Harvard University Women's Track

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 USATFCCCA 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. Tolberts athletes scored 83 of the Crimsons 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 womens 4x1).  2012-13 saw the Harvard womens sprinters/hurdlers and jumpers take tremendous strides under Tolberts tutelage. The indoor season saw the Harvard women capture their first league title since 2000, thanks in large part to Tolberts 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 womens 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 Tolberts teaching, earning Co-Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet at the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships, claiming league titles in the high jump and heptathlon. Tolberts 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. IN DIVISION I ATHLETICS

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

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

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 mens and womens teams. The pole vaulting corps shined at the 2013 Indoor Heptagonal Championships with Sydnie Leroy 13 claiming second-team All-Ivy status, helping the womens 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. IN DIVISION I ATHLETICS