Quinnipiac University Women's Track

Belanger enters his sixth year with the Bobcats womens program as an assistant coach for the 2016-17 season. Belanger works closely with the Bobcats womens outdoor track and field programs as the sprint specialist while he also assists with the womens cross country program. The 2015-16 season was a banner year for Belangers sprinters as the group reached unparalleled heights. At the MAAC indoor championship, Shameal Samuels picked up victories in the 200m and 400m events while Jessica Lee earned the 60m hurdles title. Lee then went on to become the first Bobcat hurdler to take a New England title in program history as she won the 60m hurdles crown. The success continued into the outdoor season as Quinnipiac defended their 4x100m relay MAAC title while Samuels won the 200m, Nia Baker took the 400m victory and the Bobcats won their first 4x400m relay conference title. Samuels made history at the ECAC outdoor championships as she became the first Bobcat to win an event, taking the 400m crown. Lee also took second in the 100m hurdles and the 4x100m relay took sixth place, leading the Bobcats to their highest finish (T13th out of 105 teams) and most points (23) at the ECAC Championships in program history. Samuels later advanced to the NCAA East Regionals in the 400m for the second straight season, becoming just the second Bobcat to advance to multiple NCAA Regionals. The 2014-15 season was another successful campaign as Belanger's focus with the team's sprinters took a major step forward. At the 2015 MAAC indoor championships, Samuels swept all three sprint events (100m, 200m, 400m) on her way to earning the MAAC Most Outstanding Women's Track Performer, the first Bobcat to ever take home the MAAC's highest individual honor. Samuels went on to break a 27-year-old meet record on her way to capturing her second straight New England 400m Championship. In the outdoor season, Belanger guided Samuels to the NCAA East Regionals in Jacksonville, Fla. where she became the first sprinter and just the second Bobcat in program history to compete at an NCAA Regional event. In his first year as the Bobcats sprints and jumps coach Belanger guided the sprinters to breaking 11 school records between the Indoor and Outdoor seasons. The Bobcats took a huge leap forward in 2012-13 as they recorded an astonishing 47 record-breaking events between the indoor and outdoor track seasons. That progression continued into 2013-14 as the Bobcats finished with their first-ever New England Individual and Relay Championships as well as the first MAAC Champion in program history. Prior to coming to Quinnipiac, Belanger was the head coach for the indoor track and field team at Newington High School. While at Newington, he worked with over 100 athletes and developing several conference champions and two all-state jumpers. Before starting his coaching career Belanger competed for Central Connecticut State University where he earned All-New England honors in 2008. In addition to 10 years of track experience, Belanger also worked as a volunteer firefighter between 2008 and 2010 for the town of Newington and is a State Certified Firefighter. Belanger received a bachelors degree in Industrial Technology with a specialization in Environmental and Occupational Safety in December of 2010 from Central Connecticut State University. He also earned Connecticut State Coaching Certification prior to his arrival in Hamden. Belanger currently resides in Meriden, Connecticut. Steve Belanger Assistant Coach Steve Belanger enters his sixth year with the Bobcats womens program as an assistant coach for the 2016-17 season. Belanger works closely with the Bobcats womens outdoor track and field programs as the sprint specialist while he also assists with the womens cross country program. The 2015-16 season was a banner year for Belangers sprinters as the group reached unparalleled heights. At the MAAC indoor championship, Shameal Samuels picked up victories in the 200m and 400m events while Jessica Lee earned the 60m hurdles title. Lee then went on to become the first Bobcat hurdler to take a New England title in program history as she won the 60m hurdles crown. The success continued into the outdoor season as Quinnipiac defended their 4x100m relay MAAC title while Samuels won the 200m, Nia Baker took the 400m victory and the Bobcats won their first 4x400m relay conference title. Samuels made history at the ECAC outdoor championships as she became the first Bobcat to win an event, taking the 400m crown. Lee also took second in the 100m hurdles and the 4x100m relay took sixth place, leading the Bobcats to their highest finish (T13th out of 105 teams) and most points (23) at the ECAC Championships in program history. Samuels later advanced to the NCAA East Regionals in the 400m for the second straight season, becoming just the second Bobcat to advance to multiple NCAA Regionals. The 2014-15 season was another successful campaign as Belanger's focus with the team's sprinters took a major step forward. At the 2015 MAAC indoor championships, Samuels swept all three sprint events (100m, 200m, 400m) on her way to earning the MAAC Most Outstanding Women's