Univ of Montana finalists

Let me get this straight......nobody who applied was "good" enough so they went with somebody who has 0 years coaching experience (unless you count Tuesday All-Comers at Dornblazer) for a D1 Coaching Job?

I played Little Grizzly football and coached little league....maybe I can get spot on Hauck's staff!

What a joke...shows you how much UM Admin cares about Track / Cross Country. I feel bad for the athletes....they should all tranfer to UGF, Carroll, or Rocky where they actually hire coaches with experience.

Let me get this straight......nobody who applied was "good" enough so they went with somebody who has 0 years coaching experience (unless you count Tuesday All-Comers at Dornblazer) for a D1 Coaching Job?

I played Little Grizzly football and coached little league....maybe I can get spot on Hauck's staff!

What a joke...shows you how much UM Admin cares about Track / Cross Country. I feel bad for the athletes....they should all tranfer to UGF, Carroll, or Rocky where they actually hire coaches with experience.

I'll give you credit because it may look like that, but you actually don't have it straight. Their top choices turned them down and everyone else they were looking at didn't seem good enough to hire as a permanent head track/xc coach. Because the the Admin let it drag on so long they didn't have time to go back and find another well-qualified candidate, so instead of settling on someone who may not be a good long term investment they hired an interim coach for one year so they can get a well-qualified coach the following year (and not let this happen again).

While the Admin screwed up big time, I'm actually glad they didn't quickly hire a permanent coach who they obviously felt wasn't initially good enough for the team. And who know, may Babcock will turn out to be a really good coach. I'd rather have an inexperienced (yet very fast and talented) coach than an "experienced" coach who has nothing to show.

In regards to Coach Babcock...does running fast help you as a coach? I understand the idea that some good high-level runners can bring that experience to the coaching table but would you rather have a coach who has run fast in track or cross country and cannot really coach or a coach who may or may not even have run but can coach and train you up to a successful level?

Raton Pass wrote:

In regards to Coach Babcock...does running fast help you as a coach? I understand the idea that some good high-level runners can bring that experience to the coaching table but would you rather have a coach who has run fast in track or cross country and cannot really coach or a coach who may or may not even have run but can coach and train you up to a successful level?

Don't forget that Courtney was coached by Mike McGuire. Not only does she have a good mentor if she needs one, but she's also a very smart girl.

I agree, being a good runner does not automatically make you a good coach but UMontana does not have to choose between the two. Courtney is a fast runner and her ability to coach/train has not been determined yet. You need to come back in a year and see how the team progresses before any judgments can be made...

Montana cross country and track & field programs undergo coaching changes

by: Joel Carlson of the UM Sports Information Department

Wednesday, 08/13/2008

University of Montana Director of Athletics Jim O'Day announced today that the Grizzly cross country and track & field programs will be undergoing a structural change to their coaching staffs. The programs, previously run by head coach Tom Raunig, will now be overseen by a Director of Track and Field, with the added position of cross country/track and field distance coach.

O'Day also announced that Brian Schweyen has accepted the position of Interim Director of Track and Field and Courtney Babcock has been hired as the interim cross country and track & field distance coach.

Harry Clark and Adam Bork, both assistants under Raunig, remain on staff as assistant coaches. Mark Olson and Teri Schuster will remain on staff as part-time assistants.

Raunig announced his resignation, effective at the end of the outdoor season, in March. A national search was conducted for his replacement.

"After careful consideration and following the withdrawal of two candidates from the pool of finalists, we decided this might be a prime opportunity to review our staffing model for track and field and cross country," said O'Day. "We went into the search process looking for one coach to oversee both programs, and during the process it became quite evident that we should re-evaluate and consider making it two positions.

"For a program that accounts for six of our 14 sports, it was important to us to increase the staffing to give our student-athletes more individual attention."

Schweyen was an assistant for Raunig for 10 seasons (1998-2007) before stepping down at the end of the 2007 outdoor season to pursue a full-time art career.

Associate Director of Athletics Jean Gee led the screening committee for Raunig's replacement.

"Bringing Brian back is a coup for our department," she said. "The athletes and coaches know and trust him. We look forward to where his leadership and vision will take our programs in the future."

A former all-America high jumper at Montana State, Schweyen began his coaching career at Montana as a volunteer assistant from 1994 to 1997. During his 10-year, full-time tenure he coached the Grizzlies in the multi-events, pole vault, javelin and jumps.

