Harvard University Women's Cross Country

Wales-Dinan coached the women's cross country team to a 6th place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional. Courtney Smith '18 had a breakout season finishing 16th at the Wisconsin Invite in a Harvard historical best of 20:04 for 6k. She finished 3rd at the Ivy League Championships, the highest finish for a Crimson woman since 1989. Smith then earned All-Region honors with her 5th place finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional, qualifying her individually for the NCAA Championships. The track campaign saw All-America performances from Smith in the indoor 10,000 meters and from Paige Kouba in the 3,000 steeplechase. Both women went on to compete at the USATF Olympic Trials, and helped Harvard climb to a program- and Ivy-best No. 10 national ranking during the season. Smith posted the ninth-fastest 10,000-meter run in NCAA history, while the men's middle distance team saw two school records broken by Myles Marshall '19 and a pair of Heps championships in the 4x800 relay, which is the first sweep in the event in program history. During the 2014-15 campaign Wales-Dinan mentored six athletes who earned 7 USTFCCCA All-Academic honors and coached athletes to 5 school records. Molly Renfer set the school record at 1500m running 4:18.25 and also help the indoor distance medley relay set a school record of 11:18.73. Paige Kouba also had a breakout campaign capturing 3rd place at the Ivy League Championships in the steeplechase and setting a school record of 10:15.81 in the process. Freshman Coutrney Smith also set freshman records in the indoor 5k and outdoor 10k. The latter earning her a 3rd place finish at the Ivy League Championships. In total Harvard women had 7 middle and long distance entries at the NCAA Prelims, while the womens team defended their indoor and outdoor Heps Championships. Prior to Harvard Wales-Dinan was the mens and womens cross country coach at Long Beach State University. While at Long Beach State, Wales-Dinans athletes complied 32 top 10 performances and 7 school records. He coached 10 All-Conference Athletes and 6 NCAA Qualifiers and 2 All-Americans. During the 2014 track and field season Chris Low earned 1st team All-American honors in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Low finished 7th in the 800m finals and broke the school record in the 800m when he ran 1:47.52 at the NCAA Prelims in Arkansas. Wales-Dinan also guided Chris Enriquez to a birth in the NCAA Finals 10,000m. Both Low and Enriquez were the first middle or long distance men in Long Beach St. history to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Low also won a conference title in the 800m and garnered individual victories at the Stanford Invitational, Drake Relays and a runner-up finish at the Mt. Sac relays. Additionally Enriquez broke the 36 year old 5000m record when he ran 14:07.30 and ran 29:12.46. Wales-Dinan also coached Rosa Del Toro and Gabe Hilbert during their professional careers.. Del Toro a 2013 Long Beach graduate and 9 time school record holder was a Brooks sponsored athlete. Hilbert ran 1:47.25 for 800m and made the semi-finals at the 2014 US Championships in the 800m. At the 2014 USATF National Championships Enriquez was the highest placing collegiate in the 10,000m. He and Low earned spots on the NACAC U-23 National Team representing the United States. There Enriquez took home the silver medal and Low took a bronze becoming the first in 49er history to earn an international medal for the US. In the fall of 2013 Wales-Dinan coached junior Chris Enriquez to an individual birth to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Enriquez was the first 49er to qualify for the even in the modern era of NCAA Cross Country (since 1980). Enriquez qualified after finishing 10th at the NCAA West Regional meet in a time of 29:54.36. This was the highest finish by a 49er in school history. During his first year at The Beach, Wales-Dinan saw his athletes set 3 school records and garner 3 NCAA Regional qualifying performances. Wales-Dinan mentored Gabe Hilbert to the conference title in the 800m and freshman Chris Enriquez to the fastest 5000m performance in the last 30 years when he ran 14:12.89 at the Mt. Sac Invitational. His distance squads earned 4 All-Conference nods and scored the most conference points for a 49es squad in the last 6 years. During the indoor season Wales-Dinan coached Rosa Del Toro to school records of 9:22 and 16:23 in the 3000m and 5000m respectively. Del Toro qualified to compete in the USATF Indoor National Championships. In the fall the womens cross country team earned USTFCCCA All-Academic recognition. In his time at Long Beach, Duke and Williams College, Wales-Dinan has coach over 45 USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals including the 2010 NCAA XC and 2011 NCAA TF Scholar Athlete of the Year. Wales-Dinan came to LBSU from Duke University, where he served as an assistant cross country/track & field coach from 2011-12. During his time working with the Blue Devils, Wales-Dinan tutored one NCAA All-American, three NCAA finalists, eight NCAA qualifiers, 10 all-region performers, one conference champion and eight All-ACC runners. Wales-Dinan's student-athletes also excelled in the classroom as he saw 10 individuals earn USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. Prior to his stint at Duke, Wales-Dinan was an assistant coach for the cross country teams and the distance coach for the women's track & field program at Williams College from 2009-11. At Williams, he coached 10 All-Americans and one NCAA Division III national champion in Jennifer Gossels, who won titles in both the 5000m and 10000m in 2011. That same year, Wales-Dinan became the first coach in NCAA Division III history to oversee four national qualifiers in the women's 10000m. Wales-Dinan assisted in guiding the Williams College men's and women's cross country teams to consecutive NCAA Division III championship appearances, including a runner-up finish for the men's squad in the fall of 2009. The men also won the conference and regional title in 2009. On the women's side, Wales-Dinan coached Gossels to NCAA Regional Athlete of the Year accolades and a second-place performance at the national championships, the second-highest finish ever by a Williams female runner. As a student-athlete, Wales-Dinan was a three-time All-New England Division III athlete at Bates College. Wales-Dinan graduated from Bates College with a bachelor's degree in economics in 2005. After graduating, Wales-Dinan served as the head coach for the cross country and track & field teams at Traip Academy in Kittery, Maine, from 2005-08. IN DIVISION I ATHLETICS

