Emory University Men's Cross Country

Curtin joined Emory University as cross country coach at the start of the 1985-86 school year. His belief in individualized training programs has resulted in athletic and academic success for his student-athletes within a team concept. The proof of his excellence is six NCAA Division III men's regional titles from 1999 to 2004 and 10 overall. His women's teams won 13 consecutive regional titles and made 13 straight appearances in the NCAA national championships from 1991 to 2003, highlighted by a best-ever finish of seventh place at the 1997 championships. All totaled, his women's teams at Emory have earned 24 trips to nationals. His men's teams have made 15 appearances at the national championships highlighted by a 12th-place finish in 1986 and 16th place effort in 2003. In 1992, Curtin guided the Emory women's and men's cross country teams to the NCAA national meet, the first time in school history that both teams went to the nationals in the same season. That feat was repeated in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2014. Curtin was named NCAA regional men's cross country Coach of the Year in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009 and 2014 and women's cross country Coach of the Year by the United States Track Coaches Association in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2011. He was named men's Region Coach of the Year by Southregionrunning.com in 2002, 2003 and 2004. In his 30 years at Emory, Curtin has coached 14 cross country All-Americans, 246 all-region performers and 95 all-conference honorees. Twice, he and his assistants have been honored by the University Athletic Association as its cross country "Coaching Staff of the Year." Prior to Emory, Curtin was the head men's cross country and track and field coach at Simpson College (Iowa) from 1979-85. He also coached the Simpson women's cross country and track teams for two years. In 1995, Curtin was inducted into Simpson's Sports Hall of Fame. He is the track and field director for the Atlanta Track Club, a member of the Georgia USA Track & Field (formerly The Athletic Congress), and has served on the NCAA track and field committee. For a number of years, Curtin has coordinated the invitation of elite runners for Atlanta's "Peachtree Road Race," one of the world's largest 10,000-meter race.  From 1992 through 2009,  Curtin served  as a television commentator for the Peachtree race for which he won a regional Emmy award, along with others members of the broadcast crew, for "Outstanding Achievement in Live Sports Programming." In 1991, Curtin received his highest TAC honor when he was selected as head coach for the USA Women's National Ekiden Team that competed in Yokohama, Japan. He spent the spring and summer of 1996 as the assistant competition director for track & field at the Atlanta Olympic Games. Curtin is a 1974 graduate of Drake University (Iowa) and earned his master's degree from Drake in 1984.

Harden was named assistant cross country and track and field coach in June of 2014.   Harden joins the Eagles program after a three-year stint (2011-14) as assistant cross country and track and field coach at Williams College (MA).  He helped the women's cross country team to a national runner-up finish in 2013, a fourth-place performance in 2012 and a third-place effort in 2011.  During that time, the men's cross country team placed fifth at nationals in 2013, 12th in 2012 and sixth in 2011. He helped coach Chiara Del Piccolo to a first-place finish in the 2011 NCAA Women's Cross Country Championships, and also mentored Brian McGrail, a Rhodes Scholarship recipient in 2013.   Harden played a role in producing six NESCAC Team titles (four cross country, two track and field), six New England Regional Championships (three cross country, two indoor track and field, one outdoor track and field), 19 All-Americans, and seven Williams school records.  He was on the 2014 NESCAC Womens Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year.   Prior to Williams, Harden served as a volunteer assistant coach of mens cross country and track at Davidson College (2010-11), where he helped the Wildcats run four of the top ten 8K cross country times in school history, break five school records, achieve seven All-Southern Conference awards, and win SoCon individual titles in the 800m and 1500m.   A native of Pittsboro, NC, Harden graduated from Davidson College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy. "All of us with Emory Track and Cross Country are thrilled that Lance has accepted our position as Assistant Cross Country and Track Coach, Curtin stated.  Lance is a bright and personable guy who connected with everyone when he came to campus.  His combination of championship-caliber experience both as a runner at Davidson College and as an assistant coach at Williams College make him a great fit for the team we are building here at Emory.  As a student-athlete at Davidson, Harden was an eight-time First Team All-Southern Conference performer while competing in cross country and indoor and outdoor track, and was the leagues 10,000-meter champion in 2009.  By the time his career had concluded, he owned four school records. Harden is certified USATF Level II.