Dennis Mitchell, one of the longest-tenured coaches in the league and a 14-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, is in his 17th season at The University of Akron.

In all, he has received the league’s top coaching honor 10 times for his women’s teams and four times for his men’s Teams. Additionally, Mitchell has earned Great Lakes Region Outdoor Coach of the Year recognition from the USTFCCCA on four occasions; twice each for the men’s and women’s teams.

Known for his high-energy home track meets, Mitchell has not only made Akron’s Stile Athletics Field House the home of Mid-American Champions, but a destination for some of the top indoor talent in the northeast United States with the annual Akron Invitational.

In the past six years alone, Mitchell, who oversees both the men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor teams, has guided UA to 13 Mid-American Conference Championships while producing 22 All-Americans, earning 52 All-America honors.

Of that esteemed group, two have gone on to win NCAA Championships. Christi Smith captured the heptathlon crown in 2000 and Steve Large won the hammer in 2009. Additionally, a total of 98 Academic All-MAC honors have been bestowed upon UA student-athletes during Mitchell’s tenure, including Mary Varge, a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, seven-time MAC Champion and five-time USTFCCCA All-American.

Most recently, Mitchell has orchestrated a historic rise on the men’s side that saw the program sweep both the MAC Indoor and Outdoor titles for the first time in 2011 after winning back-to-back outdoor crowns in 2008 and 2009.

Last winter, the men finished the outdoor campaign ranked fifth in the region and advanced 14 individuals to the NCAA East Regionals and four to the NCAA Championships. There, Willie Brown, who set school records in the indoor and outdoor 800-meters in 2011, earned All-America First Team honors while also qualifying for next year’s Olympic trials.

The men’s rise follows a dominating run from the women’s program that featured five consecutive indoor titles from 2005-’09 and four straight outdoor championships from 2006-09. Furthermore, Akron became just the second school in league history to sweep the men’s and women’s outdoor championships in 2008 and then repeated the feat in 2009.

The streak of championships began in the 2005-06 as Akron women’s cross country team won a MAC championship to proceed the indoor and outdoor track and field championships, marking the first time a MAC women’s team had won the league’s “Triple Crown.”

With his success, it was no mystery as to why Mitchell was the United States head men’s track & field coach in the Norwich Union International meet, which was held in August of 2006 at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, England. Fresh off the MAC triple crown, Mitchell kept his winning streak alive as the USA men’s team finished first, winning 11 of 16 events and scoring 177 points to runner-up Russia’s 146. The coaching stint was his second on a national team as he served on the staff at the 2003 Pan American Junior Championships, working primarily with the throwers and decathletes.

While winning the MAC’s Triple Crown in 2005-06 was a notable first, the crowning achievement of Akron track and field occurred in June 2000 when Smith captured the NCAA championship in the heptathlon. After earning the first national crown for Akron, Smith went on to represent the University at the 2000 Olympic Track and Field Trials in Sacramento, Calif.

Then, in 2009, Large followed suit by becoming the program’s second national champion in the hammer after finishing as the national runner up during the indoor season in the weight throw. Large set a number of school and MAC records under Mitchell’s tutelage as she was named MAC Outdoor Field Performer of the Year for three consecutive years while becoming the first MAC female student-athlete to win a league title in a field event four times.

After making her first appearance at the NCAA Championships in 2007, she returned in 2008, earning All-American honors in the weight throw (indoor) and hammer (outdoor), while winning the NCAA Mideast Region title in the hammer.

A former pole vaulter himself and widely regarded as one of the top vault coaches in the nation, Mitchell, who also coaches the UA multi-event athletes, is overseeing a new era in Akron track and field. The Zips have one of, if not the, premier indoor facilities in the nation to call home with the opening of the $20 million Stile Athletics Field House in August of 2004. Stile Field House features a 300-meter, six-lane Mondo track, a 100-yard astroplay field as well as throwing cages, jumping pits and several pole vault apparatus.

In addition to the numerous All-America honors garnered by UA student-athletes, Mitchell’s Zips have also produced 167 individual MAC Championships and seven relay champions.

In the seven years under the current regional system for the outdoor season, UA has seen athletes qualify for a total of 206 events in NCAA regional competition, including 32 in both 2007 and ‘08 and 30 in 2009. Akron has also had at least one All-American performer in 13 out of the last 14 years.