Alex Gibby enters his ninth season as associate head coach of Harvard track and field/cross country in 2025-26, as he mentors the men's and women's middle-distance and distance groups.  The 2024-25 season was another landmark season for the Crimson's distance group under Gibby's leadership. The cross country season saw senior Graham Blanks become the first student-athlete in Ivy League history and the 13th in NCAA history win consecutive NCAA Men's Cross Country National Championships. Under Gibby's guidance, Blanks also became the first student-athlete in conference history to go sub-13 in the men's 5000m at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener, meeting the World Championships qualifying standard in the process. The 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships saw Gibby guide sophomore Sophia Gorriaran to All-America First Team honors in the women's 800m for the first time in her career, as Gibby also played a role in the women's 4x400m relay and distance medley relay squads taking All-America First Team status as well. The 2025 outdoor season saw even more success and accolades for Gibby's group. Gibby mentored senior Ben Rosa and junior Molly Malague to Most Outstanding Track Athlete honors at the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships, as Rosa and sophomore Ferenc Kovacs both earned All-America recognition at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. For the first time in his career, Gibby earned USTFCCCA Northeast Outdoor Men's Assistant Coach of the Year honors.  Gibby oversaw a season for the history books during the 2023-24 academic year, mentoring student-athletes to three NCAA national titles on the track and on the trail. The USTFCCCA named Gibby the Northeast's Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year and the Northeast Women's Assistant Coach of the Year for the outdoor and indoor seasons. Under Gibby's mentorship, junior Graham Blanks won the 2023 NCAA Men's Cross Country National Championship, the first student-athlete in Ivy League history to do so. Blanks also earned All-America First Team status in the 5000m at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Gibby guided Maia Ramsden to a pair of NCAA national titles on the track, one in the indoor mile and one in the outdoor 1500m, as Ramsden was named the school's first finalist for The Bowerman. At the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships, the men finished in 15th place, the best team finish since 2019, while the women took 25th place. Blanks and Ramsden both competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics as well.  The 2022-23 campaign was a stellar season for the distance and middle-distance group. The USTFCCCA Named Gibby the Northeast Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Gibby guided Maia Ramsden to her first national title, as she claimed NCAA national title in the 1500m at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas. Under Gibby's leadership, Ramsden also earned All-America honors at the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships, along with All-America First Team status in the indoor mile and the 3000m. On the trail and track, Gibby coached Graham Blanks to All-America honors at all three NCAA Championship meets. The women's team won the Ivy League title, as Gibby was named the Ivy League's Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for a second straight season. At the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the men's team finished in 17th place in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The 2021-22 season was one to remember for Gibby, as he coached the women's team to its first Ivy Leage Championship in cross country since 2016. The Ivy League named Gibby the Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, his first time earning the award. At the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Gibby mentored Maia Ramsden and Acer Iverson to All-America status. The 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships also saw both teams finish in the top-25, as the men finished in 12th place, the best team finish since 1968. Graham Blanks, Matthew Pereira, and Iverson all garnered All-America status. The 2020-21 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Harvard cross country teams had a record-breaking 2019 season, led by Gibby. For a second consecutive season, the Crimson men finished in second place at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships. The women's team added a second-place effort as well, the team's best finish since winning the Heps title in 2016. Four members of the Crimson were named to the All-Ivy League, junior Anna Juul was named to the first-team and first-year Colin Baker, senior Kieran Tuntivate and junior Matthew Pereira were all second-team nominations under Gibby's tutleage. For the first time in program history, both the Harvard men's and women's cross country teams qualified for the NCAA Championships in the same year. Both teams qualified after winning the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships, the first time either team won regionals. Eight Harvard student-athletes were named to the All-Region teams. At the NCAA National Championships, the Harvard men finished in 15th place to secure the programs best finish in over a half-century. Senior Kieran Tuntivate placed 28th to earn All-America honors, Gibby's first at Harvard. The Crimson women finished in 31st at Nationals, with junior Anna Juul becoming just the third Harvard student athlete in history to receive the NCAA Elite 90 award, presented to the competitor at nationals with the highest cumulative grade point average. Gibby also mentored Lauren Spohn, helping her to become a Rhodes Scholar. In Gibby's second season as the primary cross country coach, he led the Crimson to unparalleled success. The men's team placed second