ELON COACH TO DUKE

Javeline

If it is this coach, it is a great move for Duke

Christine Engel

Head Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach/Assistant Track and Field Coach

Phone: 336-278-6739

Email:

cengel@elon.edu

Twitter: eu_xctf

Christine Engel is in her sixth year as Elon’s head men’s and women’s cross country coach and assistant women’s track and field coach. During her time at Elon, she has coached four Southern Conference individual champions, two NCAA Preliminary qualifiers and 24 different student-athletes to 75 All-Southern Conference honors.

Since Engel’s arrival at Elon the women’s program has been transformed. The women’s cross country team has set 17 of the top 20 all-time performances in the 5K and 16 of the top 20 all-time performances in the 6K. On the track, Engel’s distance runners have set new school records in the indoor, 800-meter, 1,000-meter, one-mile, 3,000-meter, and 5,000-meter runs and Distance Medley Relay. While new school records have come outdoors in the 800-meter, 3,000-meter, 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

The men’s cross country program has also rewrote the record books under Engel with each of the top 10 all-time performances in the 8K and eight top 10 performances in the 10K.

Engel's athletes also strive for success in the classroom as both teams have achieved U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-America team status in each of her seasons at the helm of the program. It was the seventh time in program history that both Elon squads received the honor. The women’s squad earned a 3.6 GPA in the fall of 2010, the highest in the Southern Conference. A total of 47 of Engel's runners have been named to the SoCon Academic All-Conference Team and one was a recipient of a 2012 Southern Conference Post-Graduate Scholarship.

Engel assisted in the design of Elon's on-campus home cross country course which plays host to the Elon Cross Country Invitational which has been run annually since 2009. The course was the site of the 2009 SoCon Championships.

2013-14

Engel again helped the women's cross country program to tie its best finish at the SoCon Championships with a runner-up standing. Each member of the women's top-five received All-SoCon recognition including first team honors for Allyson Oram. Elyse Bierut, Tereza Novotna, Haylee Dawe and Kimberly Johansen all earned spots on the second team while Johansen also made the league's All-Freshman team. The women then achieved its best team performance ever at the NCAA Southeast Regionals, finishing ninth overall out of 39 teams after coming into the meet ranked 14th in the regional rankings.

The men's cross country team won its second straight home meet, the Elon Invitational, while seeing junior Luis Vargas have arguably the best individual season ever for a male runner in the history of the program. Vargas earned his second straight first team All-SoCon honor after a third-place finish at the league championships. He also became the first male harrier to win a race in nearly eight years and the first runner in history to receive All-Region honors at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships.

During the indoor track and field season, Engel guided Allyson Oram to the Southern Conference Championship in the 3,000-meter run with a new school-record time of 9:34.97. She also helped Oram set new program-bests in the mile-run and the 5,000-meters while overseeing Kimberly Johansen set the 1,000-meter school-record. Along with Oram, Engel also had Tereza Novotna earn All-Southern Conference honors with Elyse Bierut and Johansen earning spots on the league's All-Freshman team.

Engel then helped Novotna to the 3,000-meter steeplechase title during the outdoor season and helped Elon claim the event title for the second straight season. Novotna set a new school record in the race with a time of 10:29.28 while Oram also set a new school-record in the 10,000-meters at the prestigious Stanford Invitational with a time of 34:49.59. Oram would earn All-SoCon honors in the 5,000-meters and became the second distance runner under Engel to advance to the NCAA East Preliminaries while Novotna just missed the cut by one spot and a time of .01. Engel also had four members of the team in Elyse Bierut (5,000m), Shelby Cuddeback (10,000m), Kimberly Johansen (1,500m) and Kaitlin Snapp (steeplechase) earn SoCon All-Freshman team honors. Novotna was also selected to compete for her native Czech Republic in the 2014 European Championships competing against some of the top athletes in Europe.