In 2006, four Akron student-athletes garnered six All-American honors, marking the fourth-straight year UA had at least three honorees. High jumpers Sako and Tomasz Smialek each garnered the distinction during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. John Russell (pole vault) and Ashley Kaufman (javelin) were All-American selections during the outdoor season.

In recent years, it has been the achievements of Mitchell’s pole vaulters which has propelled the program into the national spotlight.

Russell became a four-time All-American with his performance at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships. The league’s indoor champion that year, Russell finished third in the men’s pole vault, clearing a MAC-record 18-02.50 along the way. In 2004, he was the first MAC student-athlete ever to clear 18-feet indoors.

Kira Sims, who completed her eligibility in 2004, became a three-time All-American in the pole vault and was the first female in UA and MAC history to clear the 14-foot plateau both indoors and outdoors. Sims placed fifth at the 2004 NCAA Indoor meet after winning the league’s indoor crown. During the outdoor season, she again won the conference title, adding the Mideast Regional title before placing fourth at the NCAA Outdoors. She closed out her career in the Blue and Gold by placing fourth a second time at the NCAA Outdoors and 11th at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Not to be diminished in any way are the accolades of the rest of the team. Along with Russell and Sims, Beata Rudzinska earned All-American recognition both indoors and outdoors in 2004 and ‘05 and completed her career with a total of five national honors. A middle-distance specialist, Rudzinska, an 11-time MAC Champion, had eight victories in the MAC 800 meters and four victories in the MAC mile, not to mention a 2005 MAC individual championship in cross country.

The 2005 season saw the women win its first MAC indoor title, tallying 97 points to top the 13-team field, defeating second-place Eastern Michigan by 1.5 points. The men’s squad placed fourth, which was the best-ever finish for the men indoors. For his effort, Mitchell earned his first MAC Women’s Indoor Coach of the Year honor. During the 2005 outdoor season, the women finished in second place, falling seven points short of their second outdoor MAC title. However, the Zips women’s squad came all the way from 10th place on the final day of competition to have a shot to pull the indoor-outdoor title sweep. On the men’s side, Akron took fifth place, moving up three places from its eighth-place showing in 2004.

In 1999 the women captured Akron’s first-ever outright women’s MAC team championship by claiming the league’s outdoor title. Seven school records were set at the meet, led by Smith’s 5,528 points in the heptathlon. Additionally that season, three athletes snagged indoor and/or outdoor All-American honors. Smith earned both indoor and outdoor recognition after finishing ninth in the long jump at the indoor meet and second in the heptathlon at the outdoor championships with a UA and MAC-record 5,773 points. Varga was ninth in the outdoor high jump, and Chad Bullett became the first male from the track program to earn Division I All-American honors with a 10th-place finish in the 100 meters.

Accomplishments like these were almost unimaginable prior to Mitchell’s tenure. He was hired during the summer of 1995, and inherited a program mired in the MAC basement. The men had finished last that spring at the league’s championship meet, 22 points behind ninth-place Ball State. The UA women’s team had also finished last, 30 points out of ninth place. Four years later, the women earned almost seven times as many points on their way to the league title. The men have also made great strides, increasing their point production each year.

For 10 years, from the fall of 1985 until his appointment at Akron in 1995, Mitchell gained invaluable experience as an assistant coach at Texas (six years) and North Carolina (four years).

As field events coordinator under 1995 NCAA Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year Dennis Craddock at UNC, Mitchell helped direct the efforts of 20 Atlantic Coast Conference champions and 13 All-American performances. In his first season in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heel men won their first ACC track and field title (1992) in more than 30 years, and followed that with three straight titles over 1994 and ‘95.

North Carolina won ACC outdoor crowns each year sandwiched around an indoor championship in 1995. In the meantime, UNC’s women followed a 1992 ACC outdoor team championship with indoor-outdoor conference sweeps for the next three seasons (1993-95).

His prize pupils included: 2000 Olympian Lynda Lipson, who finished runner-up in the javelin at the 1992 NCAA Championships; Ingrid Hantho, who placed fourth in discus at the 1994 NCAA Outdoor Championships; and pole vaulter and former Akron assistant Kevin Brown, the first collegiate athlete in the state of North Carolina to clear more than 18 feet.

Prior to serving with the Tar Heels, Mitchell served as assistant field events coach under legendary coach Stan Huntsman at Texas from 1985-91. He tutored four All-American pole vaulters, aiding hurdlers and decathletes as well. The Longhorns captured Southwest Conference titles in 1986 and ‘87, and finished in the NCAA Outdoors top-five from 1986-89 and again in 1991. During Mitchell’s time in Austin, Huntsman was tabbed as head coach for the 1988 U.S. Track & Field Olympic Team.