at cross country Ivy League heps, while combining for the lowest Crimson team score since 1969. Coach Gibby mentored five student athletes to All-Ivy league honors. For their performances at Ivy League heps, Kieran Tuntivate, Hugo Milner, Lisa Tertsch and Abbe Goldstein each earned first team honors, while Will Battershill was named to the second team. The selection of two male runners (Tuntivate and Milner) to the All-Ivy First Team was a first since 1978, and helping two women to the team (Tertsch and Goldstein) happened for just the second time since 1978. Tertsch, Tunivate and Milner all qualified for the National Championships under Gibby's tutelage. Gibby has also led the distance squad to new heights on the track. During his second season, Gibby helped earn six Ivy League Heps titles from three athletes: Kieran Tuntivate captured the indoor 3000m and 5000m, Anna Juul won the outdoor 1500m and Lisa Tertsch was a three-time Ivy champion in the indoor 5000m, the outdoor 5000m and the outdoor 10,000m. Furthermore, Gibby helped three athletes to break outdoor track records: Kieran Tuntivate set the new 10,000m mark (28:45.61), Will Battershill put his name in the record books in the steeplechase (8:44.36) and Lisa Tertsch set a record of her own in the 5000m (16:03.15). Gibby also led two distance athletes to the Outdoor NCAAs Final Round, Anna Juul (1500m) and Will Battershill (steeplechase) scoring points on the national leaderboard for the Crimson.  In his first season, both the Harvard men's and women's cross country teams earned USTFCCCA Team All-Academic Awards for maintaining team GPAs above 3.0. In fact, the Harvard men (3.5) and Harvard women (3.65) had the highest team GPAs in the Ivy League. In addition, Hugo Milner also earned All-Ivy League and All-Region honors. While with the 49ers, Gibby’s athletes combined to set school records in the 600m, 800m, 1000m, 3000m, 5000m, and 10000m with 52 appearances on the All-Time Top 10 list. Six athletes advanced to the NCAA first round in the past two years highlighted by Caroline Sang’s NCAA Finals appearance in 2017.  Sang placed 8th in the Women’s 10000m earning 1st Team All-American honors and becoming the first Charlotte distance runner to score at the NCAA Final round.  Sang also earned 2nd Team honors in the 5000m.   Prior to his time at Charlotte, Gibby served as head coach for the men’s cross country program at the University of Michigan for four seasons (2010-2013). Running in the competitive Big Ten Conference, the Wolverines had great success under Gibby's direction. He led the men's cross country program to a pair of Big Ten Conference runner-up finishes in 2012 and 2013 as well as the 2013 NCAA Great Lakes Region team title.   He was named the 2013 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year. The Wolverines also qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships as a team in each season from 2011-13, finishing in the top 25 on all three occasions. Overall, he guided teams at Michigan and William and Mary to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 10 of 11 years from 2003-2013. Individually at Michigan, he led ten runners to All-Big Ten accolades, including two first-team performers. Under his direction, Mason Ferlic became Michigan's first All-American in cross country since 2004, as the sophomore finished 22nd overall at the NCAA's. In addition to cross country, Gibby also coached distance runners on the track. In his four seasons with the Wolverines, he helped guide 14 student-athletes to the NCAA East Preliminary Round, two to the NCAA Indoor Championships and five to NCAA Outdoor Championship appearances.  This list included Craig Forys who would place 2nd in the 2012 NCAA Finals in the 3000m Steeplechase and Mason Ferlic who would place 4th in the 2014 NCAA Finals in the same discipline.   Along with the success on the track, Michigan was strong in the classroom as twenty-one cross country student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and one runner was named to the Capital One Academic All-District V first-team. Prior to his arrival in Ann Arbor, Gibby spent seven years (2003-10) as the head coach of the William and Mary men's cross country and track and field programs. In his time with the Tribe, he was honored as the Southeast Region Coach of the Year three times (2005, '08 and '09) as he led his team to regional titles all three seasons. He helped guide his student-athletes to nine All-American citations, including six in cross country, as William and Mary made seven straight national cross country team appearances. The Tribe finished fifth at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country National Championships and eighth in 2006, while averaging 10th in the country over a four-year period (2006-2009). Before his time at William & Mary, Gibby spent three years at Stephen F. Austin University in Texas where he helped guide the men's and women's cross country and track programs to four team titles along with 18 individual conference championships. Gibby earned his start in coaching as an assistant coach at William and Mary from 1997-99, guiding W&M to three straight top-13 NCAA finishes in cross country. Gibby earned his undergraduate degree from William and Mary in 1997. He ran track and cross country for the Tribe earning four All-CAA honors, including a conference championship in the 5,000 meters, along with being a member of two NCAA-qualifying cross country squads in 1994 and 1995. Gibby and Newberry have two children, Anson and Cora. Newberry has represented the United States in five World Cross Country Championships, at the 2011 IAAF World Track and Field Championships in the marathon, and competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials in the 10,000m and the 5,000m at the 2004 Trials.  Gibby and Newberry were inducted into the 2017 William & Mary Hall of Fame.   He will be joined by his wife, Kathy Newberry, who will serve as a volunteer coach. Gibby and Newberry come to Harvard from Charlotte, where Gibby served as head coach of the cross country program for the past three seasons. Newberry served as the head coach for William and Mary's women's cross country and track programs for five seasons (2005-10), guiding her teams to 10 CAA titles, including five in cross country.

