Callie Black ’05 begins her third year as the head coach of the women's cross country team and her second year at the helm of the men’s cross country team in the 2016-17 academic year.
In the second season of NCAA competition for the EC women last fall, the Purple and Gold made tremendous strides. The Soaring Eagles recorded nine of the Top-10 fastest 5Ks and six of the Top-10 6Ks time program history in 2015, while standout sprinter Hannah Lundgren '18 twice broke program her own record for the fastest 5K. Elmira also made its first-ever trips to the Cross Country Only Conference (CCOC) and ECAC Championships, with the former marking the site of Hundgren's record time in the 5K (20:34.90).
Black also guided the men's cross country team, which was re-introduced as a varsity sport for the first time since the mid-1970s. The Soaring Eagles made constant improvement as the season wore on, as evidenced by the fact that six runners set personal-record times at the Empire 8 Conference Championships in Houghton, NY,
Black is no stranger to Elmira College as she was a 2005 graduate, competing in both field hockey and softball during her four years as a Soaring Eagle. She also served as an assistant coach of the EC softball team from 2005-07 while earning a master’s degree in General Education.
Along with her collegiate softball coaching experience, Black also has four years of cross country coaching experience at the high school level. She was on the coaching staff at both Watkins Glen and Thomas A. Edison school districts for four years.
