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.