Kebba Tolbert is in his 15th season as the women’s sprints/hurdles and horizontal jumps coach for Harvard in 2025-26 and 14th as associate head coach of the squad. The 2024-25 season saw Tolbert mentor student-atheltes to remarkable moments on the national stage. The 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships saw Tolbert guide senior Victoria Bossong to a runner-up finish in the women's 800m, as senior Izzy Goudros also earned All-America First Team status in the women's pentathlon. Tolbert also played a role in guiding the women's distance medley relay and women's 4x400m relay to All-America First Team recognition. The success carried into the outdoor season, as Goudros and senior Chloe Fair were both All-America First Team selections, while Bossong and sophomore Marta Amani took All-America Second Team honors at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Bossong was the USTFCCCA's Northeast Indoor Women's Track Athlete of the Year, while Goudros was the USTFCCCA's Northeast Women's Field Athlete of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor season. Tolbert earned USTFCCCA Northeast Women's Assistant Coach of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons as well.  Tolbert lifted Crimson student-athletes to incredible heights during the 2023-24 season. At the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Tolbert guided two Crimson to All-America Second Team honors, as Victoria Bossong placed in the top-10 in the 800m, while Chloe Fair finished in 11th in the 400m hurdles. Under Tolbert's guidance, Izzy Goudros qualified for the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for a second consecutive year. Tolbert also played a role in a historic performance at the 2024 Penn Relays, coaching half of a Crimson distance medley relay team that shattered the NCAA record with a time of 10:37.55.  The 2022-23 campaign was another memorable season for Tolbert's group. The Crimson women's team won both the Ivy League indoor and outdoor championships, as Tolbert's group excelled at both meets. At the 2023 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Championships, the women's sprinters, hurdlers and horizontal jumpers accounted for 89 points of the Crimson's 177 points. Kebba led his group to a similar result at the 2023 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships, as they scored 85 points at Franklin Field. Under Tolbert's guidance, Izzy Goudros garnered All-America status in the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships for a second straight season, as she also qualified for the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the first time in her career.  After a pause in competition due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Tolbert led his student-athletes to stellar performances throughout the 2021-22 season. The Crimson women won the 2022 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Championship, as Tolbert's group accounted for 68 of the Harvard's 153 points at the competition. Tolbert also guided Izzy Goudros to a spot in the pentathlon at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships, as the first-year earned All-America Second Team honors in the process.  Tolbert helped guide the team to a No. 1 northeast region ranking throughout the entirety of the 2019-20 indoor season. Tolbert helped Kelisa Cain move into second in the Harvard record books in the 60m, while helping Katina Martin move into second in the 200m. First-year Mayi Hughes found her way into the record book, ranking fifth all time in the triple jump. At Ivy League Heps, Tolbert helped guide Katina Martin to two Ivy League titles, winning the 60m and the 200m. His group contributed a total of 79 points to the team's 126 points at Indoor Heps.  The 2018-19 campaign led to unprecedented success for the squad led by Tolbert. The Colby College alumnus guided junior Simi Fajemisin to Second Team All-America status in the Indoor Triple Jump, placing 14th in the country. Tolbert helped Fajemisin to become the first All-American from Harvard in the event. She also was named the Ivy League Female Athlete of the Year at Indoor Heps, after breaking her own program record. The Crimson women placed first through fifth at the Outdoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championships in the 100m Dash, an unprecedented feat in the history of the Ivy League Heps. Ngozi Musa led the group with an 11.67(5), narrowly edging out Olivia Okoli, who ran an 11.67(8). Then, sisters Tina (11.78) and Katina Martin (11.80) finished in third and fourth, while Kelisa Cain finished fifth in 11.86 seconds. Each sprinter earned All-Ivy League honors. With the win, Musa completed a sweep of the short sprints at Heps, as she captured the Indoor 60m Dash just weeks earlier at the Gordon Indoor Track. 2018 was an award-winning season for Tolbert as he was named USTFCCCA Northeast Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year. Tolbert mentored sprinter Gabby Thomas, who became the first Ivy League women's sprinter to win an indoor national championship in the 200m, setting a new collegiate record with her 22.38 mark in the final event heat of the NCAA Division Indoor Track and Field Championships at Texas A&M.He saw his group score 101 of 114 points (with six event wins) in a runner-up finish at Ivy League Outdoor Heps. Tolbert's group set school records this outdoor season in the 100m, 200m, triple jump, and 100m hurdles. They also set Ivy records in the 100m and 200m, and qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Meet in the 100m, 200m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, long jump and triple jump.  It was another record-breaking year for Tolbert's group in 2017 - two of Harvard's four competitors at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships were coached by Kebba: Zoe Hughes (pentathlon) and Gabby Thomas (200m). Thomas earned 1st Team All-America honors, the first Ivy League sprinter to reach an NCAA final, while Hughes earned 2nd Team distinction. Thomas set new school marks in the 60m (7.29s) and 200m (22.88) at Indoor Heps, and Simi Fajemisin broke school records in the long jump (6.09m) and triple jump (12.96m) at Indoor Heps. The success continued during the outdoor season - Thomas earned USTFCCCA First Team All-America distinction, placing third at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 200m, while senior Jade Miller also earned USTFCCCA First Team All-America honors, placing sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Meet. Tolbert guided Harvard's sprinters, hurdlers, and horizontal jumpers to historic feats and contributed 117 of the team's 164 points to win a fourth straight Ivy Outdoor Heps title. Eight of the team's 10 Heps titles came in events that Tolbert coaches (100m, 200m, 400m hurdles, long jump, triple jump, heptathlon, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay). Tolbert was again named the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year for the outdoor campaign, his third in-a-row.  