Among Mitchell’s other track & field-related responsibilities is his national-level involvement with USA Track & Field and the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association. He is an active member of the USATF pole vault development committee and is currently a National Junior Elite Coach. He also serves on the USTFCCCA/USATF Joint Task Force for the Improvement and Retention of College Track and Field.

Mitchell is a native of Rialto, Calif., and a 1985 graduate of Abilene Christian University. While at ACU, he was a pole vaulter on the Wildcats’ 1985 NCAA Division II Championship team. Mitchell began his collegiate career at the University of Utah, where he was twice the Western Athletic Conference runner-up in the pole vault. Mitchell, 51, and his wife, Cindy, reside in Green and have two sons; Matt, (26) and Chad (24).

Scott Jones, a two-time Mid-American Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, is in his 16th season at Akron. He was formally elevated to the position of head cross country coach in the fall of 2007 while retraining his role as the women's distance coach for the Zips' track squad.

Jones, who inherited a women's cross country team that had finished last or second-to-last in the league the previous four seasons, has elevated the program to historic heights, culiminating with two MAC Championships in 1999 and 2005. Furthermore, the UA women enjoyed a seven-year run from 2003 to 2009 that saw the team finish in the top three of the league each season, including runner-up placements in 2007 and 2008.

In all, his distance runners have contributed to eight of the last nine MAC Women's Track and Field titles and completed the initial leg of the league's first "Triple Crown" in 2005-06 when the Akron women won the conference's cross country, indoor, and outdoor track and field championships.

Individually speaking, Jones has developed a pair of All-Americans and 17 MAC Champions since arriving on campus in the fall of 1996. Furthermore, he has produced 13 all-league runners, earning 25 All-MAC honors, on the women's cross country side alone.

Jones won the first of his two MAC Women's Cross Country championships in 1999 when then-sophomore Michelle Rizzo captured the individual title. Rizzo, who was the second all-region honoree in program history, and went on to earn All-America honors with a 38th-place finish at the NCAA Championship. 

Beata Ruzinska, who finished her career as a 14-time MAC Champion, became the program's second runner to win the league cross country title in 2005. Under Jones' guidance, Ruzinska won four straight MAC Outdoor Championships in the 80 meters, set five school records and earn All-American honors five times.

During the 2009 track seasons, Larisa Arcip claimed the mile (indoor) and 1,500m (outdoor) MAC titles while placing runner in the outdoor 800. She went on the place fifth in the 1,500 at the NCAA Mideast Regional to earn All-Region, while adding Academic All-MAC honors for the indoor and outdoor seasons. Danielle Sidell also had an impressive 2009, placing second at the MAC Indoors in the 800m and qualifying for the NCAA Mideast Regional in the steeplechase. Cassie Schenck also earned All-MAC honors, placing second at the MAC Outdoors in the steeplechase, qualifying for the Mideast Regional and placing eightht o earn All-Region, and the 5,000 meters. During the indoor season, Carol Eckerly and Lorentz added Academic All-MAC honors, while Schenck was Academic All-MAC during the outdoor season.

In 2008, Akron claimed its second straight runner-up finish in the MAC, but went on to place a league-best eighth of 34 teams at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. During the MAC season, Arcip was earned first team honors, placing fourth, while Lorentz and Cassie Schenck were second team. Arcip went on to place 20th at the regional to earn All-Region.

In the 2008 outdoor season, his distance runners nearly single-handedly allowed the Zips to win its third straight MAC Outdoor title as Arcip won the 1500 and was third in the 800; Schenck won the steeplechase; Lorentz won the 5k and was second in the 10k; Eckerly won the 10k and was third in the 5k; Sidell was fifth in the 800 and Erskine was fifth in the 1500. Arcip would go on to earn All-Mid-East Region after placing seventh at the NCAA regional in the 1500.

After being picked to finish seventh in the 2006 preseason poll, Jones's runners proved all the critics wrong by finishing third in the MAC later that season. His predominately young group of female runners won both the Tommy Evans Invitational and the Falcon Invitational. The following year, taking a squad comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomores, the 2007 squad nearly pulled an upset with a runner-up finish at the MAC Cross Country championships.