Track Performer, the first Bobcat to ever take home the MAAC's highest individual honor. Samuels went on to break a 27-year-old meet record on her way to capturing her second straight New England 400m Championship. In the outdoor season, Belanger guided Samuels to the NCAA East Regionals in Jacksonville, Fla. where she became the first sprinter and just the second Bobcat in program history to compete at an NCAA Regional event. In his first year as the Bobcats sprints and jumps coach Belanger guided the sprinters to breaking 11 school records between the Indoor and Outdoor seasons. The Bobcats took a huge leap forward in 2012-13 as they recorded an astonishing 47 record-breaking events between the indoor and outdoor track seasons. That progression continued into 2013-14 as the Bobcats finished with their first-ever New England Individual and Relay Championships as well as the first MAAC Champion in program history. Prior to coming to Quinnipiac, Belanger was the head coach for the indoor track and field team at Newington High School. While at Newington, he worked with over 100 athletes and developing several conference champions and two all-state jumpers. Before starting his coaching career Belanger competed for Central Connecticut State University where he earned All-New England honors in 2008. In addition to 10 years of track experience, Belanger also worked as a volunteer firefighter between 2008 and 2010 for the town of Newington and is a State Certified Firefighter. Belanger received a bachelors degree in Industrial Technology with a specialization in Environmental and Occupational Safety in December of 2010 from Central Connecticut State University. He also earned Connecticut State Coaching Certification prior to his arrival in Hamden. Belanger currently resides in Meriden, Connecticut.

Dickerson joined the Quinnipiac coaching staff in the fall of 2009 and is now entering his eighth season as an assistant coach for the womens cross country and track and field programs. A graduate of Trinity College, he is the owner of The Woodbridge Running Company LLC, a specialty retail running store with two locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Dickerson is tasked with the training and designing of practice routines for the Bobcats' middle distance runners in the track and field season. A landmark achievement for Dickerson and the Quinnipiac staff came in the 2015 womens cross country season as he helped lead the Bobcats to the programs first-ever MAAC Championship, dethroning the 10-time defending conference champs Iona in the process. Four Bobcats earned All-MAAC honors while three placed in the Top 5 overall to lead the way to the dominating victory. In the track and field discipline, the 2015 outdoor season was a major success as the Bobcats' 4x800m relay group posted two straight school records to advance to the finals of the ECAC Championships and then came through with a seventh place finish. The 4x800m relay team became the first Quinnipiac relay team (in any discipline) to place in the ECAC Championships, all the while doing so coming in as the No. 15 seed out of 18 groups.   Over 16 years from 1992 to 2008, Dickerson served as the head coach of the Amity Regional High School's girls' cross country team as well as an assistant coach for the girls' track team. During his time there, he was named the 1999 New Haven Register Cross Country Coach of the Year and the 2002 Amity Coaches Association Coach of the Year. Christopher Dickerson Assistant Coach Christopher Dickerson joined the Quinnipiac coaching staff in the fall of 2009 and is now entering his eighth season as an assistant coach for the womens cross country and track and field programs. A graduate of Trinity College, he is the owner of The Woodbridge Running Company LLC, a specialty retail running store with two locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Dickerson is tasked with the training and designing of practice routines for the Bobcats' middle distance runners in the track and field season. A landmark achievement for Dickerson and the Quinnipiac staff came in the 2015 womens cross country season as he helped lead the Bobcats to the programs first-ever MAAC Championship, dethroning the 10-time defending conference champs Iona in the process. Four Bobcats earned All-MAAC honors while three placed in the Top 5 overall to lead the way to the dominating victory. In the track and field discipline, the 2015 outdoor season was a major success as the Bobcats' 4x800m relay group posted two straight school records to advance to the finals of the ECAC Championships and then came through with a seventh place finish. The 4x800m relay team became the first Quinnipiac relay team (in any discipline) to place in the ECAC Championships, all the while doing so coming in as the No. 15 seed out of 18 groups.   Over 16 years from 1992 to 2008, Dickerson served as the head coach of the Amity Regional High School's girls' cross country team as well as an assistant coach for the girls' track team. During his time there, he was named the 1999 New Haven Register Cross Country Coach of the Year and the 2002 Amity Coaches Association Coach of the Year.