Tolbert's team reached new heights in 2016, with three student-athletes earning both All-America nods and invitations to the USATF Olympic Trials. Gabby Thomas rewrote the sprinting record books, breaking the top marks in the indoor 60 meters and outdoor 100- and 200-meter runs, while Autumne Franklin established a firm grasp on the top 100- and 400-meter hurdle records. The school and conference records in the sprint relays were also shattered in 2016. Tolbert was named the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year for the outdoor campaign, his second in-a-row. Tolbert continued to show in 2015 that he is among the best coahes in the country in his events, as his athletes accounted for 52 of Harvard's 125 winning points at Indoor Heps. That accomplishment earned him USTFCCCA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year. Senior Danielle Barbian earned Track Performer of the Meet at Indoor Heps, winning the 60m dash in an Ivy League record time, while also running the second fastest time in the in conference history in the 200m. During the outdoor season, Autumne Franklin and Jade Miller both collected All-America honors in the 400m hurdles. Tolbert was vital to the success of the 2013-14 season. Tolbert’s athletes scored 83 of the Crimson’s 162 points at the outdoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championships. Jade Miller and Autumne Franklin qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles and two of his athletes broke school and Ivy all-time outdoor records (Danielle Barbian in the 100m dash and the women’s 4x1).  2012-13 saw the Harvard women’s sprinters/hurdlers and jumpers take tremendous strides under Tolbert’s tutelage. The indoor season saw the Harvard women capture their first league title since 2000, thanks in large part to Tolbert’s group. The sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers combined for seven All-Ivy League accolades at the indoor championships alone, led by Autumne Franklin ’16, who earned three. The 4x400 relay team also took home All-Ivy honors in the championship performance. Tolbert also mentored Martina Salander ’16, who capped the women’s indoor season with an All-America showing in the pentathlon, breaking the Ivy League record in the event. In the outdoor season, Tolbert aided Franklin and Mary Hirst ’13 to All-America showings in the 400 hurdles and high jump, respectively. Hirst soared to new heights under Tolbert’s teaching, earning Co-Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet at the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships, claiming league titles in the high jump and heptathlon. Tolbert’s 4x400 relay squad was also stellar, re-setting the school record in the event multiple times throughout the season.    In his first year with the program, Tolbert helped the Crimson sprinters and hurdlers make a significant impact. After helping the men's outdoor squad to a third-place finish at the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships, its best finish in a decade, Tolbert saw the women's 4x400 relay team break the school record twice in 24 hours at the ECAC Championships. Tolbert also helped four men's sprinters break into the all-time program top 10 list in the 60-meter dash alone. Tolbert began his coaching career at Iowa Wesleyan and produced 21 All-Americans and the school's first national champions. During his tenure, his athletes set 25 school records, 21 conference records and broke two national marks. Tolbert spent two seasons at Mckendree as associate head coach, helping the team to three national titles and coaching athletes to 18 national championships. After his stint at Mckendree, Tolbert joined Syracuse's program as an assistant coach. During his time with the Orange, Tolbert added two NCAA qualifiers, one USATF qualifier and an All-American along with several school records to his coaching resume. In 2003 Tolbert joined Portland State as head coach of the track and field and cross country teams. Tolbert found great success with the Vikings as his teams consistently had top finishes in the Big Sky conference indoor and outdoor championships and the highest point totals in school history. Athletes would once again find great success under Tolbert, producing eight PSU Athletes of the Year, 22 Big Sky Champions and 79 All-Big Sky honors recipients. Tolbert joined the coaching staff at UTEP in 2008 and made an immediate impact on the Miner's squad, finishing his coaching career there with two athletes qualifying for the NCAA championships. Under his tutelage, the program saw four NCAA titles and seven All-America awards. He also helped coach UTEP's first women's individual All-Americans in the sprints since 1999 and the first women's NCAA Champions since 2001. A graduate of Colby College where he earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy, Tolbert earned his Master of Arts degree in exercise science in 1996 from Smith.

Ridgway to our coaching staff, said Saretsky. He comes to us with a wealth of coaching experience and will be an outstanding addition to our program. We are excited to welcome him to our Crimson family." "It is an honor to be hired by Coach Saretsky and Harvard University, said Ridgway. My wife and I are thankful for this opportunity. We look forward to rolling up our sleeves and doing our part to help maintain the championship program Coach Saretsky and his staff have established."   Ridgway, embarking on his 12th year as a collegiate coach in 2015-16, joins the Crimson via Central Michigan where he has been the throws coach since August of 2009. Along the way, Ridgway has coached six All-Americans, 10 conference champions, 12 national qualifiers, 15 school records (10 at CMU), 41 NCAA Regional/Preliminary qualifiers, four conference Performers of the Meet and one USA World Junior and IAAF World Championship participant. His administrative duties at CMU included organizing team travel, maintaining the recruiting budget, assisting with meet management and serving as the facilities liaison. Ridgway has been a collegiate coach since 2004 when he joined the staff at Oklahoma Baptist. Under his guidance, OBU won the 2005 Womens National Championship. Ridgway also coached Jerimiah Campo to a pair of All-America honors in shot and discus. A pair of two-year stints at Louisiana-Monroe and Central Florida followed his time with OBU. Ridgway proved to be an exceptional recruiter for the Warhawks and Knights, signing top high school and junior college student-athletes. At UCF, Ridgway served as the lead of team recruiting, while also organizing team travel. A student-athlete himself, Ridgway began his collegiate career at Oklahoma, earning two varsity letters and a spot on the Academic All-Big XII team in 1999. He finished his athletic career at North Carolina, earning two more varsity letters, while also being recognized as All-ACC during the 2000 outdoor and 2001 indoor seasons. IN DIVISION I ATHLETICS

