captured the state title in 2012 ■■ Holds the West Virginia Class A state meet record in the 800-meter run (2:18), 3,200-meter run (10:31) and the 4x800-meter relay (9:48) Personal ■■ Daughter of Charles and Kathleen Drazba ■■ Has two brothers ■■ Birthday is May 18 ■■ Majoring in human nutrition and foods ■■ Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ■■ Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll ■■ President’s List ■■ Dean’s List ■■ President’s List

@WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCross Country

BRYNN

r-SENIOR | 5-2 MORGANTOWN, W.VA.

2017 (r-Sr.) 2016 (r-Jr.) ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team ■■ Placed 48th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals with a 6k time of 21:53 ■■ Finished in 45th at the Big 12 Championship, crossing the finish line in (6k) 22:16 ■■ Fourth-place finish at the Texas Tech Open with a 6k time of 22:38.80 ■■ Came in 53rd at the Penn State Nationals with a season-best 6k time of 21:28 ■■ Crossed the finish line in 118th (21:33) place at the Paul Short Invitational on the 6k course 2015 (r-So.) ■■ Named to the Academic AllBig 12 First Team ■■ Raced to a 36th-place finish with a 6k time of 21:59.2 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional ■■ Posted a top-25 finish, placing 22nd with a 6k time of 21:40.4 at the Big 12 Championship ■■ Finished first for the Mountaineers and 97th overall in 20:57.6 at the Wisconsin Invitational ■■ Took a top-five finish, placing fourth overall (17:53.03) in the 5k blue race at the Greater Louisville Classic

CROSS COUN T RY

Harshbarger 2014 (r-Fr.) ■■ USTFCCCA All-Academic honors ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team ■■ Finished 103rd (21:13.5) overall in the 6k at the NCAA Championships ■■ Placed ninth overall (6k) at the NCAA MidAtlantic Regional, earning all-region honors ■■ Crossed the 6k line in 16th overall (20:58.9) at the Big 12 Championship ■■ Placed third overall (21.39.58) in the 6k at the Lehigh Invitational ■■ First Mountaineer to cross the line, finishing in sixth place overall, with a 6k time of 21:25 at the PSU Spiked Shoe Invite ■■ Finished 90th (21:07) overall in the 6k at the Wisconsin Adidas Invite

2013 (Fr.) ■■ Did not compete Prep ■■ Ran at Morgantown High for coach Mike Ryan ■■ Placed second in the 1,600-meter run and fifth in the 3,200-meter run at the 2013 West Virginia State Track & Field Championship ■■ Part of the winning 4x800-meter relay team at the 2013 West Virginia State Track & Field Championship

■■ Led team to a third-place finish

at the NXN Southeast Regional Cross Country Championship, while also individually placing 15th ■■ Runner-up at the 2012 West Virginia State Cross Country Championship, which helped her team to a first-place finish ■■ Placed 10th at the Great American Cross Country Festival with a personal-best 5k time of 18:02 ■■ Won the 3,200-meter run at the 2012 West Virginia State Track & Field Championship and placed third in the 1,600-meter run and second in the 4x800-meter relay ■■ Finished eighth individually at the 2012 West Virginia State Cross Country meet and led her team to a first-place finish ■■ Member of the 4x800-meter relay team that finished third at the 2011 West Virginia State Track & Field Championship Personal ■■ Daughter of Dave and Colleen Harshbarger ■■ Has one brother ■■ Birthday is December 1 ■■ Majoring in biology ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ■■ Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll

REBECCA r-SENIOR | 5-10

WHITBY, ONTARIO

2017 (r-Sr.) 2016 (r-Jr.) ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team ■■ Crossed the finish line in 63rd at the Big 12 Championship with a 6k time of 22:52 ■■ Placed 37th at the Spiked Shoe Invitational, crossing the finish line with a 6k time of 23:21.00 ■■ Was the ninth Mountaineer to cross the 6k finish line and the 128th overall at the Penn State National with a time of 22:14 ■■ Finished 210th at the Paul Short Invitational with a 6k time of 22:07 2015 (r-So.) ■■ Competed for the first time as a Mountaineer, placing 83rd overall with a 5k time of 19:12.26 at the Greater Louisville Classic

Wendt 2014 (r-Fr.) ■■ Did not compete

2013 (Fr.) ■■ Redshirted Prep ■■ Double OFSAA Bronze medalist in the 800-meter run and 1,500-meter run in 2012 and 2013 ■■ Named Most Outstanding Varsity track athlete in 2012 and 2013 ■■ Silver medalist at the 2012 Junior Provincials in the 800-meter run and Bronze medalist in the 1,500-meter run ■■ 2012 Youth National Champion in the 800-meter run and Silver medalist in the 1,500-meter run ■■ Finished fifth at the 2011 OFSAA Cross Country Championship

WVUCrossCountry

■■ 2010 OFSAA Midget Champion in the

1,500 and 3,000-meter runs, while earning bronze in the 800-meter run ■■ Broke four regional records on her way to being named Most Outstanding Track and Cross Country Athlete Personal ■■ Daughter of Stephen and Alison Wendt ■■ Has one sister ■■ Birthday is December 15 ■■ Majoring in finance ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll ■■ Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll

@WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCross Country

OLIVIA Hill

r-SOPHOMORE | 5-5 SCOTT DEPOT, W.VA.

2017 (r-So.) 2016 (r-Fr.) ■■ Academic All-Big 12 First Team ■■ Placed 48th at the Big 12 Championship with a 6k time of 22:24 ■■ Fifth Mountaineer to cross the finish line, placing 42nd overall on the 6k course in 21:45 at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals ■■ Finished 28th at the Spiked Shoe Invitational with a 6k time of 22:40 ■■ Placed 64th on the 6k course with a time of 21:40 at the Penn State National ■■ Crossed the finish line in 119th with a 6k time of 21:33 at the Paul Short Invitational

2015 (Fr.) ■■ Redshirted ■■ Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team High School ■■ Ran at Teays Valley Christian School for coach Aubrey Morris ■■ Winner of Hurricane Cross Country Invitational in 2014 ■■ Was named Teays Valley Christian School 2015 Female Athlete of the Year ■■ Earned the Team High Point Award for track ■■ Participated in basketball and volleyball

Personal ■■ Daughter of Craig and Jenny Hill ■■ Has one brother ■■ Birthday is November 25 ■■ Majoring in exercise physiology ■■ Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

CANDACE Jones r-SOPHOMORE | 5-5 BRISTOW, VA.

2017 (r-So.) 2016 (r-Fr.) ■■ Placed 70th at the Big 12 Championship with a 6k time of 23:14 ■■ Third Mountaineer to cross the finish line and the 32nd overall at the Spiked Shoe Invitational with a 6k time of 23:04 ■■ Finished 110th at the Penn State National, crossing the finish line (6k) in 22:04 ■■ Took 136th at the Paul Short Invitational with a 6k time of 21:37 2015 (Fr.) ■■ Redshirted

CROSS COUN T RY

High School ■■ Ran at Patriot High for coach Adam Daniels ■■ Seven-time all-state ■■ 2015 Indoor State Champion in the 1000-meters (2:54.24) her senior year ■■ At the 2015 VHSL Group 6A Conference Championship, she ran a personalbest time of 5:00.05 in the 1600m ■■ Ran a personal-best time of 2:11.08 in the 800-meter event at the 2014 VHSL Group 5A/6A State Outdoor Championship ■■ Ran in the 1000-meter event (2.54.42) at the VHSL Group 6A State Indoor Track and Field

■■ Competed

in the 400-meter event with a time of 57.8 ■■ Ran the 5k with a careerbest of 18:48.30 Personal ■■ Daughter of Robert and Margaret Jones ■■ Has one sister ■■ Birthday is March 14 ■■ Majoring in criminology

ANDREA Pettit r-SOPHOMORE | 5-4 MORGANTOWN, W.VA.

2017 (r-So.) 2016 (r-Fr.) ■■ Did not compete 2015 (Fr.) ■■ Redshirted

High School ■■ Ran for coaches Mike Ryan and Jonathan Wright at Morgantown High ■■ 2012 West Virginia Cross Country All-State Team ■■ National High School Coaches Association Academic All-American ■■ Contributing member of five state-championship teams ■■ Contributing member of four state runner-up teams ■■ First Morgantown High athlete to be a 12-time letterwinner ■■ 2015 swim team captain

Personal ■■ Daughter of John and Denise Pettit ■■ Has one sister, Alison, who ran cross country and track at WVU ■■ Father swam at WVU ■■ Birthday is June 12 ■■ Majoring in immunology and medical microbiology ■■ Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

SARAH Willis r-FRESHMAN | 5-7 MORGANTOWN, W.VA.

2017 (r-Fr.) 2016 (Fr.)

