Successful D-III Cross Country/Track & Field Coach Craig Penney
To Head Crusader Cross Country, Women’s Track & Field Teams
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) — After guiding previous teams to 14 conference championships while coaching 30 All-Americans at four different NCAA Division III schools, most recently at Dickinson College for the past three years, Craig Penney is now head coach of men’s and women’s cross country and women’s track and field at Susquehanna University.
Penney coached track and field exclusively at Dickinson and directed the women’s team to both the Centennial Conference indoor and outdoor championships last season, earning United States Track Coaches Association 1999 Indoors Regional Coach of the Year honors in the process. He has also served as head coach of both men’s and women’s cross country and track and field at Hanover College (1992-96), Methodist College (1989-91), and the College of Wooster (1980-89).
He succeeds Karen Brandt as Crusader women’s track and field head coach, and both Jim and Karen Brandt as head of the cross country teams. They coached at Susquehanna last year and have moved on to similar positions at Division II Bloomsburg University. Under the Brandts, the women’s cross country team was fifth at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships and 17th at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regionals last season, while the men were ninth at MACs. The women’s track and field team also placed third at both the MAC indoor and outdoor championships last season.
“I hope to carry over the strong track situation which Jim Taylor has created here with the men (10 MAC outdoor titles) to both the cross country and women’s track teams,” said Penney. “This place has untapped potential and unlimited opportunities in these sports. I hope to collaborate with others here to develop really strong programs across the board.”
“We were extremely fortunate to attract a coach with Craig’s ability and experience. He has a proven record of success,” said Susquehanna Director of Athletics Don Harnum.
In addition to the two women’s conference championships last season, Penney’s men’s team was second at the conference indoor meet, and third outdoors. During the last three seasons, he has helped the Dickinson program establish 44 new school records, coaching three athletes to NCAA Division III All-American status.
From 1980 through ’89, Penney built a powerhouse at the College of Wooster, directing his teams to 10 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) track and field titles, as well as the first two conference cross country championships in school history. Two of his track and field teams at Wooster finished fifth at the NCAA Division III Championship meet.
All totaled, he’s had coached 43 track and field national qualifiers and 29 All-Americans, and seven national qualifiers and one All-American in cross country.
Prior to coaching, Penney was a standout hurdler at Edinboro University from 1972, winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles as a senior. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in geography, with a minor in history/social studies in 1976. He later earned a Master of Education degree in sports science from Ashland College.
In addition to coaching, Penney participated in the USA Track Federation’s (USATF) Track and Field Education Program at Lake Placid, N.Y. in 1998. He also worked with the high jumpers at the Slippery Rock University Summer Track and Field Camp in 1997.
He is a member of the NCAA Track Coaches Association, and a past member of the NCAA Cross Country Coaches Association and USATF United States Track and Field Coaches Association. Penney also directed two NCAA Division III regional cross country championship meets, assisted with two others as well as one NCAA Championship meet.
He and his wife Sophie reside in Lewisburg.
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