Former Professional Athletes Hired as Dartmouth Coaches

The past week has brought a wave of exciting announcements in the Dartmouth Athletics program:

• Former LPGA tour player, Janet Coles, was hired today as the head coach of the Indian women’s golf team. She is listed as a Top 50 Teacher in America and has coached at both the collegiate and high school level for over ten years. This addition to the golf program is expected to help student-athletes become serious contenders for an Ivy League title.

• The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Dartmouth head track and field and cross-country coach, Barry Harwick, as the Division 1 Cross Country President. He is entering his 20^th year as the College’s head coach. 

• Dartmouth women’s hockey head coach, Mark Hudak, was selected as assistant coach of the USA Women’s Hockey team for the International Ice Hockey Federation Twelve Nations Invitational Tournament Series. Indian hockey players, Lindsay Holdcroft ’14 and Kelly Foley ’12 fell just shy of making the final roster for the USA team.

• Today, Dartmouth golfers Davis Mullany ’11, Peter Williamson ’12 and James Pleat ’13 teed off in the USGA U.S. Amateur Championship.

• After serving as assistant coach for the cross country and track teams, Mark Coogan has been promoted as the head women’s cross country coach. Coogan was a professional runner from 1988 to 2002, and represented the United States in the marathon at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta.

• And finally, former WNBA force Yolanda Griffith has joined the Indian women’s basketball coaching staff. She is a seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist. She has competed professionally for 16 years in the WNBA, the Euroleague, the American Basketball League, the Women’s Chinese Basketball League and the Women’s Korean Basketball League. In the words of head coach Chris Wielgus, “her accomplishments and work ethic are legendary.” This addition to the Dartmouth Athletics program was certainly a phenomenal choice by Director Harry Sheehy and coach Chris Wielgus.

–David Rufful