■■ Redshirted

High School ■■ Ran at University High for coach Ed Fronapfel and ran club for WV Flyers under coach Jonathan Wright ■■ West Virginia state champions in 2014 and 2015 ■■ 2014 OVAC 5A champion ■■ Two-time cross country all-state ■■ Four-time all-state honoree in the 4×800 relay

■■ Placed third in the 800 meters,

running a personal-best time of 1:17 at the 2016 state championships ■■ Runner-up finish in the 3,200 meters at the 2016 state championships, finishing with a personal-best time of 10:57 ■■ 2016 state champion in the 1,600 meter with a personal-best time of 5:04 ■■ Member of the National Honor Society and math honorary - Mu Alpha Theta

WVUCrossCountry

Personal ■■ Daughter of Norman and Rebecca Wills ■■ Has one sister ■■ Birthday is December 11 ■■ Majoring in biomedical engineering ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

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ANTIGONE Archer r-FRESHMAN | 5-4 SOUTHLAKE, TEXAS

2017 (r-Fr.) 2016 (Fr.) ■■ Redshirted

High School ■■ Ran at Southlake Carroll High for coach Justin Leonard ■■ Varsity letter winner in track and field and cross country (2013-16) ■■ Two-time Nike Cross National champions and two-time state champions ■■ Placed fifth at the Texas 5A state cross country championship

Personal ■■ Daughter of David and Amanda Archer ■■ Has one brother and two sisters ■■ Birthday is March 31 ■■ Majoring in mechanical engineering ■■ Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

ABBY Colbert r-FRESHMAN | 5-5 SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.VA.

2017 (r-Fr.) 2016 (Fr.)

■■ Redshirted

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High School ■■ Ran at Jefferson High for coach Katie Myers and Matt Speaker ■■ Two-year team captain ■■ Four-time all-state honoree in West Virginia ■■ Two-time state champion ■■ Personal-best times in the threemile (17:51) and two-mile (10:56) ■■ Ran a personal-best time in the one-mile (5:06), 800 meters (2:20) and 400 meters (1:00)

Personal ■■ Daughter of Chris and Samantha Colbert ■■ Has one brother and a twin sister ■■ Birthday is August 25 ■■ Majoring in sport psychology

MARIANNE Abdalah FRESHMAN | 5-4 PITTSBURGH, PA.

High School ■■ Ran at Vincentian Academy for coach Erika Suhy ■■ Became second athlete in WPIAL history to win four cross country championships ■■ Led Vincentian Academy to two WPIAL team titles ■■ Three-time PIAA cross country champion ■■ Won three WPIAL Class AA championships and two PIAA championships in 3,200-meter run ■■ Holds WPIAL record for 3,200-meter run (10:45.54) ■■ High school valedictorian Personal ■■ Daughter of Marvin and Kim Abdalah ■■ Won USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championship in 2013 (13-14 Division) ■■ Has two brothers ■■ Birthday is April 27 ■■ Majoring in Pre-Med

HAYLEY Jackson FRESHMAN | 6-0 LUSBY, MD.

High School ■■ Ran at Patuxent High for coach Kris Jost ■■ Accumulated 14 total state championships in high school career ■■ Won three 2A state cross country champions ■■ Won three 2A track championships as a senior ■■ Won Maryland state indoor track championships in the 800 and 1,600 as a senior ■■ Recorded state-record time in indoor 1,600, the fastest time in the country in 2016-17 ■■ Broke Maryland state outdoor record in two mile (10:14) as a senior ■■ Finished eight at the Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals as a senior Personal ■■ Daughter of Leah Walker ■■ Birthday is October 6 ■■ Undecided major

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BREE Warren r-FRESHMAN | 5-7 BELGRAVE, AUSTRAILIA

Monash University (2016-17) ■■ Represented school at Southern University Games ■■ Member of Elite Student Performer Scheme High School ■■ Ran at Haileybury Secondary College ■■ Finished sixth at Australian U-20 Cross Country Championships in 2016 ■■ Won U-20 Victoria Women’s Cross Country Championship ■■ Won multiple Victorian track championships, including 5,000m and 6,000m ■■ Vice-captain of cross country team in 2014 and vice-captain of athletics in 2015 ■■ Captain of APS Cross Country All-Star Team Personal ■■ Daughter of Grant and Denise Warren ■■ Has one brother and one sister ■■ Birthday is January 10 ■■ Majoring in human nutrition and foods

CROSS COUN T RY

Preview

2017

A Look at 2017 �� 38 Q&A With Coach Sean Cleary �� 40 Schedule �� . 42

CROSS COUN T RY

2017

Preview

COACH SEAN CLEARY Coach Sean Cleary embarks on his 11th season as the head coach of the West Virginia University cross country team and his 25th overall season with the program. The 1992 WVU graduate, who doubles as head coach of the West Virginia track & field team, continues to produce impressive results and build the Mountaineer program into one of the nation’s best. The Georgetown, Ontario, native has guided WVU to success on and off the course for over a decade, featuring eight NCAA All-Americans and several Academic All-Americans. With a veteran group of returners, as well as a strong incoming recruiting class, Cleary and the Mountaineers are on a mission to qualify for the NCAA Championships as a team for the first time since 2014. BIG GOALS AHEAD High expectations are nothing new for WVU and 2017 will be no different. The Mountaineers, who placed third at the Big 12 Championship and fourth at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional a year ago, are anticipating a big year from an eclectic roster featuring a good mix of in-state, out-of-state and international runners.

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“At West Virginia, as a program and looking at the history of our program, we expect to be at the national championships,” Cleary said. “The vast majority of years it’s a total expectation that we’re there. As the chips fall as they do, then we re-evaluate.” West Virginia has qualified as a team to the NCAA Cross Country

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Championships nine times – all since 1997 – and have had a least one representative at the national meet in every season since 2007. This year, the team brings back multiple runners with nationalchampionship experience, as well as several others who are hungry to reach the NCAA Finals for the first time. VETERAN PRESENCE Building and maintaining a successful program starts at the top. Luckily for WVU, the Mountaineers welcome back six redshirt seniors this fall, including 2016 NCAA Championships individual qualifiers Maggie Drazba and Jillian Forsey. Those two, as well as the success and experience of fellow redshirt senior and All-Mid-Atlantic Regional performer Amy Cashin, provides a strong sense of leadership entering an exciting new year. “Maggie stepped up big during outdoor track and became a nationalclass distance runner; Amy Cashin got her first individual trip to the NCAA (Track & Field) Championships and a school record; Jillian went out and ran a faster time (at Penn State for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional) on that course than any runner in the history of our

just did a wonderful job all year. I think two or three kids leading for the depth of the future, we need a few of them to step in to solidify some spots and have a nice balance.” Additionally, redshirt freshman Sarah Wills and redshirt sophomore Andrea Pettit are two other returners that will look to add depth to the Mountaineer lineup this fall.

CandaceJONES

program and that says a lot; she made a nice comeback last fall,” Cleary said. “I think if you were to look at last year’s cross country and track results, you have to think they will be leading this program (this season).” After finishing 11th overall at the Mid-Atlantic Regional last season, Drazba claimed a 58th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. She posted a 6k time of 20:34.8. Forsey, who claimed second-place finishes at the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional last season, qualified for her third career appearance at the National Finals. She finished in 97th place after running the championship course in 20:49.9. Cashin posted five top-25 finishes last season, including a 20th-place performance at the Big 12 Championship (21:25) and a 22nd-place mark at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (21:12). Other seniors on this year’s team include Allie Diehl, Brynn Harshbarger and Rebecca Wendt. Each of them provide plenty of big-race experience that should go a long way in nurturing some of the younger Mountaineer runners this season. COMING ON STRONG Along with the team’s big group of upperclassmen, West Virginia also features multiple runners looking for a breakthrough this season. Sophomores Olivia Hill and Candace Jones logged time on the course a year ago, beginning what the program hopes to be a pair of solid careers in Morgantown. “We had a couple of youngsters in Candace Jones and Olivia Hill that were rock solid all year,” Cleary said. “They

NEWCOMERS The Mountaineers are set to welcome three newcomers onto this year’s team in Marianne Abdalah, Hayley Jackson and Bree Warren. Abdalah and Jackson claimed state championships in high school, while Abdalah arrives to WVU after experiencing plenty of success in Australia. Abdalah ran at Vincentian Acadamy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while Jackson competed scholastically at Patuxent High in Lusby, Maryland. “We’re very fortunate to bring in Hayley, Marianne and Bree into the program,” Cleary said. “Hayley is a wonderful cross country runner with an incredible range of talents with great leg speed and incredible endurance. Marianne, from north of Pittsburgh, she’s won a number of state titles. She’s a small-school kid who was the valedictorian of her class; you can build an entire career and entire program off kids like that. Is she ready to go right away? Hopefully. And Bree coming in, she’s a little bit of a dark horse. We think she’ll race for us this fall.” 2017 SCHEDULE This year, West Virginia will get the chance to take a sneak peek at multiple postseason courses during the regular season.