Wright comes to Quinnipiac with an unmistaken pedigree in the sport of track & field as he has been involved with coaching for over 55 years. Entering his fifth season at Quinnipiac, Wright has proven to be a valued asset for the track and field program in their development over the last four seasons.  Wright joined Quinnipiac for his first season in 2012-13 as an assistant womens indoor track coach. His experience began as a graduate assistant working alongside the cross country and track & field programs at Springfield College while he was working towards his masters degree in health and physical education in 1959. He previously received his bachelors degree in health and physical education in 1957 from Southern Methodist University. He followed the similar path during his doctoral studies at Indiana University between 1961-62 as he was the track and field assistant coach while studying at Indiana. Wright was born on July 9, 1935 and his first head coaching stint was in 1959 when he was hired as the head coach of track and field at Morristown Prep, N.J. He later advanced to college level where he became the head coach for mens track and field at Southern Connecticut State University for 35 seasons (1963-98). He also took on the head coaching position for the mens cross country program with the Owls starting in 1971 through 1998. Wright stepped down as the head coach in 1998 from both programs but still held an assistant coaching position through 2009. He has since gone on to hold an assistant coaching position at Fordham University for three seasons (2009-12) with the mens and womens cross country and track and field teams. Since 1963, Wright has been coaching on the college level for nearly 50 years and he oversaw some of the greatest teams Southern Connecticut has ever seen as the 1981 team finished runners-up at the 1981 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He also helped guide the mens cross country team to a fourth place finish at the 1985 NCAA Division II Championships. Later on, Wright guided another Southern Connecticut team to fourth place finish in the 1995 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. Other team accomplishments include sixth place for the 1982 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships and another sixth place result at the 1985 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. During his 46-year tenure with the Owls, he coached 102 NCAA All Americans in track & field and cross country and 16 individual NCAA Division II Track & Field Champions. During his time at Southern Connecticut, Wright was also a prominent figure on NCAA Administrative positions as he started out on the NCAA Cross Country / Track & Field Rules Committee from 1980 to 1985. He then became the Administrative Director for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship meets for both 1984 and 1985. His notoriety extended to the ICAAAA (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) where he served as the Second Vice President in 1983, First Vice President in 1984. He remains a vibrant figure in and around the Southern Connecticut program as the mens and womens track and field programs host an annual James Barber/Wilton Wright Alumni Meet. The meet allows for former athletes to return, reconnect, and generate support for the program within the university. Wright currently lives in Milford, Connecticut and graduated from East High School in Buffalo. Wilton Wright Director of Operations A fixture in the Northeast region for the better part of four decades, Wilton Wright comes to Quinnipiac with an unmistaken pedigree in the sport of track & field as he has been involved with coaching for over 55 years. Entering his fifth season at Quinnipiac, Wright has proven to be a valued asset for the track and field program in their development over the last four seasons.  Wright joined Quinnipiac for his first season in 2012-13 as an assistant womens indoor track coach. His experience began as a graduate assistant working alongside the cross country and track & field programs at Springfield College while he was working towards his masters degree in health and physical education in 1959. He previously received his bachelors degree in health and physical education in 1957 from Southern Methodist University. He followed the similar path during his doctoral studies at Indiana University between 1961-62 as he was the track and field assistant coach while studying at Indiana. Wright was born on July 9, 1935 and his first head coaching stint was in 1959 when he was hired as the head coach of track and field at Morristown Prep, N.J. He later advanced to college level where he became the head coach for mens track and field at Southern Connecticut State University for 35 seasons (1963-98). He also took on the head coaching position for the mens cross country program with the Owls starting in 1971 through 1998. Wright stepped down as the head coach in 1998 from both programs but still held an assistant coaching position through 2009. He has since gone on to hold an assistant coaching position at Fordham University for three seasons (2009-12) with the mens and womens cross country and track and field teams. Since 1963, Wright has been coaching on the college level for nearly 50 years and he