In 2006, then freshman Erskine earned first team All-MAC honors, was named MAC runner of the Week twice and earned five top-five finishes. One of those top finishes was a fifth-place finish at the 2006 MAC Championships. A year later, then freshman Schenck did Erskine one better with a fourth-place finish, leading a contingent of four All-MAC honorees with Erskine, Arcip and Lorentz.

In 2007, Jones' distance group played a part in the Zips winning both the MAC Indoor and Outdoor titles with championships from Colleen Moran (3K), Rachel Zubricky (mile) and Arcip (1500m), while Zubricky and Arcip each added runner-up finishes as well. Arcip and Zubricky each went on to compete in the NCAA Mideast Regional.

In 2004, Morgan Sulzener qualified for the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championships, earning All-Ohio, All-MAC and All-Region honors along the way. Brandi Schoeppner also earned All-Region honors, while Rudzinska and Jennie Castle were All-MAC honorees. Overall, Rudzinska was a four-time MAC Champion and two-time All-American in 2004. She won the league's indoor and outdoor 800 meter events as well as champion in the mile indoors and the 1,500 outdoors. She placed fourth in the 800 meters at both the indoor and outdoor NCAA meets. At the 2004 MAC Outdoors, Rudzinska's defeated Toledo's Briana Shook in the final straightaway for her victory in the 1,500. Shook, the American record holder in the steeplechase was widely regarded as one of the top distance runners in the country. Jennie Castle and Emily Freudenrich were also regional qualifiers in the 800 meters as the Zips nabbed three of the top four spots in that event at the MAC outdoor meet.

Adriana Zalucka (first team) and Sulzener (second team) were All-MAC cross country selections in 2003 as the team earned two victories and a third-place finish at the 2003 MAC meet.

During the 2003 track season, Rudzinska earned All-America honors at the NCAA Indoors in the 800 meters. She was also an outdoor NCAA qualifier in that event.

In the fall of 2002, Zalucka became the third woman in UA history to qualify for the NCAA Championship. Her top-50 finish at the NCAA meet was preceded by an eighth-place showing at the Great Lakes Regional and a third-place finish at the MAC Championship.

The Zips' harriers have had success in the classroom as well, as the women's squad has been recognized annually as an All-Academic Team with Distinction by the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association (WICCCA). Jones currently serves as the Great Lakes Regional Representative for the WICCCA and serves as secretary on the NCAA Division I Cross Country Executive Committee for the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Jones came to the Zips from the University of Illinois, where he served as an assistant coach for women's track and field and cross country for two years. While at Illinois, the Illini women captured three consecutive Big Ten team championships, sweeping the 1995 season and winning the 1996 Indoors before finishing second at the 1996 Big Ten Outdoor Championships.

Jones also coached at Cornell University from 1991-92, working with both men and women on the track and field and cross country teams. In 1991 and 1992, the Big Red women finished fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, while the men's team placed 19th in 1992.

A 1982 graduate of Duke University with a degree in geology, Jones has done post-graduate work at Indiana University and, in 1989, received a Ph.D. in earth sciences from the University of California-San Diego. At Cornell, Jones was a post-doctoral research associate in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering. At Illinois, he was a visiting assistant professor of theoretical and applied mechanics.

In his 11th year on the UA track and field staff, throwing events coach Brian Forrester, the 2009 USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women's Assistant Coach of the Year, has established his group as a force on the conference, regional and national levels.

Since joining the Akron staff prior to the 2002 season, Forrester has mentored four All-Americans – earning eight All-America honors. Leading the way among that esteemed group is Stevi Large, a four-time All-American who captured the 2009 NCAA Championship in the hammer while smashing school, conference and regional records along the way.

Since his arrival in 2002, UA student-athletes have set 11 of the school's 12 throws records under Forrester's direction. Large currently holds four Akron records, while Auston Papay, who placed eighth at the NCAA Indoors in the shot put to earn All-American status in 2008, is the record-holder in three events.

Forrester produced just the second All-American thrower in program history in 2005 when Ashley Kaufman earned her first of two consecutive honors in the javelin.

Large, who also finished as the national runner-up in the weight throw in 2009, blossomed into Akron's most dominating thrower next, capturing nine MAC Championships during her time – including four consecutive hammer titles from 2006-'09.

A four-time MAC Female Field Performer of the Year, Large shattered the MAC record in the 20-pound weight and took fifth at the NCAA Indoors for her first All-American honor in 2008. She backed that up by shattering the MAC record in the hammer, claimed the NCAA Mid-East Region crown in the event, and then placed eighth at the NCAA Outdoors for her second All-American honor.

