Eastern Michigan University Men's Track

Goodridge Head Men's Track/XC Coach The 2016-17 campaign marks the 16th season for John Goodridge as the head cross country and track & field coach at Eastern Michigan University, and the veteran coach has certainly enjoyed an outstanding coaching career. With EMUs Mid-American Conference championships in 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,2014, and 2015, Goodridge has also coached conference cross country championship teams in the MAC, Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference.      Since arriving at EMU 16 seasons ago, he has coached two NCAA National Championship top-three individuals including 2001 National Champion Boaz Cheboiywo, six cross country All-Americans, four NCAA Great Lakes Regional Individual Champions, nine American Conference Individual Champions and 49 All-MAC harriers. 2015 marked one of the most successful campaigns for the Eagles, as the team had their best NCAA Regional finish in 13 years. Specifically, the Green and White finished third with a total of 102 points, including an eighth-place finish by Nick Raymond, who also went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships.  The squad, which had three All-Region honorees, claimed their sixth-consecutive MAC title, winning with 26 points. Raymond also captured the individual title after edging out teammate Willy Fink. In total, the team had three harriers earn First Team All-MAC honors and four earn second team honors. Goodridge also captured his tenth Coach of the Year award in the process. The 2014 campaign was a banner year for Goodridges squad, as the Eagles won  their fifth consecutive MAC Championship, a feat which had only ever been accomplished one other time in EMU history.  The squad tied a MAC record of 23 points, the other team to amass so few points being the 2006 Eagles.  Willy Fink was crowned the 2015 MAC Champion, and he delivered a 1-2 jab with Lahsene Bouchikhi in the runner-up spot.  Hlynur Andresson and Nick Raymond also earned All-MAC First Team honors, while Warren Witchell was named to the second team.    Coach Goodridge was honored as the MAC Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career, and became the winningest coach in MAC history with 10 championships to his programs credit. Goodridge was privileged enough to celebrate his birthday with a 2013 MAC Championship and the honor of MAC Coach of the Year, which puts EMUs head man just one off a tie with legendary head coach Bob Parks with nine distinctions.  The Eagles earned their fourth straight and 18th overall title in school history with 42 points, led by seniors Grzegorz Kalinowski and Harry Dixon in third and fifth, respectively, for All-MAC First Team honors.  Fink and Witchell garnered Second Team accolades.  The Eagles went on to place 10th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional with 295 points. The 2012 Eagles claimed the programs third straight  conference championship, the 17th overall in school history. Goodridge earned  his  eighth  MAC  Coach of the Year award, putting him only one behind of EMU legendary coach, Bob Parks. Terefe Ejigu and Daryl Smith claimed the top two spots at the MAC Championships with Ejigu crossing the  finish line first. Both Eagles were named First Team All-MAC while Harry Dixon picked up Second Team All-MAC accolades.      The 2011 season marked the seventh time in Goodridges storied career that he would garner the MAC Coach of the Year award. Under Goodridge, the Eagles claimed their second consecutive MAC title, and sixth in the past seven years. , as the Eagles were paced by All-MAC first teamer Terefe Ejigu, and second teamer Daryl Smith.      In 2010, Goodridges talented squad made its return atop the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championship podium after the Eagles combined for the field-best  66 points. Sophomore All-MAC and All-Region selection Terefe Ejigu became just the 14th runner in EMU cross country history to take home the individual MAC championship. True freshman Harry Dixon also garndered All-MAC honors,  while teammates Ejigu, Matt Hammersmith, Austin Hendrix, and Andrew Pfeiffer were named to the Academic All-MAC Squad,      Despite going into the 2009 season with four straight MAC titles, the Eagles went into the year without a clear No. 1 runner. However, Goodridges solid recruiting class and veterans such as Curtis Vollmar and Hammersmith allowed the Eagles to finish second overall at the MAC Championship in Athens, Ohio, where three runners earned all-league accolades. Goodridge also had two runners pick up All-Region honors in Vollmar and then-freshman Ejigu.      