Brenner Abbott enters his 15th season with the Crimson in 2025-26 and continues to lead the Harvard pole vaulters, high jumpers and decathletes. The 2024-25 campaign was another stellar year for the Abbott's group. Under Abbott's guidance, Alofe was once again one of the top men's high jumpers in the nation, earning All-America Second Team honors at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships and All-America honorable mention status at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Alofe was also named the USTFCCCA's Outdoor Men's Field Athlete of the Year. First-year Ella McRitchie and senior Anastasia Retsa enjoyed great seasons in the women's pole vault. At the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Championships, McRitchie took the conference title for the first time in the women's pole vault, as Retsa garnered All-Ivy League Second Team honors at both Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.  Abbott's group excelled during the 2023-24 indoor and outdoor seasons. In just his first year on campus, Tito Alofe cemented himself as one of the nation's top talents in the high jump under Abbott's leader. At the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Alofe earned All-America First Team honors, as he also garnered All-America Second Team status at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships. Abbott also guided Alofe to the school record in the indoor high jump. Pole vaulters Lilly Hodge and Anastasia Retsa impressed throughout the year, as both student-athletes finished in the top-five at the 2024 Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Championships. Abbott guided Hodge to All-Ivy League Second Team honors in the outdoor pole vault. The 2022-23 season was another successful campaign for Abbott's group of student-athletes. Standout pole vaulter Anastasia Retsa picked up All-Ivy League honors at both Ivy League Heptagonal Championships. Chet Ellis finished in the top-five in the high jump at both Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, as Simon Park recorded a fourth place finish in the pole vault at the 2023 Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.  Abbott's group impressed during the 2021-22 season, as first-year Anastasia Retsa was selected to the All-Ivy League Second Team in the indoor pole vault, placing second in her Ivy League Heptgonals debut. High jumper Chet Ellis placed fourth in the high jump at the 2022 Ivy League Heptagonals Outdoor Championships. In 2019-20, Abbott guided first-year's Chet Ellis and Sam Wright into the Harvard record books. Chet Ellis won four different times in the high jump, while also finishing second at Indoor Heps and moving into eighth all-time at Harvard. Sam Wright won the pole vault in two meets on the year, while also moving into fifth all time.  Abbott continued to guide the Crimson athletes to success in the 2018-19 season. He helped junior Donagh Mahon to the Indoor Ivy League Heps Championship title in the high jump, while assisting junior Erick Duffy to USTFCCCA All-America Honorable Mention status in the outdoor season in the pole vault. The 2017-18 season saw Harvard see immense success in the pole vault as freshman Erick Duffy set the second-best mark in program history, clearing 17-3. In 2016-17, freshman Zoe Hughes became Harvard's first Heps champion in the women's pentathlon since 2009 (Shannon Flahive), recording the second most points in school history (4,093). Hughes qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning All-America honors and becoming the second student-athlete in program history to represent Harvard in the pentathlon at NCAA Indoors. During the outdoor season, senior captain Raegan Nizdil capped off her career with her first individual Heps title, winning the high jump by clearing 5'7.75" on her first attempt. Marlena Sabatino (pole vault), and Donagh Mahon (high jump) were also regular scorers for the Crimson. In 2015-16, with Harvard records were falling on a weekly basis, Abbott helped mentor Marlena Sabatino to both the indoor and outdoor program records in the pole vault. The Crimson women also saw success in the decathlon, where Madison Hansen became the school-record holder with her Ivy title at outdoor Heps. The Crimson had another banner year in 2014-15, as the women won the indoor and outdoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championships. At the indoor meet, Hannah Mayer collected second team All-Ivy League honors in the javelin. Abbott also coached junior Mark Hill, who posted the third-best decathlon score in school history at outdoor Heps. Abbott helped with the success of the 2013-14 squad, as the team combined to send a record number of athletes to both the NCAA Championships (seven) and the NCAA East Regional (28). The women won both the indoor and outdoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championships for the second time in program history.  Abbott played a key role in the successful 2012-13 season for both the men’s and women’s teams. The pole vaulting corps shined at the 2013 Indoor Heptagonal Championships with Sydnie Leroy ’13 claiming second-team All-Ivy status, helping the women’s team claim its first league championship since 2000. Nico Weiler ’13 earned Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet honors in a championship performance at the indoor event. He went on to capture the IC4A indoor pole vault title as well as the 2013 Outdoor Heptagonal Championships pole vault crown. In his first year with Harvard, Abbott helped the men's outdoor squad record its best finish in a decade at the Heptagonal Championships, taking third in the competition. He also worked with pole vaulters Nico Weiler '13 and Allie Pace '14, the former breaking the indoor and outdoor school records and earning first team All-America honors and the latter setting the women's indoor and outdoor school marks. Abbott joined the Harvard track and field/cross country staff during the 2011-12 season and worked primarily with the vertical jumps. Abbott joined the Crimson staff after an 11-year stint at nearby Northeastern, working under head coach Sherman Hart. While with the Huskies, Abbott helped the pole vaulters and javelin throwers rise to regional and national prominence. In addition to his work at NU, Abbott has been a featured clinician for six years with the “On the Road” Track & Field World Tour. He has also been the Director of Pole Vaulting at the Winged Foot Track & Field Camp for nine years, the Director of Javelin Training at the Mass. Track & Field Academy for 11 years and has been a pole vault clinician at the M-F Athletic Jumps Camp for 10 years. Prior to joining the Huskies, Abbott coached at his high school alma mater, Milford High. As an athlete, he was a captain of the track & field team at the University of Maine, where he set the pole vault record and was All-IC4A twice in the javelin. Abbott resides in Charlestown.