Valerie Wert, who was next in the line of dominating Akron throwers, earned a berth to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2009; the same year Large won her second straight Mideast Regional title in the hammer. The next season, Wert, who owns the school's record in the discus, went on to capture the MAC Championship in the hammer and earned All-American status in 2010. 

Other UA record holders include Randall Hafner in the 35-pound weight and Greg Corbitt in the hammer.

In addition to his duties coaching the throwers, Forrester works with the camp organization and assists with the day-to-day administrative details of the program. As proud as he may be about his athlete's success on the field, he is even more proud of their success in the classroom as well. Namely, Hafner was a six-time Academic All-MAC selection.

The UA throwers provided big points allowing the women's program to sweep the MAC Indoor and Outdoor titles for the third straight year as well as men's program winning the '08 MAC Outdoors and adding runner up finishes at the '07 MAC Outdoors and '08 MAC Indoors. In 2008, Large won the discus, hammer and 20-pound weight, while placing second in the indoor shot and third in the outdoor. Also, Wert made an immediate impact, placing second in the discus and third in the hammer. For the men in '08, Akron had seven podium finishes at the MAC Outdoor and three during the MAC Indoor.

In 2007, Large won titles in the weight throw, discus and hammer while shattering the league record in the weight throw and hammer along the way. Hafner added a second team All-MAC selection with his performance in the weight throw with Papay getting second team All-MAC honors during the outdoor season in the discus and shot.

During the 2006 season, Akron throwers did their most damage in one season to the record books, establishing UA records in the women's weight, hammer, discus, javelin and the men's discus events. Forrester's athletes won four individual MAC Championships including; women's hammer (Large), discus (Liz Mangen), javelin (Kaufman) and men's discus (Papay). Jenna Strouse (hammer) and Hafner (discus) also finished second in their respective events.

In 2006, seven Akron throwers qualified for NCAA Regionals in 11 events matching the previous year's best total. Three throwers advanced to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships with one, Kaufman, earning her second All-American honor. Kaufman had a tremendous senior campaign holding down the nation's best effort in the javelin through April, setting a MAC Championship meet record (176' 10") in the javelin and being named MAC Female Field Performer of the Year. The throws team ended the season being the ranked No. 1 in the MAC and 17th nationally.

During the 2004-05 season, Forrester coached seven different throwers to regional qualifying marks in 11 events, and two NCAA indoor provisional qualifiers as well. The year prior to that, two of Forrester's pupils, Dustin Shaffer (weight throw) and Corbitt (shot put outdoors) were crowned MAC Individual Champions.

In addition, Shaffer, the All-Ohio Indoor Champion in the weight throw, was a provisional NCAA and USATF Indoor Championships qualifier with his toss of 64-10 at the Scarlet and Gray Invitational. Outdoors, Shaffer set the school record in the discus (173-10) and qualified for the NCAA Regional in the discus and hammer.

Corbitt, a regional qualifier in the shot put and hammer throw, was the All-Ohio Outdoor Champion in the shot put and set school records in the shot put (59-04.25) and hammer throw (203-10). He became the only UA student-athlete to throw more than 200 feet in the hammer and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Forrester additionally coached Zach Helm, who qualified for the regional in the hammer throw.

During the 2003 outdoor season, three UA throwers, Kaufman, Liz Mangen (discus) and Shaffer (hammer) qualified for the inaugural NCAA Mideast Regional Championships.

Forrester made an immediate impact with the Zips upon his arrival for the 2002 season. Corbitt placed second in the weight throw at the MAC Indoors with a school-record toss of 66-2.5. Corbitt also bested his own mark in the indoor shot put (55-2) and the hammer throw (193-3). Renata Smith set the pace for the women in 2002 with a championship in the shot put at the MAC Indoor meet.

Prior to joining the Zips staff, Forrester spent the 2001 season as the throwing events coach at Wittenburg University.

While at Wittenburg, the throwers under his tutelage established school records in the men's and women's weight throw, men's and women's javelin, and the men's hammer. He coached four freshmen throwers to NCAA qualifying marks, two of which also qualified for USA Junior Nationals. In 2000, Forrester worked as a volunteer assistant coach at Kent State under the guidance of coach Kent Pagel.