2012-13

In 2012, Engel's guidance helped the women's program tie its best finish at the SoCon Championships with a second-place standing, just four points shy of the league crown. Seven combined records were broken in both the women's 5K and 6K runs with six runners earning All-SoCon accolades. Elyse Bierut, Tereza Novotna and Allyson Oram all earned a spot on the All-SoCon second team with Bierut, Caroline McCaslin and Kaitlin Snapp making the All-SoCon Freshman Team. The women also had its highest ever finish at the Southeast Regional meet with a 16th place finish overall.

Engel coached Luis Vargas to the best finish by a Elon male at the SoCon championships with a sixth place overall standing and a spot on the All-SoCon first team. It was the first time that a Phoenix male runner had made all-league first team since entering Division I competition. The men's program also captured the team title at its home meet, the Elon Invitational.

Both the men's and women's programs earned All-Academic status for the fourth straight season by the USTFCCCA. 11 total members were also recognized on the SoCon's All-Academic team.

During the indoor track season, Allyson Oram established a new school-record in the 3,000-meter run, while Tereza Novotna and Caroline McCaslin each were named to the SoCon's All-Freshman team.

More edits were made to the record book during the outdoor season as Oram set school-records in both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter run while McCaslin established a new program-best in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. At the SoCon Outdoor Championships, the Phoenix swept the podium in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with McCaslin (1st), Novotna (2nd) and Emily Tryon (3rd) taking home All-SoCon honors. Oram also was placed on the All-SoCon team in the 5,000-meters.

Engel's guidance helped McCaslin become the first Elon athlete to qualify for the NCAA Preliminary round for the first time since 2011 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

2011-12

In 2011, Engel saw her runners set new school records in both the women’s 5K and the men’s 8K, as well as posting the top four times on the women’s all-time performance list. Five runners earned all-conference honors at the Southern Conference Championships as the women finished third and the men claimed sixth. Engel coached Luis Vargas to 10th place, the second-best finish by an Elon male at the SoCon championships, as he earned spots on the All-SoCon second team and the All-SoCon Freshman Team. Allyson Oram and Morgan Denecke earned All-SoCon second team honors with Sean Magee and Haylee Dawe also making the All-SoCon Freshman Team.

During the 2012 indoor track season, Haylee Dawe made the SoCon All-Freshman team in both the 3000m and 5000m run at the league championships while Allyson Oram set a new school record in the 3000m under Engel's guidance. Oram received all-legue honors during the outdoor season in the 5K and 10K races while Jenny Gallagher was placed on the All-Freshman team in the steeplechase.

2010-11

During the 2010 cross country season, four of Engel’s freshman earned spots on the Southern Conference All-Freshmen Team.

On the indoor track in 2011, Engel’s runners set new school records in the 800-meter and 3,000-meter runs, as well as the Distance Medley Relay. Freshmen Julie Hart and Allyson Oram turned in Southern Conference All-Freshmen performances at the conference championships, while Oram also earned All-Southern Conference honors.

During the outdoor season, new school records came in the 800-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. At the outdoor conference championships, Engel coached Emily Tryon and Emily Fournier to second and third place finishes in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, as both runners earned all-conference honors. Engel also helped Hart to success on the outdoor track as she finished third in the 1,500-meter run for all-conference and all-freshmen honors, as well as all-freshmen honors in the 800-meter run. Oram also earned all-freshmen honors outdoors with a strong performance in the 5,000-meter run.

2009-10

The women’s team earned its highest-ever conference finish when it ran to a second place-finish at the SoCon Championship. The team was just one point away from sharing the team title. Four runners received all-conference honors, with Beeler garnering first-team accolades and Fournier earning a spot on the second team. Denecke and Sullivan Parkes were each named to the all-freshman team. Following its performance at the conference meet, the Elon women’s team earned its first-ever regional ranking by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association with a ranking of 15th.

The men’s team tied its highest conference finish with a fifth-place performance at the Southern Conference Championship. Matt Richardson became the first Elon men’s runner to earn All-Southern Conference honors when he was placed on the second team after an 11th-place finish. It was also the first time since 1996 that a member of the Elon men’s cross country team earned a spot on an all-conference squad. Engel coached Justin Gianni to school-record times in both the 8K and the 10K during the 2009 season.

