University of La Verne Women's Track

Widolff's tenure as head coach, La Verne has crowned seven national champions and has captured four SCIAC Championships in women's track and field (1997, 2003, 2005, 2013) and one in men's (2001). During this span, the Leopards have won countless SCIAC individual titles. The Leopards have had a strong presence at national championships under Widolff as well. Including the seven individual national championship, the Leopards have earned an incredible 71 total All-America honors. Prior to Widolff's arrival, the Leopards had six All-America awards. After taking the helm of the programs in 1992, Widolff quickly turned the program into a powerhouse and his efforts bore fruit in 1996, when the quartet of Jason Neal, Anthony Rice and Anthony Hayes and Liron Wilson claimed the 4x100m relay at the 1996 NCAA Division III National Championships. Rice collected two more All-America awards in the 100 meters and the 200 meters that year. On the women's side, Jacqui Zwissler earned All-America status in the triple jump. The women stole the headlines in 1997. Stacey Williams won the long jump at the 1997 national championships for La Verne's first title since 1990 and Zwissler added an All-America trophy in the javelin. Neal, Rice and Wilson returned to nationals in 1997 and earned All-America status in the 4x100m relay along with J. Anthony Rudolph. The next national championship came in 2003 when Brandon Tedrow won the javelin. Paul Turner claimed the long jump at the 2011 national championships and went on to earn six All-America awards in his career. In 2014, Chancise Watkins and Lenore Moreno produced a pair of all-time seasons for the men and the women, respectively. Moreno became the first La Verne athlete to win an indoor national championship when she won the 5,000 meters at the 2014 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships with the third fastest time in history at that time. Moreno went on to win the 10,000 meters at the outdoor championships that May. Watkins earned All-America status in the indoor 200m and used it as a springboard to post one of the greatest individual seasons in La Verne history. He went on to win the national championship in the 4x100m relay and earned All-America honors in the 200m and the 400m while breaking the SCIAC record in the 200m. Both Watkins and Moreno were named the 2014 West Region Track Athletes of the Year by the USTFCCCA. A graduate of Marian College, Widolff eventually earned two master's degrees from Xavier (OH) University and from Cal Poly Pomona. In addition to his coaching duties, Widolff is an associate professor in La Verne's Kinesiology Department. 1996: Jason Neal, Anthony Hayes, Anthony Rice, Liron Wilson (4 x 100 Meter Relay) 2003: Brandon Tedrow (Javelin) 2011: Paul Turner (Long Jump) 2014: Nick Gonsalves, James Francis, Robert Oshodin, Chancise Watkins (4 x 100 Meter Relay) 1997: Stacey Williams (Long Jump) 2014: Lenore Moreno (5,000m - Indoor) 2014: Lenore Moreno (10,000m)

George's recruiting efforts paid off in 2015 as newcomers played a major role for the Leos. Rachel Dela Cruz earned All-SCIAC status as a freshman while fellow rookie Melissa Cerrillos made huge strides on the track, winning a SCIAC championship in the 3,000m steeplechase and breaking La Vernes school record in the 800 meters. Academic success is another strength of the program as both squads have received multiple USATFCCCA all-academic recognitions since 2013. In addition, Hayes and Long are two-time all-West Region individual honorees. George also mentored Lenore Moreno '14 to a pair of national championships in track and field in 2014. After winning the indoor 5,000 meters and setting a meet record at the NCAA Division III Indoor National Championships, Moreno won the 10,000 meters at the outdoor championship meet to claim the La Verne womens first individual championship since 1997 (Stacey Williams, long jump). Moreno was named the 2014 Division III West Region Indoor and Outdoor Female Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and was voted as the 2014 SCIAC Womens Track Athlete of the Year. Prior to joining La Verne, George spent four years at his alma mater Central College in Iowa, serving as an assistant cross country and track and field coach. In his last season at Central (2012), he helped guide the men's cross country squad to its first-ever Iowa Conference championship and a berth to its first NCAA Division III Championships since 1980, earning a 12th-place finish (tie) with one all-America honoree. He was also on staff in 2009 when the women's team earned the program's first NCAA Division III national team berth since 1981, helping guide the squad to a 19th-place national finish. A 2006 graduate of Central College, George served as a volunteer assistant for the Dutch during the 2006-07 year, then returned in 2009 after completing two years as a graduate assistant coach in cross country and track field and at Illinois State University, where he earned a master's degree. As a student-athlete at Central, George served as a two-time track and field co-captain and was voted the squad's MVP in 2006, anchoring Central's distance medley relay to all-America honors. He was also a three-time cross country co-captain, an all-Iowa Conference and all-NCAA Division III Central Region performer in cross country, and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America track and field team.