Forrester is a USATF Level II throws coach, a USA Weightlifting Club coach and a Jump-Stretch Instructor. He is a member and contributing author of the Long and Strong Throwers Journal/Club. Forrester is the director of the UA track and field camps and has coached at throwing camps throughout Western Pennsylvania and Ohio.

A 1999 graduate of Slippery Rock University with a degree in sport management, Forrester was an all-conference performer in the shot put, as well as the SRU Indoor Athlete of the Year in 1996 and 1997.

Lee LaBadie, a well respected athlete and coach, was named men's cross country coach, as well as assistant track & field coach for men's distance runners in August of 2008.

Inheriting a men's cross country program that had placed no better than fifth in the Mid-American Conference in its first 19 years of existance, LaBadie led the Zips' harriers to their best season in 2010. With four runners in the top-25 – led by All-MAC Second Teamer Andy Knapp, Akron finished fourth at the MAC Championships, just nine points behind Kent State and Miami, who each tied for second.

The 2011 campaign was highlighted by the continued progress of Brad Hough, who became just the third Akron runner to earn All-MAC First Team honors. The sophomore was the Zips' top finisher in each meet and placed third at the MAC Championships.

But LaBadie's (pronounced La-Bay-dee) biggest impact has been the development of middle distance runner Willie Brown, who earned All-American status in 2011 after shattering school records in both the indoor and outdoor 800 meters and qualified for next year’s Olympic trials after running 1:45.91 during the outdoor season. Brown, who captured both the MAC indoor and outdoor championships in the 800m, posted the top five outdoor marks in school history as well as three of the top four indoor times.

It was a strong year for men's distance runners overall as Max Hiltner rewrote the school record in the mile, Scott Meyers set the school standard in the outdoor 5,000 meters and Joe McCoy bettered his record-setting time twice in 2011.

LaBadie's impact was immediate in 2008 as several veteran runners shaved significant times off their previous personal-records, including Joe Mummert in the indoor 800 and Mike Baraona in the mile. During the outdoor season, Jason Headman set the UA record for the 10,000 (30:10.65) meters, which had stood since 1972.

During the 2009 cross country season, McCoy placed sixth at the MAC Championships, becoming just the second Zip to earn first team honors and just the fifth to earn all-league honors overall.

LaBadie has been in the collegiate coaching field since 1973. Most recently he served his second stint on staff at Ohio State University (2006-08). In his first tenure with Ohio State (1989-93), LaBadie coached a pair of Olympians, each of whom are current distance coaches. OSU head coach Robert Gary was a two-time Olympian in the steeplechase and United States Cross Country Champion. Kent State head men's and women's distance coach Mark Croghan was a two-time NCAA champion in the steeplechase, a three-time Olympian in the event and five-time national champion. All told, he coached three individual Big Ten champions and helped the Buckeyes to a Big Ten team title during the 1992 outdoor season and a runner-up finish in the '92 indoor campaign.

Between his tours at Ohio State, LaBadie was a consultant on training, periodization, psychology and tactics for the University of Illinois, Ohio State and Kent State track & field/cross country programs. Another head coach LaBadie mentored was Illinois' Wayne Angel.

LaBadie is familiar with the Mid-American Conference as well, serving as head women's track & field/cross country coach at Bowling Green from 1985-89. While with the Falcons, he coached two-time NCAA All-American Beth Manson (discus) and All-American Tracy Gaerke (800m). His squads finished runner-up twice and never placed lower than fourth in track or cross country. In addition to his two All-Americans, LaBadie coached 12 individual MAC champions.

He began his coaching career at Parkland College. From 1973-85, he led his teams to five appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association national championships, placing fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th twice. Individually, LaBadie had over 120 All-Americans and six national champions.

LaBadie was a standout as a student-athlete, competing in the Big Ten. A 1973 Illinois graduate, receiving his degree in philosophy, LaBadie was the 1971 league champion in the mile and was the first Big Ten undergraduate to run the mile in under four minutes (3:58.8). In 1972, he was an NCAA champion in the two-mile relay and placed fifth in the 800m at the Championships. His 1972 two-mile relay team additionally tied a world record. Prior to college, LaBadie was the Illinois high school state cross country champion and two-time Illinois high school mile runner-up.

LaBadie is married to the former Diane Bruce. The couple has two children, Lloyd and Laura.

Former UA All-American high jumper Tomasz Smialek is in his fifth season as a full-time assistant coach, spending the 2007 season as a graduate assistant. Smialek, a 2006 graduate from UA, coaches the high jumpers and the horizontal jumpers, while assisting with the day-to-day duties in the track office.