First, the Mountaineers will open the 2017 season on Sept. 1 at the Lehigh Invitational in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Two months later, WVU will return to Lehigh for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Nov. 10. On Sept. 30, West Virginia is set to travel to the Greater Louisville Classic in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 18. WVU will also race twice at Penn State’s Blue & White Course in University Park, Pennsylvania. West Virginia will compete at the Spiked Shoe Invitational on Sept. 8, before making the return trip on Oct. 13 for the Penn State National Open. The postseason begins on Oct. 28 for the Big 12 Championship in Round Rock, Texas. “The philosophy at West Virginia has always been to utilize the entire fall to train, so that as we leave cross country, we’re still relatively fresh for the rest of the year,” Cleary said. “So, it’s a small window of when we’re really ready to run. I just consistently want to see where we’re going to be racing in (the Mid-Atlantic Region), so, we’re going to go to Lehigh early because we’re going to run there at the regions. Penn State, while the regional meet won’t be there this year, it’ll be there next year. Plus, the second invitational there is one with some representation from the Big 12 and a scattering from across the country. That’s a big, big meet for us. We’ll go to the first one to get ready for the second one. And, in terms of Louisville, we haven’t been there for a few years but that’s where the NCAAs will be run.”

AllieDIEHL

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CoachSeanCleary

Q&A WITH

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The team returns six seniors to this year’s roster, including three All-Mid-Atlantic Region runners in Amy Cashin, Maggie Drazba and Jillian Forsey. How beneficial is it to have such a strong, veteran group leading the program? “Having some fifth-year seniors leading the program is wonderful. That allows the growth of your sophomores and your incoming freshmen to not be filled with any panic and anxiety. They are being counted on, certainly, but having leadership like that at the front is invaluable. While a lot of teams around the country have two or three really good ones, if I were to fast-forward nine months, I would expect all three to be at the NCAA Track & Field Championships. If you can go to the end of the tunnel and see that goal being reached, then certainly it makes sense that we feel they’re going to be wonderful leaders.” While it wasn’t the entire team, Maggie Drazba and Jillian Forsey were able to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships together last season. What was that experience like for you as a coach? “It was nice for them to have each other there. It’s a tribute – they are both great distance runners; they’re national-class kids. For those two to come out and lead the program and solidify ourselves again as a top-25 program, it was a tribute to their tenacity and their pride. They inherited a great team when they arrived here and they certainly want to hand it off in the same state.” Which girls are you hoping to see take the next step this season? “Candace Jones had a good track season and Olivia Hill was steady the entire year. We have Sarah Wills, who redshirted last year, who we think as a shot at making the top seven. The hope is for those three to gain the type of experience that will allow me to speak very confidently a year from now when they’re challenged with taking on the leadership of this program and continue the success.”

This year’s schedule will again allow the team to build up toward the end of the year. Is that something you try to accomplish whenever you can? “We belong to a sport that’s very much like soccer and football where at the beginning of the year, the vast majority of the country is racing in 90-degree heat. At the end of the year, you’re running in potentially freezing, wet, cold weather. To me, everything is a dress rehearsal for late October and November. That’s how we set everything up.” The Big 12 Conference is always competitive and filled with successful programs. What are you expecting out of the league this season? “The league is always going to be strong. Iowa State has found a way to get it done at the conference meet the last few years and they’re heavily invested into cross country. It’s a great program. Last year, there were six or seven teams that thought they could make the 31 (team qualifiers for the NCAA Championships). That’s pretty impressive. There’s great coaching in the Big 12 and I would say coming into this year, there’s probably five or six teams that realistically think they can make it.” The program will add former All-American and Pittsburgh Marathon winner Clara (Grandt) Santucci to the staff as a graduate assistant this season. How excited are you to have Clara back with the Mountaineers? “We’re very excited to have Clara back with us. It’s not only for the in-state recruiting and her reputation with wanting to bring in the best West Virginia kids that we can, but just her presence, her work ethic, her history, what we believe she can do in the future. She’s been part of the program for many, many years and I can’t imagine a better person to come back in and try to help us get to where we want to go.”

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Schedule

2017 CROSS COUNTRY

DAY DATE

EVENT

LOCATION

Friday

Sept. 1

Lehigh Invitational

Bethlehem, Pa.

Friday

Sept. 8

Spiked Shoe Invitational

University Park, Pa.

Saturday

Sept. 30

Greater Louisville Classic

Louisville, Ky.

Friday

Oct. 13

Penn State National Open

University Park, Pa.

Saturday

Oct. 28

Big 12 Championship

Round Rock, Texas

Friday

Nov. 10

NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional

Bethlehem, Pa.

Saturday

Nov. 18

NCAA Championships

Louisville, Ky.

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2016

Review

A Look Back at 2016 �� 44 2016 Results �� 46 Meet-by-Meet Breakdown �� 46 Individual Times �� 48 Accolades �� 48

2016

SeasonReview

LOOKING BACK

The Mountaineers finished the 2016 season with plenty of positives on which to look back. Although West Virginia fell short of its ultimate goals of earning a Big 12 Championship and qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the squad was still represented by a pair of individuals at the NCAA Finals. The accomplishment marked the fourth time in program history – and first since 2010 – that two Mountaineers qualified for the national championships in the same season. WVU experienced plenty of highs, including a win at the Texas Tech Open to begin the year, a Big 12 Runner of the Week honor and consistent competitiveness against many of the top programs around the region and country. The team was featured in the USTFCCCA rankings multiple times during the year, receiving votes throughout the entire season. The team was also excellent in the classroom, a trait that has become synonymous with the cross country

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program. Individually and as a team, the Mountaineers received national recognition and numerous awards for their strong performance academically. “One of the highlights from last year was the fact that mid-summer, I really thought we had so many mistakes and so many little bad-luck situations going on, but this team really did a great job,” coach Sean Cleary explained. “They had a phenomenal transition into the season. Quite honestly, we maximized our potential. I was very happy with being third in the Big 12 and we were one of those teams that was being evaluated to get into the NCAA Championships. All in all, when the dust settled, I was extremely proud of how hard they trained and how hard they executed their races.”

BIG 12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP

At the 2016 Big 12 Championship at Texas Tech’s Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas, West Virginia placed third, with three runners placing in the top 20 of the event.

Redshirt junior Jillian Forsey paced the Mountaineers, posting a second-place finish with a 6k time of 20:32, 14 seconds behind Big 12 champion Sharon Lokedi of Kansas. Forsey was named to the All-Big 12 team for her performance. Redshirt juniors Maggie Drazba and Amy Cashin also secured top-20 finishes. Drazba came in 17th with a time of 21:16, while Cashin finished 20th with a time of 21:25. The event marked the second consecutive season West Virginia finished third at the conference meet.

NCAA MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL

Forsey was once again at the front of the pack at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals in University Park, Pennsylvania. The Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, native finished second in the women’s 6k, qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Forsey posted a season-best time of 20:09 at Penn State’s Blue-White Golf Course, earning All-Mid-Atlantic Regional honors along the way.

Two other Mountaineers – Drazba and Cashin – also secured all-region accolades for their performances. Drazba, who also received an individual bid to the NCAA Championships, finished in 11th place with a time of 20:47, while Cashin took 22nd with a time of 21:12. As a team, West Virginia finished in fourth place.

MAGGIE DRAZBA

Drazba concluded her 2016 season at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, with a gritty, resilient performance. She finished in 58 th place with a time of 20:34.8, marking her best career finish in her second appearance in the event. The St. Marys, West Virginia, native had four top-15 finishes in 2016, including second at the Texas Tech Open (21.27.9), 10th at the Pen State National Open (20:38), 11th at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals (20:34.8) and 15th at the Paul Short Invitational (20:27). Drazba enjoyed plenty of success in the classroom, too. The human nutrition and foods major earned the WVU’s Foundation’s Outstanding Senior Award and was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team and USTFCCCA All-Academic team.

and Megan Yuan – being named to the Academic All-Big 12 team. The recognition did not end there. Forsey, Drazba and Cashin were on the USTFCCCA All-Academic team and Forsey and Drazba were on the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team. The Mountaineers were also named an All-Academic Team by the USTFCCCA for its cumulative 3.49 GPA. “A cross country athlete starts to compete the very first day we play our first football game and ends when baseball ends,” Cleary said. “With the amount of school they miss, the amount of time they’re on buses or planes, or whatever it is, you can’t let your guard down. We expect to be a national-class distance program, we expect good grades. It serves them very well for

life. The whole department, the whole University is totally committed to academics and making sure these kids are going to make it. At this point, I’m just proud to say we have one of those teams that’s at the very top of the list academically. Hopefully, we always will.” Cashin also won West Virginia University’s most prestigious student honor, the Order of Augusta Award, and eight members of the team secured 4.0 GPAs. With a taste of success academically and in the athletic arena, the West Virginia cross country program has plenty to look back on from the 2016 season with pride and a true sense of accomplishment.