oversaw some of the greatest teams Southern Connecticut has ever seen as the 1981 team finished runners-up at the 1981 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He also helped guide the mens cross country team to a fourth place finish at the 1985 NCAA Division II Championships. Later on, Wright guided another Southern Connecticut team to fourth place finish in the 1995 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. Other team accomplishments include sixth place for the 1982 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships and another sixth place result at the 1985 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. During his 46-year tenure with the Owls, he coached 102 NCAA All Americans in track & field and cross country and 16 individual NCAA Division II Track & Field Champions. During his time at Southern Connecticut, Wright was also a prominent figure on NCAA Administrative positions as he started out on the NCAA Cross Country / Track & Field Rules Committee from 1980 to 1985. He then became the Administrative Director for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship meets for both 1984 and 1985. His notoriety extended to the ICAAAA (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) where he served as the Second Vice President in 1983, First Vice President in 1984. He remains a vibrant figure in and around the Southern Connecticut program as the mens and womens track and field programs host an annual James Barber/Wilton Wright Alumni Meet. The meet allows for former athletes to return, reconnect, and generate support for the program within the university. Wright currently lives in Milford, Connecticut and graduated from East High School in Buffalo. Wilton Wright Director of Operations A fixture in the Northeast region for the better part of four decades, Wilton Wright comes to Quinnipiac with an unmistaken pedigree in the sport of track & field as he has been involved with coaching for over 55 years. Entering his fifth season at Quinnipiac, Wright has proven to be a valued asset for the track and field program in their development over the last four seasons.  Wright joined Quinnipiac for his first season in 2012-13 as an assistant womens indoor track coach. His experience began as a graduate assistant working alongside the cross country and track & field programs at Springfield College while he was working towards his masters degree in health and physical education in 1959. He previously received his bachelors degree in health and physical education in 1957 from Southern Methodist University. He followed the similar path during his doctoral studies at Indiana University between 1961-62 as he was the track and field assistant coach while studying at Indiana. Wright was born on July 9, 1935 and his first head coaching stint was in 1959 when he was hired as the head coach of track and field at Morristown Prep, N.J. He later advanced to college level where he became the head coach for mens track and field at Southern Connecticut State University for 35 seasons (1963-98). He also took on the head coaching position for the mens cross country program with the Owls starting in 1971 through 1998. Wright stepped down as the head coach in 1998 from both programs but still held an assistant coaching position through 2009. He has since gone on to hold an assistant coaching position at Fordham University for three seasons (2009-12) with the mens and womens cross country and track and field teams. Since 1963, Wright has been coaching on the college level for nearly 50 years and he oversaw some of the greatest teams Southern Connecticut has ever seen as the 1981 team finished runners-up at the 1981 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He also helped guide the mens cross country team to a fourth place finish at the 1985 NCAA Division II Championships. Later on, Wright guided another Southern Connecticut team to fourth place finish in the 1995 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. Other team accomplishments include sixth place for the 1982 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships and another sixth place result at the 1985 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. During his 46-year tenure with the Owls, he coached 102 NCAA All Americans in track & field and cross country and 16 individual NCAA Division II Track & Field Champions. During his time at Southern Connecticut, Wright was also a prominent figure on NCAA Administrative positions as he started out on the NCAA Cross Country / Track & Field Rules Committee from 1980 to 1985. He then became the Administrative Director for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championship meets for both 1984 and 1985. His notoriety extended to the ICAAAA (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) where he served as the Second Vice President in 1983, First Vice President in 1984. He remains a vibrant figure in and around the Southern Connecticut program as the mens and womens track and field programs host an annual James Barber/Wilton Wright Alumni Meet. The meet allows for former athletes to return, reconnect, and generate support for the program within the university. Wright currently lives in Milford, Connecticut and graduated from East High School in Buffalo.