Jason Saretsky begins his 20th season at the helm of men's and women's track and field and cross country programs at Harvard in 2025-26. Saretsky’s position, The William W. “Bill” McCurdy Director of Track and Field/Cross Country, became the 17th endowed coaching position at Harvard in the spring of 2013. Saretsky is just the 10th person to serve as head coach of the track and field program since Harvard began formal competition in 1874. Saretsky oversaw another landmark season for the Crimson during the 2024-25 campaign. 23 Crimson earned All-America honors across the entire year, as senior Graham Blanks became the first student-athlete in Ivy League history and the 13th in NCAA history to win consecutive NCAA Men's Cross Country National Championships, as the women's team finished in a program-record 11th place at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships. For the first time since 2023, Saretksy won the USTFCCCA Northeast Indoor Women's Coach of the Year award.  The 2023-24 season was a banner year for Harvard track & field and cross country, as Crimson student-athletes reached new levels of success and produced stellar performances on national and international stages. Under Saretsky's direction, Harvard student-athletes won four NCAA national titles in the 2023-24 season, the most in a season in program history. Graham Blanks won the NCAA Men's Cross Country national title, becoming the first student-athlete in Ivy League history to do so. At the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships, Kenneth Ikeji took home the men's weight throw national title. Maia Ramsden also became the school's first finalist for The Bowerman, the most prestigious individual award in collegiate track & field, after winning NCAA national titles in the indoor mile and the outdoor 1500m. In all, 15 Crimson garnered All-America status during the 2023-24 season under Saretsky's leadership. Along with success on the collegiate stage, Five Crimson qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, as Gabby Thomas became the first American female sprinter since 2012 to win gold in the 200m, 4x100m and the 4x400m in a single year.  Saretsky, the men's and women's Ivy League Outdoor Track and Field and USTFCCCA Northeast Regional Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, most recently coached the Crimson men's and women's teams to their first ever combined titles at the Ivy League Outdoor Track and Field Championship meet to end a year where the women's team completed the triple crown: winning cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field titles. The teams combined produced a program record three NCAA Champions and 16 All-Americans throughout the 2022-23 season.  The 2020 USTFCCCA Northeast Region Women's Coach of the Year and the 2017 Ivy League Women's Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, Saretsky has also mentored 64 NCAA qualifiers, 181 NCAA regional qualifiers, coached to nine individual ECAC/IC4A titles with 164 Heptagonal champions, and countless school records have fallen with more than 275 marks added to the program’s top-10 list. For the first time in program history and the second time in Ivy League history, the Harvard women's team completed the triple crown in 2016-17 and 2023-24 - winning cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field Ivy League Heptagonal championships. Both the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams have been honored by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for their success in the classroom each year since Saretsky's arrival. The Crimson earned All-Academic honors for having a team GPA of 3.0 or better. In the 2019-20 season, Saretsky led the Crimson to another successful season. Both the men and the women placed second at Ivy League Heps; the women fell short by seven points, finishing behind defending champion Penn 133 to 126, while the men finished second to the defending champions Princeton. The men finished with 116 points, their highest point total in program history, and best indoor finish since they last won in 1985. Saretsky guided the teams to six individual Heps titles and two relay titles. Three athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships- Kieran Tuntivate (mile, 3000), Abbe Goldstein (mile) and Anna Juul (Mile). In the 2018-19 season, Saretsky led the Crimson on another successful campaign. The Crimson women captured a runner-up finish in both the Indoor and Outdoor Ivy League Heps Championships. In the outdoor edition, Harvard sprinters placed first through fifth (Ngozi Musa, Olivia Okoli, Tina Martin, Katina Martin and Kelissa Cain) in the women's 100m dash, an unprecedented feat in the Ivy League's history. Guided by Saretsky, freshman Sam Welsh was named the Northeast Region Men's Athlete of the Year.  During the 2017-18 season, Gabby Thomas won Harvard's first national championship under Saretsky in the 200-meter dash as she set a collegiate record time of 22.38. Thomas was also nominated for the Bowerman, collegiate track and field's highest honor. Saretsky was named the Northeast Region Coach of the Year for the fourth-straight season and saw 27 earn All-Ivy honors throughout the cross country/track and field season.  The 2015-16 team was one of the most successful in program history, earning eight All-America honors with a pair of Ivy League Heptagonal championships on the women's side. The women's team rose to No. 10 in the national polls, breaking both a program and Ivy League record for the highest-ranked team. Saretsky was named the Northeast Region Coach of the Year for the third-straight season during the outdoor campaign, as a slew of program records changed hands. The Crimson had five student-athletes qualify for the USATF Olympic Trials, setting a new program standard, while Nikki Okwelogu '17 was named to the Olympic track and field team for Nigeria. Okwelogu, Gabby Thomas, Autumne Franklin, Jade Miller, Paige Kouba and Courtney Smith earned All-America nods under Saretsky's watch. The 2014-15 season proved to be another banner season for the women's indoor and outdoor squads, as the Crimson swept both Ivy League Heptagonal Championships. Saretsky was named Northeast Region Coach of the Year for both seasons. He also garnered Co-Ivy League Coach of the Year for the indoor season and won the honor outright during the outdoor campaign. On a national level, Nikki Okwelogu finished as an All-America in the indoor shot put, while Jade Miller and Autumne Franklin earned All-America in the 400-meter hurdles at the outdoor NCAA Championships. In total, the Crimson qualified 16 student-athletes for the NCAA East Prelim Meet. Saretsky led the Crimson to an unprecedented year in 2013-14, as he was named the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year for the outdoor season. The men and women combined to send a record number of athletes to both the NCAA Championships (seven) and the NCAA East Regional (28). The women won both the indoor and outdoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championships for the second time in program history. The Harvard women also set nine program records, while the men totaled the most points at Heps since 1983.   