JILLIAN FORSEY

Forsey capped off her strong 2016 campaign with 97th-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. She posted a time of 20:49.8 in her third career appearance at the national championship and first as an individual. Along with her postseason success, Forsey also began her 2016 slate in a big way, claiming a seasonopening win at the Texas Tech Open with a time of 21:05.5. She also placed fourth at the Paul Short Invitational (20:31) and 11th at the Penn State National Open (20:31). Away from the course, Forsey’s excellence in the classroom led to several more accolades. The exercise physiology major was named the Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s cross country and was placed on the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, as well as the USTFCCCA All-Academic team.

IN THE CLASSROOM

West Virginia continued its commitment to academic success in 2016 with nine team members – Cashin, Allie Diehl, Drazba, Forsey, Brynn Harshbarger, Olivia Hill, Brianna Kerekes, Rebecca Wendt

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2016Breakdown

MEET-BY-MEET 2016 RESULTS Date Sept. 8 Sept. 10 Oct. 1 Oct. 14 Oct. 29 Nov. 11 Nov. 19

Event Place (Points) Texas Tech Open (Lubbock, Texas) ��1st (20) PSU Spiked Shoe Invitational (University Park, Pa.) �� 5th (147) Paul Short Invitational (Bethlehem, Pa.) �� t-3th (127) Penn State National (University Park, Pa.) �� 4th (145) Big 12 Championship (Lubbock, Texas) ��3rd (111) NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (University Park, Pa.) �� 4th (112) NCAA Cross Country Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.) ��Drazba (58th), Forsey (97th)

TEXAS TECH OPEN SEPTEMBER 8 | LUBBOCK, TEXAS RAWLS COURSE (6K)

PAUL SHORT INVITATIONAL OCTOBER 1 | BETHLEHEM, PA. GOODMAN CAMPUS COURSE (6K)

Team Standings Points 1. West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2. Texas Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 3. Lubbock Christian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 4. Abilene Christian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 5. Eastern new Mexico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 6. Wayland Baptist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 7. South Plains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103. 8. New Mexico Hghlands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 9. New Mexico Military Institute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 10. Angelo State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136.

Team Standings Points 1. Yale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 2. Georgetown.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 3. West Virginia, Penn (tied).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 5. Florida.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 6. Villanova. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 7. Adam State.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 8. Cornell.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219 9. Dartmouth.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 10. Utah State.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

WVU Finishers (Place) �� Time 1. Jillian Forsey (1st) �� 21:05.50 2. Maggie Drazba (2nd) �� 21:27.80 3. Brynn Harshbarger (4th) �� 22:38.80 4. Brianna Kerekes (6th) �� 22:46.00 5. Megan Yuan (9th) �� 23:01.10

SPIKED SHOE INVITATIONAL SEPTEMBER 10 | STATE COLLEGE, PA. BLUE-WHITE GOLF COURSE (6K) Team Standings Points 1. Penn State.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 2. Georgetown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 3. Syracuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 4. Cornell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 5. West Virginia ��147 6. Rutgers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 7. St. Joseph’s (Pa.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 8. Grove City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256 9. Messiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 WVU Finishers (Place) �� Time 1. Amy Cashin (14th) �� 21:45.00 2. Olivia Hill (28th) �� 22:40.00 3. Candace Jones (32nd) �� 23:04.00 4. Allie Diehl (36th) �� 23:17.00 5. Rebecca Wendt (37th) �� 23:21.00

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WVU Finishers (Place) �� Time 1. Jillian Forsey (4th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20:14 2. Maggie Drazba (15th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20:27 3. Amy Cashin (18th) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20:32 4. Megan Yuan (32) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20:42 5. Brianna Kerekes (58th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20:57 6. Brynn Harshbarger (118) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:33 7. Olivia Hill (119). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:33 8. Candace Jones (136th) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:37 9. Rebecca Wendt (210th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22:07 10. Allie Diehl (311th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22:51

PENN STATE NATIONAL OCTOBER 17 | UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. BLUE-WHITE GOLF COURSE (6K)

NCAA MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL NOVEMBER 11 | UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. BLUE-WHITE GOLF COURSE (6K)

Team Standings Points 1. Penn State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 2. Mississippi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 3. Oklahoma State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 4. West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 5. Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 6. Cornell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 7. Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199 8. William & Mary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 9. Bucknell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 10. Pitt �� 223

Team Standings Points 1. Penn State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 2. Villanova. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 3. Penn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 4. West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 5. Georgetown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 6. Bucknell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 7. Pitt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 8. Princeton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 9. Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266 10. Duquesne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

WVU Finishers (Place) �� Time 1. Maggie Drazba (10th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20:38 2. Jillian Forsey (11th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20:41 3. Amy Cashin (T-23rd). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20:56 4. Brianna Kerekes (T-48th) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:21 5. Brynn Harshbarger (T-53rd). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:28 6. Olivia Hill (64th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21:40 7. Megan Yuan (67th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:43 8. Candace Jones (110th) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22:04 9. Rebecca Wendt (128th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22:14 10. Allie Diehl (177th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22:54

Team Standings Points 1. Jillian Forsey (2nd). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20:09 2. Maggie Drazba (11th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20:47 3. Amy Cashin (22nd). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:12 4. Megan Yuan (37th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:42 5. Olivia Hill (41st). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:45 6. Brynn Harshbarger (47th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:53 7. Brianna Kerekes (84th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22:21

BIG 12 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP OCTOBER 29 | LUBBOCK, TEXAS RAWLS COURSE (6K)

NCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS NOVEMBER 19 | TERRE HAUTE, IND. LAVERN GIBSON COURSE (6K) Team Standings Points 1. Oregon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 2. Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 3. Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 4. NC State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 5. Stanford. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 6. San Francisco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 7. New Mexico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 8. Michigan State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 9. Eastern Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316 10. BYU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Team Standings Points 1. Iowa State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 2. Oklahoma State. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 3. West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 4. Oklahoma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 5. Baylor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 6. Kansas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 7. Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 8. TCU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 9. Texas Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 10. Kansas State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 WVU Finishers (Place) �� Time 1. Jillian Forsey (2nd). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20:32 2. Maggie Drazba (17th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:16 3. Amy Cashin (20th) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:25 4. Brianna Kerekes (34th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21:50 5. Megan Yuan (38th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22:01 6. Brynn Harshbarger (45th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22:16 7. Olivia Hill (48th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22.24 8. Rebecca Wendt (63rd). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22:52 9. Candace Jones (70th) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23:14 10. Allie Diehl (80th). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23:47

Team Standings Points 1. Maggie Drazba (58th) �� 20:34.8 2. Jillian Forsey (97th) �� 20:49.8

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Times

2016 INDIVIDUAL JILLIAN FORSEY (Jr.) Event

WVU Overall Time Finish Finish

Texas Tech Open 1st Paul Short Invite 3rd Penn State National 4th Big 12 Championship 3rd NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional 4th NCAA Championships -- MAGGIE DRAZBA (Jr.) Event

WVU Overall Time Finish Finish

Texas Tech Open 1st Paul Short Invite 3rd Penn State National 4th Big 12 Championship 3rd NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional 4th NCAA Championships -- AMY CASHIN (Jr.) Event

1st 21:05 4th 20:14 11th 20:41 2nd 20:32 2nd 20:09 97th 20:49.8

2nd 21:27 15th 20:27 10th 20:38 17th 21:16 11th 20:47 58th 20:34.8

WVU Overall Time Finish Finish

Spiked Shoe Invite 5th 14th 21:45 Paul Short Invite 3rd 18th 20:32 Penn State National 4th 23rd 20:56 Big 12 Championship 3rd 20th 21:25 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional 4th 22nd 21:12

BRYNN HARSHBARGER (Jr.)

OLIVIA HILL (Fr.)

Texas Tech Open 1st 4th 22:38 Paul Short Invite 3rd 118th 21:33 Penn State National 4th 53rd 21:28 Big 12 Championship 3rd 45th 22:16 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional 4th 47th 21:53

Spiked Shoe Invite 5th 28th 22:40 Paul Short Invite 3rd 119th 21:33 Penn State National 4th 64th 21:40 Big 12 Championship 3rd 48th 22:24 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional 4th 41st 21:45

BRIANNA KEREKES (Sr.)