Schweyen coached his athletes to 38 Big Sky Conference titles in those event areas and guided five athletes to six all-America finishes in the decathlon, javelin and pole vault.

"Though I got out of coaching to pursue my art, I've never lost my attachment to the program," Schweyen said. "I kept my eye on the program last year and watched the progress of the athletes.

"I didn't apply for the head coaching position (last spring) because my art is going well and I've worked hard to get that to where it is. But I didn't want to see the program left hanging and in a tough situation either.

"When Jim first contacted me, I didn't think it was about a job offer. I thought they just wanted my input on what direction I thought the program needed to go. From there, here I am."

Under his director's position, Schweyen will oversee the programs and have limited hands-on coaching.

"Had I applied for and wanted Tom's former position, I'd be doing some coaching," he said. "Now I'll be dealing more with administrative issues and I won't be doing any coaching. One, it takes up too much time. Two, they already have coaches in place who are doing a fantastic job. There is no sense messing with that.

"Having the gallery and my art, I still need to accommodate both areas. I think we created a good situation for the program and myself. The big thing is I won't be as involved with the athletes.

"Tom did a great job in his 12 years here. He got the program turned around and it's been moving forward ever since. I think we can take what he did and continue moving forward by implementing some new things and doing other things a little differently.

"We won't see that improvement right off the bat, but we're going to set some groundwork in place so improvements can come down the road."

Babcock joins the coaching staff as a first-time coach but with a list of credentials that include Canadian national records, Canadian national titles and the 2004 Olympics.

"Courtney's credentials and personal accomplishments will be an incredible asset in coaching our cross country and distance runners," Gee said. "We are fortunate she chose Missoula as her training home."

A native of Chatham, Ontario, Babcock is a 1996 graduate of Michigan. While competing for the Wolverines from 1992-96, she was a one-time NCAA champion (distance medley relay, 1994 NCAA indoor championships), an eight-time All-American in indoor and outdoor distance events, a member of four Big Ten championship teams and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2004. (Note: Babcock's father, Larry, was inducted into the Michigan Hockey Hall of Fame in 1970. He played center for the Wolverines for three seasons [1960-61 to 1962-63], captaining the team his senior year, and was a Montreal Canadians draft pick.)

Babcock moved to Missoula in 1997 to train and compete with the Mountain West Track Club.

Between 2001 and 2003, Babcock won four titles at the annual Canadian Championships, winning two in the 5,000 meters and two in the 10,000 meters.

She had her most successful season of racing in 2003, posting Canadian national records in the 5,000 meters at the IAAF World Championships in Paris, France, and the 10,000 meters at the Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.

Babcock's 5,000-meter time of 14:54.98 placed her eighth at Worlds; her 10,000-meter time of 31:44.76 broke a 15-year-old national record.

Babcock followed her World Championships performance with a 4:01.99 1,500 meters a week later in Brussels, Belgium, the third-fastest 1,500-meter time in Canadian history.

Babcock competed for Canada in both the 1,500 and 5,000 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

"I've thought about coaching, so this is a great opportunity for me," Babcock said. "I'm excited to get back into collegiate athletics and be a part of a competitive program again.

"My biggest concern was being able to balance coaching with the opportunity to continue running professionally, but it looks like it can work. That's good, because working with this program and with these athletes is something I didn't want to pass up.

"It will be a learning process, like any new job is, but I'm pretty confident we can have a good team. I've got a strong background in intercollegiate athletics and training, and I think I can bring that here.

"I'm excited to get started and bring the athletes something different. It's been the same program for a while, and athletes often react well to a different training program, so it will be interesting to see if we can make it better for them."

A national search to fill the two interim positions will be conducted next spring.

What a strange situation

So...hire a guy that admits he's not into coaching and a woman who has never coached before.

Sounds like a Class C high school situation.

You're telling me that out of the 60+ applicants UM couldn't find somebody with experience that really wanted to be a collegaite coach? This is the best they could do?

Way to go UM Admin!

NO, what "we're" telling you is out of the 60+ applicants there were only 2 that the admin felt would have done a good job after doing the final interviews. Those 2 turned them down and the other finalists weren't good enough for UMs liking and since it was so late they didn't have time to go back to the pool. So instead of hiring a mediocre coach they hired interim coaches so they could get a very good coach next year. Good luck to the Griz!

just not true wrote:

"...out of the 60+ applicants there were only 2 that the admin felt would have done a good job after doing the final interviews."