The successes were plentiful for Saretsky’s teams in 2012-13, beginning with the cross country season. The women’s squad earned its first trip to the NCAA Championships since 1983, thanks to a fourth-place finish at NCAA regionals. The men also saw a pair of runners qualify for the NCAA individual championships. The indoor season saw the women capture their first Ivy League championship since 2000, earning Saretsky USTFCCCA Northeast Region Women’s Coach of the Year accolades. The women’s team also yielded a trio of NCAA qualifiers, all of whom went on to earn All-America honors. Saretsky also witnessed the men’s indoor team take third at the league championship meet, its best finish since the 1985 Championships. Saretsky mentored a record number of NCAA regional qualifiers in the outdoor season as 18 student-athletes represented Harvard at the NCAA East Preliminary meet. Four more student-athletes earned All-America honors, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in four different events. In all, Saretsky’s teams yielded seven All-America performances, 17 Heptagonal champions and 11 school records during the 2012-13 season. Saretsky witnessed a banner year in 2011-12 as the Crimson added 103 new marks to the indoor and outdoor track and field all-time top-10 lists, along with eight school records between the indoor and outdoor seasons. Pole vaulter Nico Weiler '13 broke both the indoor and outdoor school records, captured the IC4A title and went on to earn first team All-America accolades for the second time in his career. The men's outdoor track and field team also recorded its best finish in a decade at the Heptagonal Championships, taking third at the competition. Allie Pace '14 followed in Weiler's footsteps, setting both the indoor and outdoor program marks in the pole vault. The 2010-11 season saw the Crimson attain four new program records in both indoor and outdoor track and field competitions. Harvard had 12 student-athletes earn All-Ivy League honors, including four that captured Ivy individual titles (Nico Weiler ’13/Pole Vault, Dustin Brode ’14/Shot Put, Claire Richardson ’11/3,000, Hannah Mayer ’14/javelin). The men’s team recorded its best finish at Outdoor Heps since 2002, placing fourth in the competition, while the women posted the highest score in team history at the ECAC Indoor Championships. The Crimson also sent the largest contingent of athletes to NCAA Regionals in the history of the program, with 11 competitors qualifying. Brian Hill ’11 went onto qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 800 and Dan Chenoweth ’11 qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the third time in his career. Saretsky helped three runners qualify for the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Championships, as Chenoweth, Kaylin Kuzmuk '12 and Claire Richardson '11 represented the Crimson. Richardson went onto qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 5,000 meter run. Both the Harvard men's and women's teams finished in the top half of the league standings at Indoor Heps for the first time since 2002. In 2008-09, the Harvard women had their best finish at the Indoor Heptagonal Championships since 2002, finishing third with 79.5 points. At the ECAC/IC4A Indoor Championships, both the men’s and women’s teams were the top Ivy League finishers. Two Harvard athletes earned All-America honors in Becky Christensen ’09 and Nico Weiler ’13, as Weiler won the IC4As and the East Regional en route to his sixth-place finish in the pole vault, earning him USTFCCCA Northeast Field Athlete of the Year accolades. Thirty-five top-10 times were added to the record books during the 2007-08 track and field season. Christensen won the indoor and outdoor high jump title at Heps, won the ECAC outdoor championships, earned All-America honors and cleared a personal best of 1.84 meters in the final at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Favia Merritt ’09 helped set two school records at Outdoor Heps, leading the women’s team to its best finish at the meet since 2003, placing fourth. Saretsky came to Harvard following his success as the associate head coach of the track and cross country programs at Iona College, where we worked directly under head coach Mike Bryne, who was a four-time Northeast Coach of the Year. During Saretsky’s time at Iona, the Gaels enjoyed unprecedented success. He helped Iona's men's cross country team to four-consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including a pair of fourth-place finishes, and three NCAA regional titles in four years. Iona's women's cross country program won its first two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles and registered its best finish in school history at the NCAA regional meet in 2005. Saretsky assisted in coaching the men’s cross country team to their 15th-consecutive MAAC Championship and the women’s cross country team to its first two MAAC Championships as well as 21 school records on the track. He coached 18 individuals to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, where 14 earned All-America honors in distance events. Saretsky also is credited with promoting diversity by continuing to expand the international scope of Iona's recruiting efforts and bringing the women's program to the cusp of national prominence. His recruiting techniques brought in the most Dean Scholar candidates in Iona school history. Before joining the staff at Iona, Saretsky spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Columbia University, where he worked directly with the Lions' distance and middle distance runners and enhanced the program's recruiting efforts. At both Columbia and Iona, Saretsky implemented a new stretching routine and provided massage therapy which drastically reduced the team’s injuries. Saretsky was a standout student-athlete in his own right as an undergraduate at Columbia. He was an Ivy League Heptagonal champion in the 3,200 relay, a member of Columbia's school-record relay squad in that event, and was a two-time All-Ivy League performer. Saretsky graduated from Columbia in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. He added a master's degree in applied physiology from Columbia's Teachers College in 2001 and a master's in business administration from Iona's Hagan School of Business in 2006.