CANDACE JONES (Fr.)

Event

WVU Overall Time Finish Finish

Texas Tech Open 1st Paul Short Invite 3rd Penn State National 4th Big 12 Championship 3rd NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional 4th MEGAN YUAN (Sr.) Event

6th 58th 48th 34th 84th

22:46 20:57 21:21 21:50 22:21

WVU Overall Time Finish Finish

Texas Tech Open 1st 9th 23:01 Paul Short Invite 3rd 32nd 20:42 Penn State National 4th 67th 21:43 Big 12 Championship 3rd 38th 22:01 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional 4th 37th 21:42

NCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS Maggie Drazba Jillian Forsey

2017 TRACK AND FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS Amy Cashin Jillian Forsey

ALL-BIG 12 Jillian Forsey

2017 TRACK AND FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT Amy Cashin Jillian Forsey

ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 FIRST TEAM HONORS Amy Cashin Allie Diehl Maggie Drazba Jillian Forsey Brynn Harshbarger Olivia Hill Brianna Kerekes Rebecca Wendt Megan Yuan

CROSS COUN T RY

Spiked Shoe Invite Paul Short Invite Penn State National Big 12 Championship REBECCA WENDT (Jr.) Event

Spiked Shoe Invite Paul Short Invite Penn State National Big 12 Championship ALLIE DIEHL (Jr.) Spiked Shoe Invite Paul Short Invite Penn State National Big 12 Championship

Accolades

BIG 12 WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Jillian Forsey

Event

2016-17

ALL-MID-ATLANTIC Amy Cashin Maggie Drazba Jillian Forsey

Event

2016-17 USTFCCCA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM Amy Cashin Maggie Drazba Jillian Forsey ORDER OF AUGUSTA AWARD Amy Cashin WVU FOUNDATION’S OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARD Maggie Drazba

WVU Overall Time Finish Finish

5th 32nd 23:04 3rd 136th 21:37 4th 110th 22:04 3rd 70th 23:14

WVU Overall Time Finish Finish

5th 37th 23:21 3rd 210th 22:07 4th 128th 22:14 3rd 63rd 22:52

WVU Overall Time Finish Finish

5th 36th 23:17 3rd 311th 22:51 4th 177th 22:54 3rd 80th 23:47

2016-17 GARRETT FORD ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL Amy Cashin Maggie Drazba Jillian Forsey Anna French Peyton Hampson Brynn Harshbarger Olivia Hill Brianna Kerekes Peyton Panger Andrea Pettit Rebecca Wendt Sarah Wills Megan Yuan DR. GERALD LAGE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Amy Cashin

Book

RECORD

Hall of Fame �� 50 NCAA Honors �� 50 Conference Honors �� 50 All-Americans �� 51

CROSS COUN T RY

Fame

HALL OF

Megan (Metcalfe) Wright ��(2015)

Honors

CONFERENCE Charity Wachera ��(2016)

NCAA Bold/Italic indicate current runners

ALL-AMERICANS Jillian Forsey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Kaitlyn Gillespie. . . . . . . . . . . 2010, 2011, 2014 Kate Harrison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 Clara Grandt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2009 Marie-Louise Asselin. . . . . . . 2007, 2008, 2009 Keri Bland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2007, 2008, 2009 Megan Metcalfe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002, 2004 Charity Wachera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997 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 NCAA ALL-MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPION Megan Metcalfe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2002 NCAA ALL-MID-ATLANTIC REGION Amy Cashin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2016 Millie Paladino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2015 Savanna Plombon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2015 Maggie Drazba. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014, 2016 Brynn Harshbarger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Jillian Forsey . . . . . . . . . . . 2013, 2014, 2016 Sydney Scott. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012, 2014 Kaitlyn Gillespie. . . . . . . . . . . 2010, 2011, 2014 Kelly Williams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012. 2013 Sarah Martinelli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 Sarah-Anne Brault. . . . . . . . . 2010, 2011, 2012 Ahna Lewis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008, 2011 Kate Harrison. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2008, 2009, 2011 Kaylyn Christopher. . . . . . . . . 2008, 2009, 2011 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

CROSS COUN T RY

NCAA TEAM QUALIFIERS 1997, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 INDIVIDUAL NCAA QUALIFIERS Jillian Forsey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2016 Maggie Drazba. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2016 Millie Paladino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2015 Kaitlyn Gillespie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010 Sarah-Anne Brault. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010, 2012 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 NCAA ELITE 89 AWARD Kelly Williams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Ahna Lewis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 WVU AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: 1997. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20th (485 points) 2000. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21st (491 points) 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Metcalfe (ninth) 2003. . . . . . . . . . . Metcalfe (32nd), Davis (70th) 2004. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15th (388 points) 2005. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Davis (74th) 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9th (375 points) 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4th (198 points) 2009. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6th (259 points) 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . Gillespie (34th), Brault (71st) 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8th (297 points) 2012. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brault (76th) 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24th (621 points) 2014. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8th (277 points) 2015. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paladino (77th) 2016. . . . . . . . . . . . Drazba (58th), Forsey (97th)

Honors

ALL-BIG 12 Jillian Forsey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014, 2016 Maggie Drazba. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Kaitlyn Gillespie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Sarah Martinelli. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 Sarah-Anne Brault. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2012 BIG 12 WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Jillian Forsey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2016 Kaitlyn Gillespie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2014 Sarah Martinelli. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013 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 TEAM ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD 2011 BIG EAST INSTITUTIONAL FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Charity Wachera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1997 Ahna Lewis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 ALL-BIG EAST Kaitlyn Gillespie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2010, 2011 Sarah-Anne Brault. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 Kate Harrison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 Marie-Louise Asselin. . . . . . . 2007, 2008, 2009 Keri Bland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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 ATLANTIC 10 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Charity Wachera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1994 Heather Bury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1993 ALL-ATLANTIC 10 Charity Wachera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1994 Carisa Brown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1994 Heather Bury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1993, 1994 Kerryn Davidson. . . . . . . . . . . 1992, 1993, 1994 Erin O’Reilly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1991 Vicki Stum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1990, 1991

ALLAmericans

CHARITY WACHERA 1997 Charity Wachera was one of WVU’s best distance runners during her career. For her efforts and accomplishments, she was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. The Nairobi, Kenya, native earned All-America honors in the 10,000 meters with a sixth-place finish (34:29.64) at the 1998 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She also set two school records during her tenure at WVU. 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 at the NCAA Championships with a time of 17:00 to become WVU’s first female cross country All-American.

CharityWACHERA

MEGAN METCALFE 2002, 2004 Megan Metcalfe, a nine-time All-American, is the most prolific distance runner in Mountaineer women’s cross country and track and field history and was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. She was the first women’s cross country runner, and the third women’s track and field athlete to be inducted. Metcalfe is also 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 at the NCAA Track & Field Championships. 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 Championship 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 Championship, 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 All-America accolades in 2003 by finishing fourth in the 3,000-meters at the indoor championship 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 at the NCAA Finals and again was a member of the DMR team. Metcalfe’s school-record setting eighth All-America honor came at the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championship 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 Championship 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.

MeganMETCALFE

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@WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCross Country

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. 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 Championships. The Mountaineers went on to finish sixth, marking the third-consecutive year that WVU finished in the top 10 at the national championship. 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 5,000m 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 Cross Country Championships, first at the NCAA All-MidAtlantic Regionals and second at the Big East Championship. Asselin became WVU’s 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 Championships race with a time of 20:27 to earn her second consecutive AllAmerican honor. She earned her first AllAmerican 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 Championships. 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 place. At the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional race that year, 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 track 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.

CROSS COUN T RY

Marie-Louise ASSELIN

KERI BLAND 2007, 2008, 2009 Keri Bland, a seven-time All-American, left 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 at the national meet (20:45). The Fairview, West Virginia, 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. competitors in the 1,500-meter race, marking the second time she earned honors in all three seasons. Bland was an essential part of the Mountaineers cross country team in 2008, when she led WVU to its most successful season in school history as the squad placed fourth at the NCAA Championships, first at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals and second at the Big East Championship. She was the first Mountaineer to finish at the NCAA Championships, 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. KeriBLAND

CLARA GRANDT 2009

ClaraGRANDT

Clara Grandt saved the best for last as she posted the finest season of her career and earned her first All-America honor in cross country as a senior in 2009. The West Union, West Virginia, native led the team to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the first Mountaineer to cross the line in 13th-place overall. Grandt also earned all-region and All-Big East honors and was named the 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 championship, 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 Championships 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. Since graduating from WVU, Grandt has gone one to win the Pittsburgh Marathon twice (2014, 2015), finish first among Americans at the 2013 Chicago Marathon and fifth overall in 2014. The two-time Olympic trial qualifier has also experienced success at the Boston Marathon and was a member of the U.S. Half-Marathon Championships team in 2014. Currently, Grandt, now known as Clara Santucci, serves as a graduate assistant for coach Sean Cleary’s cross country and track and field teams.

WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCross Country

KAITLYN GILLESPIE 2010, 2011, 2014

KaitlynGILLESPIE

Kaitlyn Gillespie finished her Mountaineer career with three All-American honors. As a junior, she placed seventh at the Big East Championship in 20:14 and followed it with a seventh-place mark in 21:46 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional. To earn All-America status, she came in 27th place at the NCAA Championships with a 6k time of 20:17, improving in placement and time from her 2010 NCAA finish. Gillespie was also named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic team following the 2011 season. In her first season at WVU after one year at Cedarville University, Gillespie quickly made the successful jump to Division I competition in 2010 by earning All-America, all-region and all-conference accolades. The Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, native became an All-American for the first time following her 34th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, where she finished the 6k course in 20:46. To earn All-Mid-Atlantic Region and All-Big East honors, Gillespie came in 10th place at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional and the Big East Championship, widely regarded as the most difficult regional and conference events in the nation. Before a 17th-place finish at the 2010 Penn State National, she had two first-place finishes at the Big East Preview and Notre Dame Invitational. Gillespie’s final season in Morgantown saw her obtain All-America status for the third time. She garnered All-Big 12, All-Mid-Atlantic Region and All-America honors throughout the 2014 campaign. Gillespie was the first Mountaineer to cross the line at the Big 12 Championship, finishing in fifth-place overall in the conference. She finished third in the Mid-Atlantic Region race and followed that up with a 26th-place finish at the 2014 NCAA Championships.

KATE HARRISON 2011 A native of Toronto, Ontario, Kate Harrison ended a stellar WVU cross country career with one of the most impressive single-season resumes in school history. A four-time NCAA participant, Harrison recorded the all-time program-best finish at the NCAA Championships with an eighth-place mark, breaking Megan Metcalfe’s ninth-place finish in 2002. She also finished the race with a career-best 6k time of 19:50 as she earned All-America for the first time in cross country. During the 2011 season, she was twice named the WVU Athlete of the Week and also earned All-Big East and All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors. To earn all-conference, the senior placed third in 19:52 at the conference meet, before recording a fifth-place finish in 21:38 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional to earn all-region marks. She also excelled in academics as she was named to the 2011 USTFCCCA All-Academic team. KateHARRISON

JILLIAN FORSEY 2014

JillianFORSEY

CROSS COUN T RY

As a sophomore, Jillian Forsey made her mark as a Mountaineer, earning All-America status for the first time, doing so with a 14th-place finish (20:17.9) at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador, native raced to a second-place finish overall, with a time of 20:18 at the MidAtlantic Region to earn All-Mid-Atlantic Region recognition. She also received All-Big 12 distinctions after placing 12th in 20:54.9 at the 2014 Big 12 Cross Country Championship in Lawrence, Kansas. Forsey has received Academic All-America honors and Academic All-Big 12 accolades, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. In 2016, Forsey qualified individually to the NCAA Championships, where she earned a 97th-place finish. She was also named the Big 12 Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016. She returns to Morgantown for her senior season this fall.

GENERAL

Information President E. Gordon Gee ��56 Director of Athletics Shane Lyons ��57 Intercollegiate Athletics Staff ��58 Head Coaches ��58 WVU Intercollegiate Athletics 2016-17 ��59 Media Information ��60 Contact Information ��61 Athletic Facilities ��62

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

E. GORDON Gee,

Dr. E. Gordon Gee is one of America’s most prominent higher education leaders, having served as president of some of the most prestigious public and private universities for more than three decades. When he returned to lead West Virginia University in 2014 as the institution’s 24th president, it was a homecoming of sorts. He was first named WVU president in 1981 at age 36 – at the time, among the youngest persons to ever serve as a university president. He led WVU until 1985 when he went on to presidencies at the University of Colorado (1985-90), Brown University (1998-2000) and Vanderbilt University (2001-07). He served as president of The Ohio State University from 1990-97 and again from 2007-13. On his return to the Morgantown campus, he said, “This is not a job to me; it is a calling.” His leadership style bears that out as he works tirelessly to advance the University’s land-grant mission and open doors to the American dream. In his latest address to the University community, he noted that for 150 years, the institution has been a polar star guiding West Virginians toward a brighter tomorrow. He said, “That is why, in this milestone year, we recommit our University to living the values that drive our work. Serving our students and our state is not just our duty — it is our passion.” Gee has built a special relationship with the students as well as the state’s citizens, making it a point to visit students where they live, learn and socialize -- and visiting all 55 West Virginia counties during his inaugural year -- and at least half in subsequent years. Born in Vernal, Utah, Gee graduated from the University of Utah with an honors degree in history and earned his J.D. and Ed.D. degrees from Columbia University. He clerked under Chief Justice David T. Lewis of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals before being named a judicial fellow and staff assistant to the U.S. Supreme Court. In this role, he worked for Chief Justice Warren Burger on administrative and legal problems of the Court and federal judiciary. Gee returned to Utah as an associate professor and associate dean in the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, and was granted full professorship in 1978. One year later, he became dean of the WVU College of Law, and, in 1981, was named WVU’s 19th president. Gee has served on several education-governance organizations and committees, including the Big 12 Conference Council of Presidents, the Business Higher Education Forum and the American Association of Universities. He was chair of the American Council on Education’s Commission on Higher Education Attainment and served as co-chair of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ Energy Advisory Committee. In 2009, King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia invited him to join its international advisory board. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of the top 10 university presidents in the United States. Gee is serving as chair of the Big 12 Board of Directors Executive Committee for the 2017-18 year. Active in many national professional and service organizations, he is on the executive committee of the National 4-H Council Board of Trustees and serves on the board of directors of the American Council on Education, the nation’s largest higher education organization, as well as on the board of trustees of the Royal University for Women in Bahrain, with which WVU has a long-standing academic partnership. A recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, he is an executive board member of Boy Scouts of America. He has also served on the boards for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Limited Brands.

CROSS COUN T RY

J.D, ED.D

In 2011, Gee began serving as secretary on the Board of Directors of Ohio’s economic development program, JobsOhio. In 2011-12, Governor John Kasich asked him to chair the Ohio Higher Education Capital Funding Collaborative and the Ohio Higher Education Funding Commission. In December 2012, he began serving on the Columbus Education Commission. Gee has received many honorary degrees, awards, fellowships and recognitions. He is a fellow of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest science organization. In 1994, Gee received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Utah, as well as from Teachers College of Columbia University. In 2013, he received the ACE Council of Fellows/Fidelity Investments Mentor Award and the Outstanding Academic Leader of the Year Award on behalf of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is the co-author of 11 books, including Law, Policy and Higher Education, published in 2012. He has also authored many papers and articles on law and education. In the summer of 2016, Gee announced his engagement to Laurie Erickson, leader of the Erickson Foundation. Gee’s daughter, Rebekah, is Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. In addition to that role, she is a practicing gynecologist and Gratis Faculty at the Louisiana State University School of Medicine and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. Dr. Rebekah Gee is married to David Patrón and they have five children.

TheGEE FAMILY Front from left: Nathan, Elly and Ben Patrón. Back from left: Rebekah Gee, Eva Patrón, E. Gordon Gee, Elizabeth Patrón and David Patrón