Smialek has overseen the development of three All-Americans – including Natalie Sako (high jump), Cadeau Kelley (long jump) and Collister Fahie (long jump) – while his student-athletes have captured 18 individual MAC Championships since 2007.

In his first year, concentrating mainly on the vertical jumpers, Smialek oversaw perhaps the MAC's best corps, featuring Sako. During the indoor season, Sako placed 10th at the NCAA Championships to earn her fourth All-American honor, while she and Lisa Ravn tied for second at the MAC meet. Also, on the men's side, Ryan Jones was MAC runner-up in the high jump. Those performances improved in the outdoor season with Sako and Jones both winning the MAC. Jones also nearly qualified for the NCAA Outdoors, placing sixth at the regional.

For 2008, Smialek expanded his role in coaching the horizontal jumpers with Cadeau Kelley and Niesha Kelly experiencing a breakout seasons. Kelley set UA long and triple jump records for both indoor and outdoor seasons, claimed the MAC long and triple jump championship for both indoor and outdoor seasons, and made his first trip to the NCAA Championships. There, he placed 14th in the long jump and finished his career by earning All-America honors with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Outdoors.

Under Smialek's guidance, Zips jumpers dominated the MAC Championships in 2010 and 2011, winning eight individuals titles. Mike McCall, who finished his career as a six-time MAC Champion in the high jump, swept all four high jump titles during that time, while Tyshaun Peoples brought home the indoor long jump championships in 2010 and 2011 and Fahie did the same during the outdoor seasons.

Furthermore, Fahie went on to earn Second Team All-America honors for his 12^th-place finish in the 2011 NCAA Championships in long jump and set the school record with a leap of 26’3.75” at the USA Championships in June 2011, where he finished sixth.

Smialek continued his success in the vertical jumps as freshman Mike McCall was runner-up at the MAC Indoors while Jones placed fourth. During the '08 outdoor season, Jones was second while McCall was third. Jones and McCall went on to participate in the NCAA Mid-East Regional. While Jones placed 10th, his jump of 7-0.50 was good enough to give the senior an at-large berth to the NCAA Outdoors, where he placed 20th in his first trip to nationals.

In 2009, McCall earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships after winning both the MAC Indoor and Outdoor titles. Tyshaun Peoples won the MAC Outdoor title in the long jump. Also, Collister Fahie was MAC Indoor runner-up in the long jump and outdoor runner-up in the triple jump. Both Peoples and Fahie qualified for the NCAA Regional. On the women's side, Kelly was MAC Indoor champion in the long jump and runner-up in the triple jump, while Alina Bocicor qualified for the NCAA Regional in the high jump.

Smialek completed his collegiate career as one of the best high jumpers to ever compete at Akron. He is the current school record holder in both indoor and outdoor competition, clearing 7-03.25 indoors and 7-03.75 outdoors.

He ended his collegiate career on a high note, earning his second All-American honor at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championship, finishing eighth after clearing a season-best 7-02.25. His first All-American honor came at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championship in which he placed sixth with a jump of 7-02.50.

Smialek is also a six-time MAC Champion in high jump and was named 2005 UA Indoor Most Valuable Performer.

Dominika Stokowska begins her fourth season working with the Zips track and field program, serving as Akron's coach for hurdles, sprints and relays.

Stokowska, who served as the Zips' volunteer assistant her first three years on the staff, was promoted to full-time status in August of 2011.

During her time at UA, Strokowska helped develop a number of Mid-American Conference champions, including Zach Harper, Tyshaun Peoples and KC LaCross.

In particular, Peoples has excelled under Stokowska's guidance, earning league crowns in both the 60m (2009) and 110m (2011) hurdles. Both Peoples, who broke his own school record in the 60m hurdles last January with a time of 7.83, and LaCross advanced to the NCAA Preliminaries last spring.  

Stokowska, a 2006 graduate of Kent State, was a standout with the Golden Flashes and twice qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400m hurdles. She was also a two-time, MAC runner-up in the event and excelled in the classroom – earning Academic All-MAC honors with a 3.4 GPA in human movement studies during her senior year.

Prior to Kent State, Stokowska was a member of the 4x400-meter relay that won gold at the 2001 Polish Junior Championships (Under-19). She also participated in the 2001 World Junior Championships in the 400m hurdles.

Andrea Tepe is in her third year as the Director of Track & Field Operations for The University of Akron. Her primary responsibilities include team travel, home meet management, equipment, and special events planning.