AAAAAAAnd here's your problem. The administrators "felt"... I know for a fact that one of the coaches that they didn't "feel would do a good job" was in fact good enough to be hired on by an SEC school. So let's see, not good enough for a small mid-major in crisis, but good enough to go to war on a daily basis in the SEC? Hmmmm? That hiring committee must really know and love the sport. In the end it's just as well, the coach I am writing about will get a higher quality experience, have more success, and earn more money than if he had ended up in a potential coaches coffin like Montana. Well, more for the rest of us!

Just Not True....I'm afraid your are being idealistic to a fault. I know some of the names that applied and there is NO WAY that UM is better off for the next year with an "artist-first" coach and a first-time coach. Good god....think about it...Pat Tyson vs Babcock? Cmon...get real.

you're funny

Pat Tyson was a candidate, and they passed on him??? That is surprising.

Well...at least Schewyen was up front that he has no interest in coaching and would rather be in anadministrative position that doesn't intefere with his art. Can't blame him that track and field is so low on the totem pole that UM admin could give a hoot.

True story...I am a former UM Track and Cross Country athlete...the coach the preceded Raunig would leave us in the middle of XC for 2 week hunting trips. Imagine if a Basketball or Football coach did that at UM.

UM never has and never will really care what happens in track and field....this sad situation just confirms that.

Actually no, I know for a FACT Pat Tyson was not a candidate and never applied.

Alright,

1. Pat Tyson told me that he was a candidate, but the UM kept dragging their feet and he gave up on them as an option. The truth is that Pat Tyson didn't have the required five years college coaching exp. that the UM asked for and his resume got buried if he actually applied. You never know with Pat...

2. The UM asked for 5 years college coaching exp. which buried many young and upcoming coaches who would have coached the team to the best of their ability. The search committee wanted a three year requirement which would have kept many young coaches in the hunt.

3. A finalist for the Wisconsin job didn't get a set down interview. He would have been wonderful at UM since he already knows the area so well and has had success at CU and WSU.

4. The UM doesn't have a true interest in the Track and Field/Cross Country programs. They would like the programs to be successful, but they are unwilling to fully support the programs. This attitude began with our fromer AD Bill Moos who came from WSU and hated John Chaplin. Moos was a great big sport AD which is why he ended up at UofO and helped turn their Basketball and esp. their Football programs around. His exit from UofO happened right as the school decided recapture Track/XC as their focus.

5. For the haters, UM has a rich distance and track tradition. Refer to the earlier posts from people outling some great distance runners that have ran at UM. For example, David Morris, Dave Gordon, Clint Morrison, Joe Beatty, McChensey, Kenny V., D. Brown, Tom Raunig, Anthony Ford, Scott McGowan, Frank Horn, Shelly Smathers, Sabrina Munroe and numerous Big Sky Champions in distance races...Missoula is a fantastic area to live and train with the only problem being the pollution in the winter.

6. Young distance runners have always been excited about the possibility of running at UM. For example, both of the Torres brothers looked very seriously at coming to UM. In fact, they came on trip to visit the school. "If you build it they will come..." Or, If you support it they will run...

7. Here is how you achieve success at UM: Focus on Distance, Throws and Multi-Events (Dec. and Hep. athletes)... work with the Football program to borrow sprinters and jumpers... If you can score in distance, throws, multi-events with a splash in the the other events. The program will thrive along with the xc program (5k and 10k runners).

8. The new staff is actually a much better option than I had thought that they would end up with... Brian S. was always their first choice!!! He just didn't want the position. He has since changed his mind. Brian has done a great job with his athletes in the past at the Conference and National Championship level. Brian's athletes have always spoke very highly of him.

9. Babcock is unproving, but kind of an exciting choice to coach the female distance runners. She has had tremendous success and has been in Missoula long enough to understand the area and how train in Missoula. She will need help with the guys program. Anders Booker and Casey Jermyn need to step in and help guide the men's team since they are in town and love MT (both are MT grown and out of Plains, MT) and running.

10. Keep the Mountain West TF Program in the loop to create an indoor track and please, please bring back the Mt West XC Meet...

Go Griz!!!

That was a good post and well thought out, thank you. I do know that any applicant who didn't meet the requirements was thrown out, which in hindsight probably wasn't a good idea but that's how it goes. And like you said, how it ended up was probably the best outcome they could have had after the candidates fell through. I don't think I need to say any more since you said it all.