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

SHANE Lyons

The 2017-18 season is Shane Lyons’ third full year as director of athletics at West Virginia University. If the next year is anything like the previous two, the Mountaineer athletics story will be full of positive results and continued success. In year two, Lyons put the finishing touches, to rave reviews, on $23 million in renovations to the WVU Coliseum, while $50 million in renovations and fan enhancements to Milan Puskar Stadium finished in August 2017. Lyons is always on the go, focusing his energy daily on the betterment of more than 500 student-athletes. His open lines of communications have made him a popular role model for WVU athletes, and his honest, fair and caring approach has energized an athletic department that turned in record results in 2017. Under Lyons’ leadership, 2017 was one of the best in WVU history. Six teams were nationally ranked, football turned in a 10-win season, women’s soccer played for the national championship and had the Hermann Trophy winner, men’s basketball reached the Sweet 16, women’s basketball won the Big 12 championship and rifle won its 19th national championship. Overall, the Mountaineers registered in 24 All-Americans, 104 all-conference performers, 20 academic award winners, 121 academic all-conference selections, 10 Olympians, one Olympic gold medalist and two silver medalists. Overseeing 18 varsity sports, a self-sustaining department budget of more than $90 million and more than 200 employees, Lyons’ tireless efforts in the coming year will be geared toward getting started on a new $45 million aquatic and track center in Morgantown, and a continued focus, on the growth and cultivation of the more than $23 million in fundraising efforts brought in by the Mountaineer Athletic Club. He will also direct phase two of the Coliseum renovations, which will bring the building up to ADA seating code, and for the first-time ever, Milan Puskar Stadium will have two video boards to improve in fan entertainment and information. While some outside observers may think that he is a behind-the-scenes guy, the people who count will tell you that Lyons is a results-oriented leader who has his finger on the pulse and is a positive influence on the entire department. His work with WVU President E. Gordon Gee’s senior leadership team, as well as the Big 12 Conference and other national committees has brought additional respect and positive exposure to his department and the University. He currently serves on the Big 12 Administration Committee, Finance and Budget Committee and the Game Management and Officiating Subcommittee. Also in 2017-18, Lyons will chair the overall athletic directors committee for the Big 12. Lyons came to West Virginia after spending three years as the deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer at Alabama where he worked closely on day-today strategic leadership and direction of the Crimson Tide Athletic program. During his time at Alabama, his responsibilities included oversight of a $120 million budget, management of the day-to-day operations of the department and oversight of the Crimson Tide’s 21 sports teams. In addition, he played a pivotal role in a historic renegotiation of Alabama’s multimedia rights agreement that started in 2014 and was involved in several significant capital projects totaling more than $85 million. The Crimson Tide won seven national titles in five different sports during his time there – two in football, two in men’s golf, one in women’s golf, one in gymnastics and one in softball. He also played a critical role in the hiring of four Alabama head coaches. Prior to joining the Alabama staff in November 2011, Lyons spent 10 years as an associate commissioner at the Atlantic Coast Conference. At the ACC, Lyons focused on conference-wide compliance and academic initiatives, providing direct assistance to the conference’s presidents, chancellors and athletics directors in matters dealing with NCAA regulatory matters. In addition, he served as the ACC’s human resource manager and was responsible for the administration, negotiation and mediation of the employee benefits program and managing the conference’s organizational policies and procedures. He was part of the senior administrative team for ACC events, including the football championship game, the men’s basketball tournament and men’s and women’s NCAA basketball events.

Prior to working at the ACC, Lyons served as associate athletics director for compliance at Big 12 member Texas Tech from 1998 to 2001. During that time, Lyons assumed responsibility for the leadership, administration and implementation of a comprehensive NCAA compliance program with emphasis toward rules education and extensive monitoring systems. He also served as oversight administrator for several of the Red Raiders’ athletic teams and had financial and operational supervision of the strength and conditioning, nutritional and sports medicine units. Before joining Texas Tech, Lyons worked at the NCAA for almost 10 years as a senior membership services representative, where he was responsible for the oversight and coordination of the 25 membership service representatives. Lyons began his career in college athletics in July 1988 as assistant commissioner of the Big South Conference. With the Big South, he was in charge of conference-wide compliance and championships. A native of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and a graduate of Parkersburg High, Lyons was a standout basketball player for the Big Reds. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sport management from WVU in 1987 and 1988, respectively. Lyons, the University’s 12th athletic director, and his wife, Emily, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have two children: Cameron and Brooke.

Through the Years 1988-89 Big South Conference

(Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Championships)

1989-98 NCAA (Senior Membership Services Representative) 1998-2001 Texas Tech (Associate Athletic Director – Compliance) 2001-11 Atlantic Coast Conference

(Associate Commissioner – Compliance and Governance)

2011-15 Alabama (Deputy Director of Athletics) 2015-present West Virginia (Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President)

National Committee Appointments

1995-97 Legislative Review Committee

2004-06 Division I Academics/Eligibility Compliance Cabinet 2004-08 Division I Interpretations Committee

2006-08 Division I Management Council 2008-11 Division I Legislative Council

2010-11 2015-18 2015-18 2017-18

(Chair 2 years)

(Chair 1 year)

Division I Communications and Coordination Committee Big 12 Administration, Finance and Budget Committee Big 12 Game Management and Officiating Subcommittee Big 12 Athletic Directors Council

(Chair)

The Lyons Family: Cameron, Brooke; Emily and Shane

WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCross Country

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY INTERCOLLEGIATEAthletics

Keli Zinn Deputy Director of Athletics

Steve Uryasz Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director

Simon Dover Senior Associate Athletic Director/ Business Operations/CFO

Michael Fragale Senior Associate Athletic Director/ Communications

Terri Howes Senior Associate Athletic Director/Sport Administration/SWA

Ben Murray Senior Associate Athletic Director/ MAC Executive Director

Matt Wells Senior Associate Athletic Director/ External Affairs

Greg Featherston Associate Athletic Director/ Governance & Compliance

April Messerly Associate Athletic Director/ Facilities & Operations

Zach Eckert Assistant Athletic Director/ Facilities & Operations

Bryan Messerly Assistant Athletic Director/ Communications

Sam Morrone Assistant Athletic Director/ Business Operations

Preston Wages Assistant Athletic Director/ Compliance

Stephanie White Assistant Athletic Director/ Student-Athlete Development

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY Head Coaches

Nathaniel Zinn Assistant Athletic Director/Marketing

Jason Butts Gymnastics

Mike Carey Women’s Basketball

Sean Cleary Cross Country/Track

Sean Covich Golf

Jon Hammond Rifle

Sammie Henson Wrestling

Dana Holgorsen Football

Bob Huggins Men’s Basketball

Nikki Izzo-Brown Women’s Soccer

Jimmy King Rowing

Marlon LeBlanc Men’s Soccer

Miha Lisac Tennis

Randy Mazey Baseball

Vic Riggs Swimming and Diving

Reed Sunahara Volleyball

CROSS COUN T RY

Baseball: 36-26/12-12 Big 12; T-4th place Big 12; NCAA Winston-Salem Regional Final

WVU IntercollegiateAthletics

Cross Country: 3rd place at Big 12 Championship; 4th place at NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional; 2 NCAA qualifiers

2016-17

CoSIDA Academic All-Americans FIRST TEAM

• Jack Elliott, Men’s Soccer • Elizabeth Gratz, Rifle

SECOND TEAM

• Carly Black, Women’s Soccer • Amy Cashin, Track and Field/Cross Country • Jillian Forsey, Track and Field/Cross Country • Ginny Thrasher, Rifle

THIRD TEAM

• Amelie Currat, Women’s Swimming & Diving • Bianca St. Georges

All-Americans FIRST TEAM

• Milica Babic, Rifle, NRA All-America First Team Air Rifle • Kadeisha Buchanan, Women’s Soccer, NSCAA All-America, Senior CLASS Award • Elizabeth Gratz, Rifle, NRA All-America Air Rifle, NRA All-America Smallbore • Ashley Lawrence, Women’s Soccer, NSCAA All-America • Jean-Pierre Lucas, Rifle, NRA All-America Smallbore • Tyler Orlosky, Football, Senior CLASS Award All-America • Morgan Phillips, Rifle, NRA All-America Smallbore • Ginny Thrasher, Rifle, NRA All-America Air Rifle, NRA All-America Smallbore, CRCA All-America

SECOND TEAM

• Michaela Abam, Women’s Soccer, NSCAA All-America • Milica Babic, Rifle, NRA All-America Second Team Smallbore, CRCA All-America • Jackson Cramer, Baseball, Senior CLASS Award All-America • Rasul Douglas, Football, Associated Press All-America, CBSSports.com All-America, Football • Writers of America Association All-America, Phil Steele All-America, Pro Football Focus • All-America, USA Today All-America, Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America • Elizabeth Gratz, Rifle, CRCA All-America • Kirah Koshinski, Gymnastics, NACGC/W Regular Season All-America • Ashley Lawrence, Women’s Soccer, Senior CLASS Award All-America • Jean-Pierre Lucas, Rifle, CRCA All-America • Zaakira Muhammad, Gymnastics, NCAA Championships All-America • Tyler Orlosky Football, Associated Press All-America, CBSSports.com All-America, Football • Writers of America Association All-America, Phil Steele All-America, SI.com All-America, USA Today All-America

THIRD TEAM

• Amy Cashin, Track & Field (Outdoor), 3,000m Steeplechase • Rasul Douglas, Football, SBNation All-America • Shamoya McNeil, Track & Field (Outdoor), Triple Jump • Tyler Orlosky, Football, Athlon Sports All-America • Braden Zarbnisky, Baseball, NCBWA All-America

FOURTH TEAM

• Tyler Orlosky, Football, SBNation All-America

HONORABLE MENTION

• Rasul Douglas, Football, FOXSports All-America • Tyler Orlosky, Football, FOXSports All-America • Morgan Phillips, Rifle, CRCA All-America Honorable Mention • Jean-Pierre Lucas, Rifle, NRA All-America Honorable Mention Air Rifle • Tynice Martin, Women’s Basketball, Associated Press All-America, WBCA All-America

