Southern Connecticut State University Women's Cross Country

Stoll is in her fifth season as the head womens cross country/track and field coach at Southern Connecticut State University in 2016-17. Over the course of the past four years, the Owls have thrived athletically and academically under Stolls watch. Southern claimed its first-ever New England outdoor championship in 2015, along with the Northeast-10 Conference Outdoor Championship. During the 2015-16 academic year, SCSU finished second at both the Northeast-10 Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The squad captured a total of 16 All-America selections between the indoor and outdoor campaigns, with six student-athletes earning All-America laurels. In addition, both the cross country and track and field teams were named USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams for their work in the classroom. Two Owls earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, with Crystle Hill taking home Academic All-America honors for the second straight year. The Owls also had three individuals recognized by the USTFCCCA for academic success. In total, Stoll mentored a total of 10 All-America selections in 2014-15, including the NCAA indoor champion 4x400 relay, the first national title for SCSU since 2002. The Owls' 26 All-Region selections during the outdoor campaign was tops in Division II. As a team, SCSU finished second at the 2014 New England Outdoor Track and Field championships, where it was edged by Division I Rhode Island by one point. The Owls have also recorded three team runner-up finishes at the NE-10 Track and Field Championships.   For her efforts, Stoll was selected as the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Associations East Regional Coach of the Year during the 2014 indoor campaign. She was also named the  2014 Northeast-10 Conference Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year,  On the individual front, Stoll has coached one NCAA national champion, two NCAA national runners-up, 40 All-America selections, multiple New England champions and 159 All-Region performers.    Stolls squads have also thrived in the classroom over the last four years. Prior to the aforementioned academic success in 2015-16, in 2014-15, the cross country team earned  All-Academic Team status by the USTFCCCA for the third straight year. In  2013-14, both the cross and country and track and field squads were granted All-Academic Team status by the USTFCCCA. The year prior, the cross country team was recognized with this same honor. In addition, a total of 13 USTFCCCA All-Academic individual honorees have been tabbed under Stolls guidance. Elizabeth Bashir was also honored as a Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District performer in 2013-14 and Crystle Hill earned the same honor in 2014-15.   The cross country team has also been selected as the Northeast-10 Conference Womens Cross Country Team Academic Excellence Award recipient twice under Stoll's watch. They are also a three-time recipient of the SCSU Academic Team of Champions Award.   Stoll joined the Owls with more than a decades worth of Division I experience as a student-athlete and coach, including stints in the Big 12, Big West and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Stoll spent four years as assistant cross country/track and field coach at Manhattan, where she was involved in all facets of the program, including practice and competition oversight, alumni relations, academic monitoring, compliance and equipment. She also served as the programs recruiting coordinator and helped the Jaspers to 11 combined MAAC Championships. Stoll also mentored more than 100 MAAC individual champions and a dozen NCAA Track and Field Regional qualifiers. Academically, Stoll coached two Academic All-Americans, six USTFCCCA All-Academic selections and was a part of six teams that earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. She also served as Assistant Meet Director for the Manhattan College High School Cross Country Invitational, the largest high school competition in the United States with more than 13,000 participants. Prior to joining the Jaspers staff, Stoll spent one year at Iowa State as an assistant coach. While with the Cyclones, she took part in recruiting, daily planning and program implementation and also coordinated team travel, equipment and compliance. Stoll broke into coaching at her alma mater, the University of California-Riverside, during the 2006-07 academic year after a decorated four-year career as a student-athlete. She served as a two-year team captain for the Highlanders and was a member of the teams nationally ranked 4x800 meter and distance medley relay units. Stoll is a member of the NCAA Womens Coaches Academy and the National Association of Collegiate Womens Athletics Administrators (NACWAA). She was previously selected to participate in USA Track & Fields Emerging Elite Coaches Camp and is certified through USA Track and Field (Level I) and the USTFCCCA (Endurance). She holds a bachelors degree in sociology from UC-Riverside and a masters degree in teaching from National University.     Melissa Stoll Head Women's Cross Country/Track and Field Coach The 2015 Northeast-10 Conference and USTFCCCA Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year,  Melissa Stoll is in her fifth season as the head womens cross country/track and field coach at Southern Connecticut State University in 2016-17. Over the course of the past four years, the Owls have thrived athletically and academically under Stolls watch. Southern claimed its first-ever New England outdoor championship in 2015, along with the Northeast-10 Conference Outdoor Championship. During the 2015-16 academic year, SCSU finished second at both the Northeast-10 Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The squad captured a total of 16 All-America selections between the indoor and outdoor campaigns, with six student-athletes earning All-America laurels. In addition, both the cross country and track and field teams were named USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams for their work in the classroom. Two Owls earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, with Crystle Hill taking home Academic All-America honors for the second straight year. The Owls also had three individuals recognized by the USTFCCCA for academic success. In total, Stoll mentored a total of 10 All-America selections in 2014-15, including the NCAA indoor champion 4x400 relay, the first national title for SCSU since 2002. The Owls' 26 All-Region selections during the outdoor campaign was tops in Division II. As a team, SCSU finished second at the 2014 New England Outdoor Track and Field championships, where it was edged by Division I Rhode Island by one point. The Owls have also recorded three team runner-up finishes at the NE-10 Track and Field Championships.   