Engel coached Beeler to all-conference accolades in both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter runs with runner-up finishes during the 2010 indoor track season. Tryon and Denecke were named to the Southern Conference All-Freshmen team with strong performances in the mile run and 3,000-meter run, respectively.

During the 2010 indoor track season, Engel saw Beeler set two new school records at the Southern Conference Championship. She set the 3,000-meter record on the first day of the meet with a time of 10:13.24. Beeler followed that performance with a record-breaking time of 17:42.11 in the 5,000-meter run on the final day of the SoCon meet, giving her two all-conference performances.

Elon’s success continued during the 2010 outdoor track season, as three new distance records were broken. Fournier broke her own school record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 10:07.50, while Beeler’s time of 17:23.12 broke the Elon record in the 5,000-meter run. Allyson Costa shattered the former 10K record, which had stood since 2008, by over a minute, crossing the finish line in 37:00.55. Beeler went on to become Elon’s first-ever distance runner to take home an individual title at the SoCon Championship. Her all-conference time of 37:27.42 beat the field by 24 seconds. Beeler and Fournier each earned All-Southern Conference honors in the 5,000-meter run. The distance runners also had a strong showing at the conference meet in the steeplechase, as Fournier took home all-conference honors, while Tryon was named to the league’s all-freshmen team.

2008-09

In her first year, Engel coached runners Fournier and Melanie Reyer to All-Southern Conference cross country honors. Fournier earned first-team accolades and Reyer was included on the all-freshman team. Engel coached the women’s team to four Elon top 10 times, including the third-best time in school history. On the men’s side, Engel helped the team to seven of Elon’s top-10 times, including then-school records in both the 8K and the 10K.

During the 2009 indoor track season, Engel saw Elon runners set new school records in the 1,000-meter and 3,000-meter run. She also helped Costa to all-freshman honors in the 5K.

In the outdoor season, Engel guided the distance runners to school records in the 3,000-meter run, 5,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She also coached Fournier to all-conference honors in both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000-meter run, Costa to all-freshman honors in the 10K and Madison Russo to all-freshman accolades in the 1,500-meter run.

Prior to Elon

Prior to coming to Elon, Engel spent one year as the assistant cross country and track and field coach at Columbia University where she helped guide three student-athletes to All-Ivy League honors in cross country and two to All-Northeast Region accolades. She also coached Carmen Ballard to All-American honors and a 23rd-place NCAA finish in cross country. Her runners obtained five qualifying marks for the 2008 NCAA East Regional Track Championships as well.

Prior to her stint at Columbia, Engel spent three years as the assistant men’s and women’s cross country and track and field coach at the University of San Francisco. During her time there, both the men’s and women’s programs turned in the most successful seasons in program history and achieved two runner-up finishes at the West Coast Conference Championships.

Nine runners earned first-team all-conference accolades while Engel coached Jeannine Hagedorn to the highest conference and NCAA Regional finish in USF history. Two of her athletes were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team.

Engel has also coached the Impala Racing Team, one of America’s top all-women’s club teams, where she helped six athletes qualify for the 2008 Olympic trials in the marathon.

She spent three years as the head cross country and indoor and outdoor track coach at West Morris Central High School in Chester, N.J. During her tenure at West Morris, Engel earned Morris Indoor Track Coach of the Year honors following the 2001-02 campaign from the Newark Star Ledger. She also received the 2003 Cross Country Coach of the Year award from the same publication. Engel produced four all-state performers, 34 all-conference choices, 11 all-area selections and 17 all-county honorees in her three years at West Morris.

A two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection at Clemson University, Engel was a member of the Tigers’ school record-setting 4x800-meter relay, distance medley relay and 4x1500-meter relay teams. She competed on Clemson’s ACC champion distance medley relay squad.

Engel fills the Tigers’ record books, ranking in the top-five in the 800-meter run and sixth in the mile and owning the Littlejohn Coliseum record for the 800 meters. Her standout career was recognized with her inclusion on the Clemson University Athletic Wall of Fame.