Conference Major Awards

• Michaela Abam, Women’s Soccer, Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Year • Milica Babic, Rifle, GARC Outstanding Rookie • Kadeisha Buchanan, Women’s Soccer, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player • Morgan Car, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Big 12 Women’s Co-Newcomer of the Year • Jevon Carter, Men’s Basketball, Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year • Justin Crawford, Football, Newcomer of the Year, Coaches, ESPN.com • Ashley Lawrence, Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player • Tynice Martin, Women’s Basketball, Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player • Tarik Phillip, Men’s Basketball, Sixth Man Award • Ginny Thrasher, Rifle, GARC Shooter of the Year

National Awards and Recognition

• Nathan Adrian, Men’s Basketball, Reese’s NABC Division I All-Stars • Milica Babic, Rifle, CRCA Freshman of the Year • Kadeisha Buchanan, Women’s Soccer, espnW National Player of the Year, Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy, Honda Sports Award, Senior CLASS Award Finalist, TopDrawerSoccer.com Player of the Year, ESPY nomination as top women’s college athlete • Jevon Carter, Men’s Basketball, NABC Defensive Player of the Year, Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year, Allstate NABC Good Works Team nominee • Jackson Cramer, Baseball, Senior CLASS Award Finalist • Skyler Howard, Football, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Semifinalist, Senior CLASS Award Candidate • Ashley Lawrence, Women’s Soccer, Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, Senior CLASS Award Finalist • Lanay Montgomery, Women’s Basketball, Allstate WBCA Good Works Team nominee, Senior CLASS Award Candidate • Tyler Orlosky, Football, Rimington Trophy Finalist, Senior CLASS Award Finalist • Ginny Thrasher, Rifle, 87th AAU James E. Sullivan Award Finalist; CRCA Rifle Athlete of the Year, 2016 USA Shooting Athlete of the Year • Braden Zarbnisky, Baseball, John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award Finalist

NCAA Team Qualifiers

• Baseball, Winston-Salem Regional Final • Cross Country, 4th at Mid-Atlantic Regionals • Men’s Basketball, NCAA Sweet 16 • Women’s Basketball, NCAA Second Round • Women’s Soccer, National Runner-Up • Amy Cashin, Women’s Track & Field, 3,000m Steeplechase (Outdoor) • Dylan Cottrell, Wrestling, 165 pounds • Maggie Drazba, Cross Country • Jillian Forsey, Cross Country • Shamoya McNeil, Women’s Track & Field, Triple Jump (Outdoor) • Zaakira Muhammad, Gymnastics • Jacob A. Smith, Wrestling, 197 pounds (did not compete due to injury) • 154 Academic All-Conference Selections • Four Team Academic Award Winners (Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Cross Country and Women’s Swimming and Diving) • 517 Student-Athletes were named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll • 512 Student-Athletes were named to the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll

WVUCrossCountry WVUCrossCountry

Women’s Basketball: 24-11/8-10 Big 12; 6th place Big 12; Big 12 Tournament Champions; NCAA Second Round Football: 10-3/7-2 Big 12; T-2nd place Big 12; Russell Athletic Bowl Golf: 10th at Big 12 Gymnastics: 13-10/3-3 Big 12; 3rd place Big 12; 3rd place NCAA Morgantown Regional; 1 NCAA Qualifier Rowing: 5th place at Big 12 Championship Rifle: 12-0/8-0 GARC; GARC Regular-Season & Postseason Champions; NCAA Champions Men’s Soccer: 8-7-1/1-4 MAC; 6th place MAC Women’s Soccer: 23-2-2/8-0 Big 12; Big 12 Regular-Season & Tournament Champions; NCAA National Runner-Up Men’s Swimming and Diving: 5-4/1-0 Big 12; 2nd place Big 12 Women’s Swimming and Diving: 5-6/1-1 Big 12; 4th place Big 12 Women’s Tennis: 4-16/0-9 Big 12; 10th place Big 12 Women’s Track and Field: Indoor-10th Big 12; Outdoor-10th Big 12; 2 NCAA Qualifiers Volleyball: 12-18/3-13 Big 12; 8th place Big 12

NCAA Individual Qualifiers

94 All-Conference Selections

Men’s Basketball: 28-9/12-6 Big 12; T-2nd place Big 12; NCAA West Regional Semifinal

Wrestling: 4-12/1-3 Big 12; 6th place at Big 12 Championship; 2 NCAA Qualifiers _____________________________________ NCAA Team Champions Rifle NCAA Team Runner-Up Women’s Soccer Individual NCAA Champions Milica Babic, Air Rifle Morgan Phillips, Smallbore Team Conference Champions Rifle, Regular Season and Tournament Women’s Basketball, Tournament Women’s Soccer, Regular Season and Tournament

@WVUCrossCountry @WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCross @WVUCrossCountry Country

Guidelines

Media

Media Services

Receiving Information

Social Media

The West Virginia athletic communications office will be available through the entire 2017 cross country season to accommodate any media requests. The 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 cross country contact Joe Mitchin.

Media members may receive women’s cross country press releases, notes and more via email. To receive such press releases, meet recaps and more, simply email your requests to jmitchin@mail.wvu.edu.

WVU Cross Country is active on various social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Visit facebook.com/ WVUCrossCountry to like the Facebook page. To follow the Mountaineers on Twitter, visit Twitter.com.wvucrosscountry. To follow the team on Instagram, visit Instagram.com/wvucrosscountry..

During the Week Any member of the media wishing to interview a runner or member of the coaching staff during the week should reach out to West Virginia cross country contact Joe Mitchin, via email (jmitchin@ mail.wvu.edu) or by phone (304-2932821), at least 24 hours in advance. Cell phone numbers will not be available. All WVU student-athletes have been instructed not to conduct interviews without prior approval of the athletic communications staff.

CROSS COUN T RY

WVUsports.com WVUsports.com is the place for media and fans to browse for the latest on Mountaineer cross country. Player and coaching staff bios are available at the click of your finger by going to WVUsports.com. After each meet, WVUsports.com is updated with the latest statistics. Not only will you find this season’s stats, but you will also be able to find the WVU record book where you can gain some historical insights.

ATHLETIC COMMUNICATION INFORMATION The West Virginia University athletic communications office is located on the second floor of the Coliseum in Room 217. MAILING ADDRESS Athletic Communications office

WVA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS STAFF

CONTACT INFORMATION

MichaelFRAGALE

BryanMESSERLY

JohnANTONIK

Senior Associate Athletic Director/ Communications

Assistant Athletic Director/Communications

Director of Digital Media

MikeMONTORO

JoeSWAN

KristinCOLDSNOW

Director of Football Communications

Director of Athletic Publications

Multimedia Specialist

West Virginia University P.O. Box 0877 Morgantown, WV 26507-0877 OVERNIGHT SHIPPING WVU Athletic Communications

GrantDOVEY

ShannonMcNAMARA

AshleyBAILEY

CharlieHEALY

3450 Monongahela Blvd.,

Digital Media Manager

Associate Director of Athletic Communications

Assistant Director of

LisaAMMONS

CherylWIRE

AmyPRUNTY

MaggieMATELLA

Business Manager

Operations Coordinator

Program Assistant

Graduate Assistant

JoeMITCHIN

ChrisPHARIS

Graduate Assistant

Athletic Communications

Room 217 Morgantown, WV 26506 PHONE INFORMATION Office: 304-293-2821

Fax: 304-293-4105 CROSS COUNTRY CONTACT Joe Mitchin

Graduate Assistant Office: 304-293-9916 Cell: 330-933-2084 E-mail: jmitchin@mail.wvu.edu

WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCrossCountry

@WVUCross Country

ATHLETIC Facilities BASKETBALL PRACTICE FACILITY

CAPERTON INDOOR FACILITY

CARY GYM

DICK DLESK SOCCER STADIUM

DREAMSWORK FIELD

MONONGALIA COUNTY BALLPARK

MOUNTAINEER FIELD AT MILAN PUSKAR STADIUM

MOUNTAINEER TENNIS COURTS

MOUNTAINEER TRACK

WVU BOATHOUSE

WVU COLISEUM

WVU NATATORIUM

WVU RIFLE RANGE

CROSS COUN T RY

WVU WRESTLING PAVILLION

HERE, GOING FIRST IS IN OUR BLOOD. IT’S IN OUR SWEAT. IT’S IN OUR NATURE.

SO WE WILL GO ABOVE. WE WILL GO BEYOND.

WHEN EVERYONE ELSE GOES BACK,

MOUNTAINEERS #GOFIRST.