For her efforts, Stoll was selected as the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Associations East Regional Coach of the Year during the 2014 indoor campaign. She was also named the  2014 Northeast-10 Conference Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year,  On the individual front, Stoll has coached one NCAA national champion, two NCAA national runners-up, 40 All-America selections, multiple New England champions and 159 All-Region performers.    Stolls squads have also thrived in the classroom over the last four years. Prior to the aforementioned academic success in 2015-16, in 2014-15, the cross country team earned  All-Academic Team status by the USTFCCCA for the third straight year. In  2013-14, both the cross and country and track and field squads were granted All-Academic Team status by the USTFCCCA. The year prior, the cross country team was recognized with this same honor. In addition, a total of 13 USTFCCCA All-Academic individual honorees have been tabbed under Stolls guidance. Elizabeth Bashir was also honored as a Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District performer in 2013-14 and Crystle Hill earned the same honor in 2014-15.   The cross country team has also been selected as the Northeast-10 Conference Womens Cross Country Team Academic Excellence Award recipient twice under Stoll's watch. They are also a three-time recipient of the SCSU Academic Team of Champions Award.   Stoll joined the Owls with more than a decades worth of Division I experience as a student-athlete and coach, including stints in the Big 12, Big West and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Stoll spent four years as assistant cross country/track and field coach at Manhattan, where she was involved in all facets of the program, including practice and competition oversight, alumni relations, academic monitoring, compliance and equipment. She also served as the programs recruiting coordinator and helped the Jaspers to 11 combined MAAC Championships. Stoll also mentored more than 100 MAAC individual champions and a dozen NCAA Track and Field Regional qualifiers. Academically, Stoll coached two Academic All-Americans, six USTFCCCA All-Academic selections and was a part of six teams that earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. She also served as Assistant Meet Director for the Manhattan College High School Cross Country Invitational, the largest high school competition in the United States with more than 13,000 participants. Prior to joining the Jaspers staff, Stoll spent one year at Iowa State as an assistant coach. While with the Cyclones, she took part in recruiting, daily planning and program implementation and also coordinated team travel, equipment and compliance. Stoll broke into coaching at her alma mater, the University of California-Riverside, during the 2006-07 academic year after a decorated four-year career as a student-athlete. She served as a two-year team captain for the Highlanders and was a member of the teams nationally ranked 4x800 meter and distance medley relay units. Stoll is a member of the NCAA Womens Coaches Academy and the National Association of Collegiate Womens Athletics Administrators (NACWAA). She was previously selected to participate in USA Track & Fields Emerging Elite Coaches Camp and is certified through USA Track and Field (Level I) and the USTFCCCA (Endurance). She holds a bachelors degree in sociology from UC-Riverside and a masters degree in teaching from National University.    

Van Gilder, the 2014, 2015 and 2016 USTFCCCA Regional Womens Assistant Coach of the Year both indoors and outdoors, is in his fifth year as an assistant coach with both the Southern Connecticut State University men's and women's cross country/track and field programs.   Over the course of the past four years, Van Gilder has helped both programs achieve considerable success. The mens program has claimed three New England Championships, along with four Northeast-10 Conference titles. The womens program finished as the 2015 New England and Northeast-10 Conference Outdoor Champions, as well as the runner-up at five Northeast-10 Championships, and also placed as the runner-up at the 2014 New England Outdoor Championships. Van Gilder also played a pivotal role in mentoring the 2015 NCAA champion women's indoor 4x400 relay unit. In addition, both the Owls womens cross country and track and field teams have been recognized with multiple All-Academic honors for their work in the classroom, while the womens cross country squad claimed consecutive Northeast-10 Conference Team Academic Excellence Awards. Van Gilder rejoined the Owls from the University of Hartford, where he spent two years with the Hawks mens and womens programs. First as an assistant and then as associate head coach, he was involved in all daily operational aspects including training, scheduling, recruiting, compliance and budget management. Both programs earned the NCAA APR Public Recognition Award during his time on the staff. From the athletic standpoint, the team had 11 individuals and five relay groups earn All-New England honors, including three New England champions. Prior to his time at Hartford, Van Gilder spent three years as an assistant coach at Springfield College. Selected as the Regional Assistant Mens Coach of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association in 2009, he mentored four NCAA National Champions, 25 All-Americans and a bevy of All-New England, All-ECAC and All-Conference selections. Van Gilder has also amassed additional experience in the strength and conditioning realm at the University of Massachusetts and Valdosta State University (Ga.), and as a track and field coach at both Enfield and Enrico Fermi (Conn.) High Schools. As a student-athlete at SCSU, Van Gilder was an All-New England and All-Conference selection in the 4x100 relay, as well as a IC4A qualifier. He holds a bachelors degree in liberal studies from SCSU and a M. Ed. in strength and conditioning from Springfield College. Van Gilder also completed graduate level coursework at Indiana University.