A highly decorated prep star in New Jersey, Engel earned All-American honors at Mount Olive High School. She was named the 1992 Gatorade Athlete of the Year for New Jersey and was a six-time New Jersey Meet of Champions winner in the 1600 meter-run. During her senior season, Engel was ranked second in the nation in the mile run by Track and Field News. Following her prep career, Engel was selected as one of New Jersey’s “Track and Field Athletes of the Decade.”

Engel earned her bachelor’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management from Clemson in 1996.

One of my son's high school teammates committed to run for Elon this fall. If I were her, I'd be pretty ticked if the coach who recruited me left for greener pastures just as the season is starting.

I hope your son's high school teammate picked Elon for more than the coach or your son's high school teammate made a bad decision.

because someone should set aside career opportunities all for the feelings of a runner…opportunities that don't come around often. Life happens, coaches move, it is their career after all.

If he wants to run for this coach he can ask for a release and go to Duke. They are academically very similar.

Anyone ever explained why Jermyn left?

Bleu wrote:

If he wants to run for this coach he can ask for a release and go to Duke. They are academically very similar.

No they aren't. Duke is a much better school academically than Elon.

Huh?? wrote:

Bleu wrote:

If he wants to run for this coach he can ask for a release and go to Duke. They are academically very similar.

No they aren't. Duke is a much better school academically than Elon.

No. Shot putt.

friday night runner wrote:

One of my son's high school teammates committed to run for Elon this fall. If I were her, I'd be pretty ticked if the coach who recruited me left for greener pastures just as the season is starting.

Your son's h.s. Teammate should've read the NLI: he signed with Elon, not with the coach.

Bleu wrote:

If he wants to run for this coach he can ask for a release and go to Duke. They are academically very similar.

If you think this there is a 100% chance you went to Elon (or you're just misinformed).

I'd be ticked too but at the same time it's all in the game of college cross country. Coaches leave all the time and the other poster is right- you pick a coach, not a college.

Moreover, the new coach at Elon will have left his/her team even later in the process. How could anyone live with that?

It happens.

And since this is LetsRun, we should add Engel was a terrible coach who only got the Duke job because of 1) discrimination against white men 2) networking.

The best advice for your son's is friend to 1) Run more miles 2) Run on his own if the team ever does anything he doesn't like, and 3) move up in distance, and he's sure to be at least a NCAA finalist, regardless of, and probably in spite of whomever his coach will be at Elon.

Good grief the Duke douche has returned.

Cali Guy wrote:

Moreover, the new coach at Elon will have left his/her team even later in the process. How could anyone live with that?

It happens.

And since this is LetsRun, we should add Engel was a terrible coach who only got the Duke job because of 1) discrimination against white men 2) networking.

The best advice for your son's is friend to 1) Run more miles 2) Run on his own if the team ever does anything he doesn't like, and 3) move up in distance, and he's sure to be at least a NCAA finalist, regardless of, and probably in spite of whomever his coach will be at Elon.

"He's sure to be at least NCAA Finalist" - Cali Guy

Yes, because running more miles and moving up in distance gaurentees everyone a spot at the NCAA Championship, yes, cause we've all been through that before, and this is "AT LEAST" because more miles and moving up in distance means those shoe companies are going to come crawling on your home track

Cali Guy wrote:

Moreover, the new coach at Elon will have left his/her team even later in the process. How could anyone live with that?

It happens.

And since this is LetsRun, we should add Engel was a terrible coach who only got the Duke job because of 1) discrimination against white men 2) networking.

The best advice for your son's is friend to 1) Run more miles 2) Run on his own if the team ever does anything he doesn't like, and 3) move up in distance, and he's sure to be at least a NCAA finalist, regardless of, and probably in spite of whomever his coach will be at Elon.

"He" would have a tough time running for Elon, since they only sponsor Women's XC and Track and Field.....

They sponsor men's cross country as well.

Bleu wrote:

If he wants to run for this coach he can ask for a release and go to Duke. They are academically very similar.

Are you insane? They are nowhere near similar academically. Not even close. Both have very pretty campuses though.

Is Engel actually at Duke? Done deal?