In 2008, Goodridge captured his fifth MAC title and EMUs fourth league championship in-a-row. He was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career and led the Eagles to a seventh place finish at the NCAA Regional for the second straight season.      In 2007, Goodridges Eagles had another outstanding season, claiming their third straight MAC Championship title, the schools 13th overall. Additionally, Josh Perrin won the individual MAC title in a time of 24:33. Five of Goodridges athletes were selected to All-MAC teams (Perrin, Josh Karanja, David Brent, Vollmar and Kyle Mena), while three were selected Academic All-MAC (Brent, Karanja and Wade Wines). Karanja earned a spot at the NCAA Championship meet after finishing eighth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship, the best performance by any MAC runner.      The 2006 season was a banner year for Goodridge and his harriers. They repeated as MAC Champions and had the lowest point total ever by an Eagle team at the MAC meet. Six Eagles claimed All-MAC honors while senior Corey Nowitzke was the top finisher at both the MAC Championship and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. He finished 30th overall at the NCAA National Championships and was named an All-American and Academic All- American.      In 2005, EMU captured its 11th MAC Championship title. Nowitzke and Neal Naughton finished second and fifth, respectively. The Eagles went on to place fifth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship to qualify for the NCAA Championship, where they finished 24th, with Nowitzke as the top runner.      In 2002, after finishing second at the MAC Championship, the Eagles redeemed themselves by finishing third at the NCAA Championship, the highest place ever in school history.      In his first season at the helm of the Eastern Michigan mens cross country program, Goodrige directed the Eagles to a first-place showing at the MAC Championship. Additionally, Boaz Cheboiywo won the individual title at the NCAA Championship, the first ever by an Eastern harrier.      Prior to coming to EMU, Goodridge was the head mens track and field and cross country coach at Wake Forest University from 1984-99 where he led the Demon Deacons to unparalleled success in the schools cross country and track and field history. He spent three years, 1979-82, as the head womens cross country coach and assistant track coach at Michigan State University. He also served as the head United States national coach at the 1985 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, and in 1986 as the head United States coach at the World University Cross Country Championship in Graz, Austria.      At Wake Forest, Goodridge coached the second-most Atlantic Coast Conference championships of all sports in their history, and he coached the first ACC cross country team championship in school history as well as the first individual cross country champion. His 1989 Wake Forest cross country squad achieved the highest finish in that sports school history-it was third in the NCAA Championships, an ACC record. His Wake Forest cross country team finished first or second in the ACC for 10 consecutive years, winning four league titles, making seven NCAA appearances, and producing 35 All-ACC performers and four cross country All-Americans. In track, his team turned in the highest finish ever for Wake Forest in the ACC with a runner-up spot and eighth-place NCAA finish.     Goodridge has coached the best cross country teams in school history at Michigan State (women-fourth place NCAA National Championships), Wake Forest University (men-third place NCAAs and first ever ACC Championship) and now EMU (third place NCAA National Championships). He is one of a small group of active coaches who have coached more than two top-three NCAA team national finishes. A native of New York City, Goodridge graduated from Long Island University in 1972 and earned his masters degree from the University of Michigan in 1975. During his many years of involvement in coaching cross country, he has been an officer of national organizations, including serving as the vice president of the U.S. Mens Collegiate Cross Country Coaches Association and a founder of the American Distance Club.