Martin took over as the new head coach for men's and women's cross country as well as the women's indoor track and outdoor track teams. Martin is entering her eighth year at the helm of the programs, after serving as an assistant coach for the Bobcats since 2004. The most-recent 2015-16 campaign proved to be the most successful season in program history as she guided the cross country and track and field programs into unrivaled success. Martin won her first MAAC Coach of the Year honor after leading the womens cross country team to the programs first MAAC Championship, dethroning the 10-time defending conference champs Iona in the process. Four Bobcats received All-MAAC honors while three finished in the Top 5 overall as Quinnipiac dominated the traditional power. Prior to the victory in the MAAC Championships, the womens cross country team also scored their highest finish at the Paul Short Run (10th) in program history while they also finished as the New England runner-up, marking their highest finish at the meet since taking the title in 2007. Fast forward to the track and field season and the Bobcats continued their impressive run with second place finishes at the MAAC indoor and outdoor championships. This gives Quinnipiac three straight runner-up finishes in the track and field conference championship meets. In 2015-16, Quinnipiac scored seven individual and team event victories in both seasons of the MAAC Championships. In total, the Bobcats again posted new program records for most points scored at a conference championship meet in both the indoor (133) and outdoor (158) season. The Bobcats capped their season with a program-best 13th place finish (23 points) out of 105 teams at the ECAC Outdoor Championships. Among the individual track and field performers, Martin helped lead Shameal Samuels to a second straight NCAA Regional in the 400m during the outdoor season. Samuels also became the schools first ECAC Champion, taking the 400m victory in the outdoor season. Martin also guided Jessica Lee to a victory in the 60m hurdles at the New England Championships, becoming the first Bobcat hurdler to win a New England title in program history. Carly Timpson (2016 MAAC Indoor Co-Most Outstanding Field Performer) also became the first field performer to win the highest individual conference honor. All of the recent success comes on the heels of the 2014-15 season which was one of the most successful all-around seasons for Martin as she helped lift all four programs to productive years. Samuels advanced to the NCAA East Regionals, becoming just the second Bobcat in program history and first in Martin's tenure as head coach to advance to an NCAA Regional event. The women's cross country team has continued its traditional dominance despite changing conferences, taking second place at the MAAC Championships for two straight seasons (2013-14). The men's cross country team returned to form in 2014 as the Bobcats moved up four spots on their 2013 finish to place third overall at the 2014 MAAC Championships. In addition, the men's cross country team claimed a program record third place (out of 40 teams) at the Paul Short Run while also placing 13th at the New England Championships (best since 2008) and 18th at the NCAA Northeast Regional (best since 2009). Samuels' breakout season certainly drew headlines as Martin helped guide the standout sprinter to the 2015 MAAC Indoor Most Outstanding Women's Track Performer award, the highest individual honor handed out by the conference and the program's first student-athlete to earn the recognition. Martin's teams continued an all-around improvement as the Bobcats placed third with at the 2015 MAAC Indoor Championships. Perhaps the greatest triumph of the campaign came at the 2015 MAAC Outdoor Championships as her team tallied 127 points on the way to finishing a program-best second place. Samuels went on to compete at the 2015 NCAA East Regional in the 400m where she also became the first sprinter in program history to advance to an NCAA Regional event.  Martin is a four-time Coach of the Year, three of which coming while Quinnipiac was a member of the Northeast Conference (2009-12). Among those four Coach of the Year distinctions, three came as the women's cross country head coach (2009, 2011 and 2015) and once with the women's indoor track and field program (2012-13). With a passion to coach and participate in distance running, Martin has made an enormous impact in her first seven years, continuing the long-term success of the cross country programs and the newfound emergence of the track and field teams. Under Martins tutelage, the womens team extended its streak to eight straight Northeast Conference Titles, after running away with the championship in 2012. Since taking over in 2009, has named 28 student-athletes to the All-Conference team and guided Becca White to an Outstanding Performer Award in 2010. As an assistant at Quinnipiac for five seasons, Martin helped inaugurate the cross country program into a perennial power in the NEC, winning four straight league championships from 2005-08. Martin's responsibilities included recruiting student-athletes, as well as coordinating the teams' travel arrangements and official statistics. She also assisted in the coaching and training of Quinnipiac's first All-American Division I athlete, Katie Gwyther. Gwyther competed in three NCAA Championships during her time with the Bobcats. On the mens side, Martin has helped the Bobcats to four NEC titles dating back to her first season as an assistant in 2004. During that eight year span, she has named three student-athletes as Outstanding Performer, Thomas Martin, Jacob Gurzler and Richard Klauber, and landed 31 student-athletes to the All-Conference Team. The Bobcats collected three straight NEC Championships from 2006-08 and most recently finished 3rd place in the 2014 MAAC Championships.  