Top-10 Coaching Jobs in Women's NCAA Division I in 2011

Good post. I completely agree with your 1-2 picks. But why Michigan at 3? I think Wetmore deserves to be number 3.

This is a good list. A few comments:

I'd vote to move Cleary of West Virginia further up. Also hard to leave out the coaches at Villanova (Gina P) and Washington (Metcalf). I think a lot of people expected a big drop with Villanova yet they are still in the hunt. And Washington has come on great since the Notre Dame meet. Another to consider is Notre Dame, which has returned to prominence fairly quickly.

I don't think Duesing is the head coach at Cornell anymore as their web-site said he moved to part-time status this summer (Rich Bowman is in charge of the program now) and it wasn't their first-ever Ivy title as Lou's teams were very strong in the 1990s. But they did have a great season and deserve mention.

I wouldn't call Tracy or his team a bust. After 22 straight years of making it, they were bound to have some bad luck - very hard to call any of that Ray's fault or anyone's for that matter. But they have to feel terrible about not being in Terre Haute.

It'll be interesting to see how this Monday goes and if it will impact your list.

I concur on Treacy, it was known he had a 'thin' team. One of his top two gets hurt and cannot run to her true level (58th at Regionals) and Sisson gets strep at the wrong time (I got strep at time in college). Otherwise, they don't just make the Big Dance, they win the Regional..

I must say, the OP's post is pretty darn good. Note that while normally the winner of the Regional gets Regional coach of the year, Vanderbilt's Keith was accorded that honor, in keeping with the OP's high opinion of a job well done.

Finally, so far this is a pretty good thread, keep it up.

fox at syracuse. women have won the northeast regional the last three years and finished program high 10th at nationals last year. he deserves to be on that list.

Gina most certainly deserves a #2 nod. And Karen should be #1 for all practicle purposes.

Greg doesn't actually coach the women at Washington and anyone close to the program knows they've bounced back in large part due to their new leader Lauren D.

I think the OP is laying out the coaches that have exceeded expectations and have peaked their teams properly. Fox was suppose to be good this year. He did a great job but I think that list is people who have seemingly outcoached everyone.

For sure those programs on the initial list have exceeded expectations and all deserve the mention they got from the OP. But getting a team to do well when the target is on their back also means job well done.

So I have to agree with Fox of Syracuse being included, now that that program has been mentioned. One of the hardest things in coaching is to have people live up to (or exceed) expectations, especially when they are already very good. Syracuse had won the Northeast the previous two years and they did it again....not easy! And at the same time, who honestly thought their women would win it again this year with such a loaded Providence team? So you could argue Syracuse both continued a run of excellence AND exceeded expectations. Kudos to Fox and the team at Syracuse!

Again, I'd love to see how this list might change after next week although programs like Providence, Cornell, UNC, and Florida deserve to be there this weekend and don't get a say in the outcome.

I would definitely agree with the last poster. I wasn't thinking along those terms. But I agree. I am impressed with the OP's original list.

I would think that New Mexico women should added to this list. Just tied Colorado for regional title and a real threat to place high at NCAA even despite losing one of top five. Seem to be peaking at right time

I have to disagree on New Mexico. Not a whole lot of actual coaching going on. Who have they developed?

i concurr . wrote:

I have to disagree on New Mexico. Not a whole lot of actual coaching going on. Who have they developed?

New Mexico was ranked #2 and receiving first place votes in the initial poll. They haven't been close to that level all year, so hard to say it was a great coaching job.

For this type of question it can be useful to take the rankings for each 'week' ranked by initial rank and look how the numbers change over the course of the season. You can do the sort from the other end as well. Both can give you insights but they will be pretty similar.

As for things that mess this up (but not too much). One example is Providence; despite the injury to #1/#2 Greany, if Sisson runs at normal level, she finishes at (or almost at) the top and Providence qualifies, and I think they might have actually won the Regional. I would not pass out too much of a reward to Fox if the reason he won was someone was sick. For using moving up in the rankings, however, that would only be one team they would move ahead of and not change the general story line.

I might average the preseason poll and the first one because one reason for changes is runners are identified as not competing etc.

I think Georgetown coach Chris Miltenberg deserves a spot on that list. I know that Georgetown started the season #1 but nobody talks about all the key injuries they have suffered. The Hoyas have lost three of their top returning runners in Katie McCafferty (13th in Big East 2010, 89th NCAA 2008, 119th NCAA 2010), Madeline Chambers (8th Big East 2010, 8th Mid Atlantic 2010, 36th at 2010 NCAA and named Cross Country All American) and Rachel Schneider (All-American and finalist in outdoor 1500m 2010). Madeline, in particular, was a huge blow. She was the best freshman in the Big East last season and at NCAAs finished behind Sisson but ahead of classmates Shalaya Kipp and Katie Flood. So Georgetown lost 3 of their top runners and Coach Miltenberg still has them in contention for a podium finish. And he still got enough out of the team that Georgetown had 7 runners better than Villanova's 5th even without the aformentioned 3. That's a job well done!

P.S. Alot of that comes from the steady improvement of the three freshman Katrina Coogan, Annamarie Maag and Hannah Neczypor (the top 3 freshman at the midatlantic region)

Artie Smith is Cornell Women's XC coach. Lou was the Head Coach, he stepped down and Rich Bowman is the new head coach but Artie handles the Cross Country and long distance. Lou is phasing himself out to make room for new blood.

Certainly need to add Kevin Germain and Pete Watson to the lists of busts as well as Florida. I would like to see a couple of those midmajor coaches get an opportunity like that to see what they can do.

busting out wrote:

Certainly need to add Kevin Germain and Pete Watson to the lists of busts as well as Florida. I would like to see a couple of those midmajor coaches get an opportunity like that to see what they can do.

Jermyn's team at Duke finished 17th last year at NCAA's. Only their 7th girl at NCAA's last year was listed as a senior.

Watson's team at UNC finished 14th last year at NCAA's. None of their roster at NCAA's last year was listed as a senior.

Both teams should have the depth on their roster to make NCAA's nearly every year.....especially Duke which probably is putting more money into distance than UNC. UNC was fortunate to get Schaff as a transfer to give them a low stick in XC but that apparently wasn't enough for them this year.

unc women and Florida women got worked by the system. Both those teams should be racing in terre haute. UNC women were third in the region and beat 7 of the at large teams head to head lost to 3 (stanford cal and Oregon)and didn't race 3 (wvu penn state annd weber state)

The only other teams they lost 2 all autoed from their region including 4 at the acc championships

Not true. If they had all those wins they would be in the meet.

at Wisconsin UNC beat these 7 at large teams Wisconsin Toledo notre dame byu Minnesota san francisco Arizona state

At acc they lost fsu boston college uva nc state (all autos)

Duke I believe red shirted a couple girls this fall yo load up for next year.

Wetmore keith Cleary fox and harvey my pick for top 5 coaches this fall