Roberts Assistant Coach The 2015-16 season marks the fourth season for  former Eagle Sterling Roberts as an assistant coach with the Eastern Michigan University mens track and field team. He will coach sprints, hurdles, horizontal jumps, and high jump. In 2014, Roberts saw his star triple jumper Donald Scott earn All-America First Team honors in both the indoor and outdoor campaign, finishing second at the NCAA Indoor Championships and third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.  His relay teams also had tremendous success outdoors, both qualifying to the NCAA East Regional for the second consecutive season.  Most notably, the lineup of Kevin Snead, Cameron Bolton, Matthew Williams, and Pedro Delgado broke Eastern's 4x100m relay record en route to a victory at the MAC Championships in 39.95 seconds.  Roberts also guided Tyler Brown to his second 400m MAC title outdoors, while he recorded the second-fastest 400m mark in school history during the indoor campaign.   Roberts had a standout year during the 2013-14 campaign, as he was named the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.  Under his tutelage, Brown had an outstanding freshman campaign after being crowned MAC champion in the 400m during both the indoor and outdoor seasons as well as running on the winning indoor 4x400m and outdoor 4x100m and 4x400m relays.  Brown was later named the MVP for the MAC Outdoor Championships.  The 4x100m relay team of Brown, Bolton, Jeff Elam, and Chris Scott broke the EMU record at the Drake Relays, April 26, with a time of 39.98 seconds, marking the first time an Eagle lineup had ever crossed the 40-second barrier.  The 4x400m team of Bolton, Brown, Elam, and Mason Waynes turned in the second-fastest time in EMU history at the NCAA East Regional and went on to take 13th at the NCAA Championships with all four athletes garnering Second Team All-America honors.  Roberts continued to train Brown as he went to compete in the USA Junior National Championships, in which he took home gold in the 400m with a lifetime-best time of 45.74 seconds.  Brown represented the USA at the 2014 Junior World Championships, taking eighth in the 400m while the 4x400m relay team took home the gold medal. Ive known Sterling since he was an athlete at EMU and was impressed with his competitiveness in training and competition. I admire his efforts to develop professionally as he has been successful as a head high school coach, Division III assistant coach and most recently as a Division I assistant coach at the University of Illinois, commented EMU Head Track and Field Coach John Goodridge of Roberts. Roberts graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2003 where he was a four-year varsity track student-athlete. He competed as a sprinter and hurdler who specialized in the 400-meter hurdles. Roberts was a two-time All-MAC award winner, while he also was a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that won a MAC Championship in 2002. He later earned his masters degree from Defiance in 2011. Most recently, Roberts worked as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Illinois where he assisted with the development and modification of the training program for male sprinters, hurdlers, and jumpers. He coached four different NCAA Preliminary Qualifiers. Prior to his year at Illinois, Roberts was an assistant coach at Defiance College from 2009-11. While at Defiance, he was charged with recruitment of male/female jumpers, hurdlers, and sprinters, including assisting in establishing a database for coordinating recruiting among all coaches. He also coached an NCAA Division III national qualifier in the pole vault, high jump, and decathlon. Roberts also has coached at the high school level as he was the head coach of the Wakefield High School track and field programs in Raleigh, N.C. While at Wakefield, he coached five high school All-Americans including the Nike Indoor National 200m champion.

Manz has built up a large, successful group from less than a handful in the last fiveyears.  His group improved drastically, scoring zero points at conference meets in 2011 and most recently 69.5 points in 2014.   The 2014 campaign was a strong one for the throws and multis at Eastern.  Indoors, Anthony Jones had a breakthrough season in the weight throw by shattering a 17-year-old record and earning a berth to the NCAA Championships, where he garnered Second Team All-America honors.  Additionally, Solomon Ijah won his first heptathlon title in EMU history, breaking his own record set in 2013.  Ijah swept the multi events for the year when he went 1-2 with Levi Selvig in the decathlon during the outdoor campaign, breaking EMU's varsity standard and recording the third-best score in the nation leading up to the NCAA Championships.  Keith Williams paced the throws group, qualifying to the NCAA East Regional in both the hammer throw and shot put, as he broke his own Eastern record in the former and recorded the fifth-farthest shot put in school history. Prior to his arrival at Eastern Michigan University, Manz coached his student-athletes at the University of Findlay to 13 NCAA provisional qualifying marks, 3 NCAA automatic qualifying marks, and two All-American awards. One of his student-athletes, Derrick Vicars, went on to become the 2010 Division II National Champion in the discus. Prior to coaching at Findlay, Manz spent two years training for the 2008 Olympic Trials while assisting four-time Olympian Jud Logan at Ashland University. Manz, a successful collegiate and professional athlete, spent much of his early career juggling the duties of an athlete and a coach. His college career was highlighted by four school records, three All-American awards, multiple All-Academic awards, and the 2004 Big Ten Medal of Honor award. Manz also competed post-collegiately for five years, spending summers competing in Europe and South America, making two Olympic Trials, one Olympic Trials final, and finishing with a best shot put throw of 667, the farthest by any born and raised Michigander all-time. In high school, Manz was a standout at Ogemaw Heights High School in West Branch, MI, where he brought home two state titles, the 1999 Discus State Championship (176) and the 1997 Football State Championship. Manz earned a B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University in 2004 and is finishing up his M.S. in Exercise Physiology at Eastern Michigan University. He and his wife, Beth, currently reside in Ypsilanti, MI.