Martin continues to make significant strides with the womens indoor and outdoor track and field teams as well, highlighted by her recent honor as the 2012-13 Women's Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, her third overall and first in the track and field program. Martin led an inspired group of Bobcats to a sixth place finish, their highest team finish in the NEC Championship since 2007. The progression of the track and field programs continued into the 2013-14 season wherein Martin guided the program's first individual MAAC Champion (Shameal Samuels, 400m) in addition to the first individual New England Champion (Shameal Samuels, 400m) and New England Relay Championship (Becca Stabile, Nia Baker, Shameal Samuels, Kristen Ulrich, 4x400m). Off the track, Martin's teams are consistently among the highest regarded student-athletes among all of Quinnipiac's 21 varsity programs. In 2015-16, Quinnipiac women's cross country earned its seventh NCAA Public Recognition Award (based on multiple-year Academic Program Rates), including the program's sixth consecutive, while the mens cross country team earned their first mark in program history. The Public Recognition Award, given to teams that have an APR among the Top 10 percent in their respective sport, measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in each sport.  Martin earned a Bachelor's degree from Quinnipiac in 2003, before receiving a Masters of Teaching in the spring of 2004. Along with coaching the Bobcats, Martin was a science teacher at Hamden High School for nearly 10 years. During her final collegiate season, Martin was the NEC Champion in the 10,000 meters during the outdoor track season, following an indoor season that saw her claim two individual conference titles in the 5,000 and 3,000 meter races. In cross country, she led the way for the Bobcats and captured fourth overall in the NEC Championships. She was first named to the All-Conference team, and then followed with an All-New England accolade at NCAA Regionals. Her leadership on and off the course led her to being named team captain for her final two seasons with the Bobcats. As a student-athlete, Martin also served on the on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2000 through 2002. She currently resides in Northford, Connecticut, with her husband and fellow former Quinnipiac runner, Tom Martin, her daughter Jacquelyn and son Liam. Carolyn Martin Director of Cross Country and Track & Field A new era began in 2009 when Carolyn Martin took over as the new head coach for men's and women's cross country as well as the women's indoor track and outdoor track teams. Martin is entering her eighth year at the helm of the programs, after serving as an assistant coach for the Bobcats since 2004. The most-recent 2015-16 campaign proved to be the most successful season in program history as she guided the cross country and track and field programs into unrivaled success. Martin won her first MAAC Coach of the Year honor after leading the womens cross country team to the programs first MAAC Championship, dethroning the 10-time defending conference champs Iona in the process. Four Bobcats received All-MAAC honors while three finished in the Top 5 overall as Quinnipiac dominated the traditional power. Prior to the victory in the MAAC Championships, the womens cross country team also scored their highest finish at the Paul Short Run (10th) in program history while they also finished as the New England runner-up, marking their highest finish at the meet since taking the title in 2007. Fast forward to the track and field season and the Bobcats continued their impressive run with second place finishes at the MAAC indoor and outdoor championships. This gives Quinnipiac three straight runner-up finishes in the track and field conference championship meets. In 2015-16, Quinnipiac scored seven individual and team event victories in both seasons of the MAAC Championships. In total, the Bobcats again posted new program records for most points scored at a conference championship meet in both the indoor (133) and outdoor (158) season. The Bobcats capped their season with a program-best 13th place finish (23 points) out of 105 teams at the ECAC Outdoor Championships. Among the individual track and field performers, Martin helped lead Shameal Samuels to a second straight NCAA Regional in the 400m during the outdoor season. Samuels also became the schools first ECAC Champion, taking the 400m victory in the outdoor season. Martin also guided Jessica Lee to a victory in the 60m hurdles at the New England Championships, becoming the first Bobcat hurdler to win a New England title in program history. Carly Timpson (2016 MAAC Indoor Co-Most Outstanding Field Performer) also became the first field performer to win the highest individual conference honor. All of the recent success comes on the heels of the 2014-15 season which was one of the most successful all-around seasons for Martin as she helped lift all four programs to productive years. Samuels advanced to the NCAA East Regionals, becoming just the second Bobcat in program history and first in Martin's tenure as head coach to advance to an NCAA Regional event. The women's cross country team has continued its