2014 College Track and Field Open Coaching Positions Discussion

Heard Penn State job final round is down to Gondak, Richardson from Auburn, Harnden FSU... Gondak has to get the job. Couple of guys with no head coach experience. While Gondak has been Penn State Associate Head coach for years and is doing the job while interviewing for the job... There is no choice but Gondak.

Chris Shane was likely a victim to a changing program at USF that didn't have much need for two distance coaches. Pretty obvious from their new hire that they wanted more of a director of operations focus for that position. Chris strikes me as the coaching type and not a director of ops type so I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him as a candidate for the Long Beach Head Distance job.

Wrong Beach wrote:

Also looking at Long Beach, they are not lighting it up in XC, but are a good track team, evident by back-to-back conference track titles, My guess is that's where the coaching search will focus.

I agree, Long Beach should go with a Mid Distance oriented coach. The more points scored in track keep trophies coming back to campus.

Beach Head wrote:

Wrong Beach wrote:

Also looking at Long Beach, they are not lighting it up in XC, but are a good track team, evident by back-to-back conference track titles, My guess is that's where the coaching search will focus.

I agree, Long Beach should go with a Mid Distance oriented coach. The more points scored in track keep trophies coming back to campus.

I don't understand what this means? A good distance coach should be totally capable of coaching every event from the 800 up through the 10k. If the head coach would like the distance coach to put a larger emphasis on recruiting and training 800/1500 then so be it, but can't you score just as many points in the 3k steeple 5/10k???

When a new head coach gets brought in, most of the time it doesn't matter what your reputation is, they are going to bring in "their" guys. I think Ross has had some tough luck, though the comment about Miami Oh may be true.

Trend? wrote:

Yeah, he's an easy guy to work with and the rest of the world has the problem.

Big10/12 wrote:

Ross has gotten dicked around by head coaches... The last 3 jobs - new head coaches came in after he was there working and made changes to bring in their "guys" Very bad luck is all.... Good coach

Kijana ran track wrote:

Heard Penn State job final round is down to Gondak, Richardson from Auburn, Harnden FSU... Gondak has to get the job. Couple of guys with no head coach experience. While Gondak has been Penn State Associate Head coach for years and is doing the job while interviewing for the job... There is no choice but Gondak.

I have no idea how anyone "HAS" to get the job. What exactly do you think an Associate Head Coach knows that an assistant coach doesn't (especially when the Associate Head Coach works within a program that employs a Director and two Operations Assistants)?!

I don't know Harden but of the other two...I would give the job to Scott.

Why not wrote:

Chris Shane was likely a victim to a changing program at USF that didn't have much need for two distance coaches. Pretty obvious from their new hire that they wanted more of a director of operations focus for that position. Chris strikes me as the coaching type and not a director of ops type so I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him as a candidate for the Long Beach Head Distance job.

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I don't think I will let this one go. Your untrue post about Chris Shane being a victim is utter nonsense. Benji Wetli was hired at USF to replace Chris Shane. One guy was fired, and one guy was hired. It is pretty obvious that USF wanted a coach, not an ops guy. So, don't go trashing Benji Wetli's coaching ability in order to help Chris Shane save face. Benji was hired at USF because he was good at coaching and not because he is a better ops guy.

done and done wrote:

Beach Head wrote:

I agree, Long Beach should go with a Mid Distance oriented coach. The more points scored in track keep trophies coming back to campus.

I don't understand what this means? A good distance coach should be totally capable of coaching every event from the 800 up through the 10k. If the head coach would like the distance coach to put a larger emphasis on recruiting and training 800/1500 then so be it, but can't you score just as many points in the 3k steeple 5/10k???

MD is the way to go.

Since exactly four people on this website know who Benji Wetli is...I will be the first to say "Thank you Bengi for the shameless self-promotion.

Has Dartmouth or Yale hired assistants yet?

Benji Wetli is the guy who you belittled for being a mere "operations guy" despite being hired with far more coaching experience than Chris Shane had when he was hired at San Francisco. I don't know Benji, but I know you're a friend of, or are, Chris Shane, and you're just upset that he/you was fired. So to repeat what he said, let's not belittle coach Helen's hire because you're upset Chris was fired.

Overreact much? Programs shift directions all the time. Both are good coaches and deserve the best. But USF HAS shifted gears a bit and made a change on that front not because either coach was better or worse than the other. Chris Shane is a good guy with a positive reputation and So is Benji Wetli. I wish both the best and continued success in their careers.

Unless YOU are Helen LLehman-Winters, I would slow your roll a bit because you are not representing anyone here correctly.

PoisonIvy wrote:

Good choices wrote:

Ross is a good guy, but he sure moves around alot. Western Illinois, Purdue, Miami of Ohio, Virginia, Ohio State in the last 10 years or so. Not sure why he seems to do a good job everywhere he goes.

Hey, you forgot his brief stay at Sac State!

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Yes, he did have a cup of coffee with Sacramento State. Not sure if he was there at the same time as the legendary distance coach Rodney Rothoff had his cup of coffee at Sacramento State. Not sure if their paths ever crossed.

Benji is the same guy on his resume who claims he was a full-time assistant at Iowa State when he was really just a volunteer guy who got the coffee for Corey and Travis.

Did SIU really just hire the guy fired from Western Illinois? This is a huge step down from Sparks

Bowerman and Dellinger weren't exactly available!

Yale made an offer to a guy from a small D3 school in Ohio who has Ivy experience. I believe he was at Brown for sometime. At least that is what I am hearing.

True story. Marietta coach to Yale.

their new coach is an SIU alum from the mid 80s. Coached at Bradley, WIU, and now back at SIU

Southern Illinois wrote:

Did SIU really just hire the guy fired from Western Illinois? This is a huge step down from Sparks