In her first two years, Andrea has moved from a graduate assistant to a full time member of the staff. Andrea is a USATF Level 2 certified coach in the Sprints, Hurdles, and Relays, has received a USTFCCCA Track & Field Technical Certification and has also attended the Emerging Elite Coaches Clinic at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.

Prior to joining the Zips, Andrea was a volunteer assistant coach at Miami University for one year, helping with the sprints, jumps, and hurdles, while completing a MS in Sport Studies with a focus on Sport Behavior and Performance. Andrea received her undergraduate degree from Miami University as well, graduating with a BS in Integrated Mathematics Education and a Coaching minor in 2008.

She was a four-year member of the track & field team where she was a MidEast Regional Qualifier in the 400m Hurdles as well as a school record holder in the Indoor 4x400m Relay. Andrea was also active in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, representing Miami at the 2007 NCAA Leadership Conference.

McCall is in his first year as a graduate assistant for the Zips, helping Director of Operations Andrea Tepe with the day to day operations of the program. He is a 2011 graduate of The University of Akron and is currently a graduate student, pursuing a degree in Sport Management.

As a Zip, McCall was a six-time MAC Champion in the High Jump, four-time NCAA Regional qualifier, and also qualified for the Indoor and Outdoor NCAA Championships in 2009. He is a 2006 graduate of Revere High School.

Dobson will be helping Coach Stokowska with the sprinters and hurdles in his first year as a volunteer assistant coach. He is a 2011 graduate of The University of Akron and is currently a graduate student, pursuing a degree in Sport Management.

Dobson was a four-year letter winner for the Zips as well as a two time MAC Champion (2008 200m Outdoor and 2009 4x100m Relay). He qualified for the NCAA Regionals in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m during his career.

Dobson is a 2006 graduate of Orange High School.

Fahie joins the UA Coaching Staff as a fifth-year student coach, helping Coach Smialek with the horizontal jumping events. He is on schedule to graduate from UA in May 2012 with a degree in marketing.

Fahie was a four-year letterwinner for the Zips, earning Second Team All-America for his 12^th-place finish in the 2011 NCAA Championships in long jump. He set the school record with a leap of 26’3.75” at the USA Championships in June 2011, where he finished sixth.

Fahie, who continues to train in the long jump with hopes of representing his native Virgin Islands on the International stage, is a 2007 graduate of Firestone High School.

Ferguson is in his first year as a volunteer assistant coach with the sprinters and Coach Stokowska. He is a 2011 graduate of The University of Akron and is currently a graduate student, pursuing a degree in Sport Management.

Ferguson was a three-year letter winner for the Zips and a 2010 NCAA Preliminary Round Qualifier in the 4x100m Relay. He is a 2007 graduate of Buchtel High School, where he helped the Griffins to the 2006 Division II State Championship.

Hiltner is in his first year as a volunteer coach for the Zips, helping Coach LaBadie with the men’s distance runners. He is currently enrolled in law school at The University of Akron.

Hiltner competed one year for the Zips, posting a second-place finish in the mile at the Indoor MAC Championships and was an NCAA Preliminary Round qualifier in the 1500m. Prior to Akron, he was a student at Ashland University, where he completed his undergraduate education.

Kormanik returns to the Zips as a volunteer assistant coach to Coach Jones and the women’s distance runners. Kormanik (Castle) is a 2006 graduate of The University of Akron.

She was an NCAA Qualifier in the 1500m in 2006 as well as an NCAA MidEast Regional Qualifier in the 800m and 4x400m relay.

Kormanik, who continues to train for the 1500m, hoping to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., is a 2001 graduate of Barnesville High School, where she was the Ohio Division II State Champion in the 800m.

LaCross is a member of the staff as a fifth-year student coach. He is planning to graduate in May 2012 with a degree in Civil Engineering.

LaCross was a four-year letterwinner for the Zips and a two-time NCAA Regional Qualifier in the 400m Hurdles. He was a MAC Champion in the 400m Hurdles in 2009 and runner-up in 2011. LaCross is a 2006 graduate of Medina High School.

Moleton is in his second year as a volunteer assistant coach for the Zips, helping Coach Forrester with the Javelin. He is a 2010 graduate of The University of Mississippi where he was a two-time All-American in the Javelin as well as the school record holder in the event.

Moleton continues to train to throw the Javelin in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore. He is a 2005 graduate of North Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.