Stacie Wentz enters her sixth season at the helm of the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams at Hartford. Since her arrival at Hartford in 2017, she has seen both individual and team-wide success, both on and off the track.
Wentz has made program history in her short time with the Hawks, coaching one United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American, one USTFCCCA Academic All-American, four NCAA qualifiers and seven America East Champions. In addition, 40 school records have gone down during her career.
This past season, Wentz led three student-athletes to All-New England honors, including one New England Champion. Anthony Clavette became the third student-athlete in program history to earn USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete distinctions, joining Terrel Davis (’21) and Elizabeth Lodge (’21).
In four years, Wentz has led five student-athletes to NCAA Regional appearances. Davis became the first male in program history to qualify for the NCAA Regional Championship with an appearance during the 2018 long jump event, he became the first student athlete in Hartford lore to qualify for the NCAA Indoor National Championship two years later in 2020. In addition, Wentz has guided Victor Shapovalov, Samantha Moravsky, Clavette and Lodge each to NCAA Regional appearances.
Under Wentz, two student-athletes have been named Most Outstanding Athletes. Davis was named the America East Most Outstanding Male Field Athlete of the Year for outdoor track and field in 2018, while Lodge earned America East Most Outstanding Female Field Athlete at the 2020 America East Indoor Championships.
In 2021-22, Wentz guided both the men’s and women’s track and field teams to a fifth consecutive USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors ranking 33rd among all other Division I teams. In addition to all the athletic accomplishments, Wentz also seen her program excel in the classroom during her time with the Hawks.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams have earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors every year since Wentz took over. In her first season at Hartford, the women’s track and field teams earned the fifth highest GPA in Division I. In 2019, the men’s cross country team also earned the fifth highest GPA in Division I.
Wentz has also guided five individuals to academic success during her five-years at the helm of the Hawks. During the 2021-22 season, Nelson Wyatt Jr. and Nia Mills were both named America East Presidential Scholar Athletes, while Clavette was named to the America East All-Academic team.
Wentz’s coaching staff has excelled as well under her guidance. After an outstanding 2019-20 indoor season, former Associated Head Coach Daniel Johnson was recognized as the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year in January of 2020, becoming the first coach in program history to earn the accolade.
Wentz came to Hartford after spending three years as the head coach at Assumption. During her time with the Greyhounds, Assumption improved from 23rd in the region to second in women’s cross country, earning the team’s first trip to the NCAA National Championships. Wentz also guided the men’s team to their first NCAA National Championship qualifier in school history.
On the track, the Greyhounds saw 15 student-athletes post NCAA provisional qualifying marks and three student-athletes qualify for the NCAA National Championship. In addition, 40 student-athletes earned USTFCCCA All-Region recognition. The track team also went on to break 75 school records and provide the program its first All-America selection.
Not only did the Greyhounds perform on the track during Wentz’s tenure; they also performed in the classroom. They earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition in each of her four years on the cross country side, while her 2014 women’s track and field squad posted the second-highest GPA in the nation.
Before her stint at Assumption, Wentz served as an assistant men’s and women’s cross country and track & field coach at Johns Hopkins University from 2009-2013. In 2012, the women’s cross country team captured the NCAA Division III National Championship.
During her time at Johns Hopkins, she coached seven NCAA Division III cross country All-Americans, as well as nine Division II track individual All-Americans and one All-America distance medley relay team.
Prior to beginning her coaching career, Wentz was a collegiate runner at Salisbury University (Md.). During her career, she was a two-time National Cross Country Association All-American.
In addition to her coaching and running career, Wentz has worked for US Lacrosse as the program manager of the National Team program. She was also an assistant director of the Shaquille O’Neal CHAMPS/Life Skills Program at Louisiana State University, and a governance intern for the NCAA. Wentz is a former member of the NCAA Division III National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and NCAA Research Committee.
A native of Dallastown, Pa., Wentz graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor of science degree in physical education and a minor in business administration in 2001. She went on to earn her master of science degree in sport management from West Virginia in 2003 with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Additionally, she earned a NCAA postgraduate scholarship for careers in athletics.
