WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - University of Hartford head cross country and track and field coach Kathy Manizza has announced several changes to the programs' coaching staff. Manizza introduced a pair of newcomers, Mike DuPaul and Joe Van Gilder, who will join the track and field staff as part-time assistant coaches. In addition, Nicole Toney, who enters her second season with the Hawks, will remain on the staff as a full-time assistant coach. Third-year coach Peter Koumlelis returns to the staff as a part-time assistant while Elizabeth Foster, a Hartford alum and former distance runner for the Hawks, will embark in her second season on the staff also as a part-time assistant coach.
“I am really excited about this year's coaching staff,” explained Manizza. “This year will be the first time that we will have event-specific coaches for the field events, jumps, throws, relays and mid-distance. The coaching we will be able to offer the athletes in their specific events will be fantastic.”
DuPaul enters his first season as a part-time assistant coach with the Hawks in 2010. A Connecticut native, DuPaul spent two seasons with both the cross country and outdoor track and field teams at the University of Connecticut prior to competing on the Hawks' track and field squads as a post-grad in 2009-10. DuPaul clinched the New England Outdoor title in the 800-meter event last season, becoming the first-ever Hartford male track and field athlete to be crowned a New England Champion. In addition, during his one-year tenure with the Hawks, the mid-distance runner put down a pair of indoor records in the 800-meter and 1,000-meter events while smashing the program's outdoor 800-meter mark and earning America East All-Conference honors in the event. DuPaul earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting at Connecticut before receiving his Masters of Science in accounting and taxation from Hartford. At Hartford, DuPaul will train the squad's mid-distance athletes.
Van Gilder, a former assistant coach at Springfield College, will work with the Hawks' sprinters this upcoming season. At Springfield, Van Gilder was responsible for coaching the men's and women's sprints and relays where he piloted a pair of student-athletes to NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100-meter and 200-meter events. In 2009, Van Gilder was deemed the USTFCCCA New England Division III Men's Assistant Coach of the Year. Van Gilder earned his Bachelor of Science in liberal studies from Southern Connecticut State where he was a four-year member of the track and field teams where he helped the team to three indoor and four outdoor league championships. A two-time IC4A qualifier in the 4x100-meter relay (2002, 2004), Van Gilder also earned All-Conference and All-New England accolades in the event in 2002.
Toney previously served two seasons at Hartford as a part-time assistant coach before joining the coaching staff as a full-time assistant in 2009. Prior to her stints with the Hawks, Toney was an eight-time All-American long jumper and triple jumper at Louisiana State University where she received her degree in psychology in 2004. At LSU, Toney was crowned the 2002 NCAA triple jump national champion and was also an Olympic Trials finalist in the event in 2004. Additionally, the West Hartford native was the high school national champion in the heptathlon while attending Conard High School. At Hartford, Toney primarily assists with the jumps and hurdles.
Koumlelis begins his third season at Hartford after gaining his coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate levels. Koumlelis landed at Hartford by way of Springfield College and South Windsor High School. Koumlelis was a student-athlete at the University of Connecticut where he received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 2003. At Connecticut, he was a member of the indoor track and field team as a weight thrower, and was also a member of the outdoor track and field team as a hammer thrower. Koumlelis will continue working with the Hawks' throwers.
Foster, a 2009 Hartford graduate, returns for her second season with the Hawks, a program and coach with which she is very familiar. The Ellington, Conn. native was a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams. As a distance runner at Hartford, Foster closed out her cross country and track and field careers with impressive senior seasons. In the 2008 cross country season, she led the Hawks at the America East Championship with a 14th place finish in a field of 76, finishing the 5,000-meter course in a personal-best time of 18:15.0. On the track, Foster's senior campaign was highlighted by a pair of outdoor America East titles in the 5,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Her time of 10:43.30 in the 3k steeplechase qualified her for the NCAA East Regionals where she posted a time of 10:54.12 placing 21st overall in her first NCAA Championship appearance. At Hartford, Foster primarily assists with the distance runners while pursuing her Doctorate in physical therapy.
The men's and women's cross country teams kick of the 2010 campaign with the Trinity Invitational on Saturday, September 11. The Hawks will take on the course at Wickham Park in Manchester, Conn.