traditional dominance despite changing conferences, taking second place at the MAAC Championships for two straight seasons (2013-14). The men's cross country team returned to form in 2014 as the Bobcats moved up four spots on their 2013 finish to place third overall at the 2014 MAAC Championships. In addition, the men's cross country team claimed a program record third place (out of 40 teams) at the Paul Short Run while also placing 13th at the New England Championships (best since 2008) and 18th at the NCAA Northeast Regional (best since 2009). Samuels' breakout season certainly drew headlines as Martin helped guide the standout sprinter to the 2015 MAAC Indoor Most Outstanding Women's Track Performer award, the highest individual honor handed out by the conference and the program's first student-athlete to earn the recognition. Martin's teams continued an all-around improvement as the Bobcats placed third with at the 2015 MAAC Indoor Championships. Perhaps the greatest triumph of the campaign came at the 2015 MAAC Outdoor Championships as her team tallied 127 points on the way to finishing a program-best second place. Samuels went on to compete at the 2015 NCAA East Regional in the 400m where she also became the first sprinter in program history to advance to an NCAA Regional event.  Martin is a four-time Coach of the Year, three of which coming while Quinnipiac was a member of the Northeast Conference (2009-12). Among those four Coach of the Year distinctions, three came as the women's cross country head coach (2009, 2011 and 2015) and once with the women's indoor track and field program (2012-13). With a passion to coach and participate in distance running, Martin has made an enormous impact in her first seven years, continuing the long-term success of the cross country programs and the newfound emergence of the track and field teams. Under Martins tutelage, the womens team extended its streak to eight straight Northeast Conference Titles, after running away with the championship in 2012. Since taking over in 2009, has named 28 student-athletes to the All-Conference team and guided Becca White to an Outstanding Performer Award in 2010. As an assistant at Quinnipiac for five seasons, Martin helped inaugurate the cross country program into a perennial power in the NEC, winning four straight league championships from 2005-08. Martin's responsibilities included recruiting student-athletes, as well as coordinating the teams' travel arrangements and official statistics. She also assisted in the coaching and training of Quinnipiac's first All-American Division I athlete, Katie Gwyther. Gwyther competed in three NCAA Championships during her time with the Bobcats. On the mens side, Martin has helped the Bobcats to four NEC titles dating back to her first season as an assistant in 2004. During that eight year span, she has named three student-athletes as Outstanding Performer, Thomas Martin, Jacob Gurzler and Richard Klauber, and landed 31 student-athletes to the All-Conference Team. The Bobcats collected three straight NEC Championships from 2006-08 and most recently finished 3rd place in the 2014 MAAC Championships.  Martin continues to make significant strides with the womens indoor and outdoor track and field teams as well, highlighted by her recent honor as the 2012-13 Women's Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, her third overall and first in the track and field program. Martin led an inspired group of Bobcats to a sixth place finish, their highest team finish in the NEC Championship since 2007. The progression of the track and field programs continued into the 2013-14 season wherein Martin guided the program's first individual MAAC Champion (Shameal Samuels, 400m) in addition to the first individual New England Champion (Shameal Samuels, 400m) and New England Relay Championship (Becca Stabile, Nia Baker, Shameal Samuels, Kristen Ulrich, 4x400m). Off the track, Martin's teams are consistently among the highest regarded student-athletes among all of Quinnipiac's 21 varsity programs. In 2015-16, Quinnipiac women's cross country earned its seventh NCAA Public Recognition Award (based on multiple-year Academic Program Rates), including the program's sixth consecutive, while the mens cross country team earned their first mark in program history. The Public Recognition Award, given to teams that have an APR among the Top 10 percent in their respective sport, measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in each sport.  Martin earned a Bachelor's degree from Quinnipiac in 2003, before receiving a Masters of Teaching in the spring of 2004. Along with coaching the Bobcats, Martin was a science teacher at Hamden High School for nearly 10 years. During her final collegiate season, Martin was the NEC Champion in the 10,000 meters during the outdoor track season, following an indoor season that saw her claim two individual conference titles in the 5,000 and 3,000 meter races. In cross country, she led the way for the Bobcats and captured fourth overall in the NEC Championships. She was first named to the All-Conference team, and then followed with an All-New England accolade at NCAA Regionals. Her leadership on and off the course led her to being named team captain for her final two seasons with the Bobcats. As a student-athlete, Martin also served on the on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) from 2000 through 2002. She currently resides in Northford, Connecticut, with her husband and fellow former Quinnipiac runner, Tom Martin, her daughter Jacquelyn and son Liam.