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Warren Mandrell Entering his 15th season at helm of the Miami University men's cross country and track and field programs, head coach Warren Mandrell continues to lead a pair of teams that have been a model of consistency. Mandrell's cross country teams have not finished lower than fourth in the Mid-American Conference since 1996, winning a pair conference titles in 1997 and 1998, and his track and field squads have produced 12 MAC gold medalists, including seven conference titlists in the past four seasons. With the Miami cross country squad, Mandrell has produced three All-Americans in the past four seasons, with David Mitchell taking home All-America honors in 2004 and Dan Huling and Chris Swisher both earning All-America plaudits in 2005. Mitchell was one of the most decorated runners during Mandrell's tenure as a two-time MAC runner-up and national qualifier in 2003 and 2004. Huling, meanwhile, became the first Miamian under Mandrell to take home the conference's individual title in 2005. He also placed 26th at the 2005 NCAA Championship, the highest finish for a RedHawk at the national meet since Bob Reef finished 17th in 1972. In 2007, Pat Sovacool placed fourth at the MAC Championships and 12th at the NCAA Regionals, qualifying for the Nationals competition. In the last decade under Mandrell, the RedHawks have won a pair of MAC Cross Country Championships and posted six runner-up finishes, two third-place finishes and a fourth-place showing. Prior to finishing fourth at the MAC meet in 2006, Miami finished as the conference runner-up for the second straight season in 2005, as Huling and Swisher placed first and third, respectively. Miami also placed 10th in the notoriously tough Great Lakes Region. The 2004 season saw Mandrell lead the RedHawks to a second-place finish in the MAC--the team's highest finish since 2001--and a ninth-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional, one spot short of a national bid. Three of Mandrell's runners were all-MAC first-team selections, and Mitchell earned an invitation to the NCAA Championship after a 12th-place regional finish. Mandrell's squad reached new heights in 2003 when the RedHawks qualified as a team for the NCAA Cross Country Championship. After taking third at the MAC Championship and entering the meet ranked No. 25 in the nation, Miami finished as the top MAC school at the national meet, taking 14th, its highest final national ranking since 1997. From 1999-2002, Miami posted three runner-up finishes and one third-place finish at the conference meet. In 1998, Mandrell was honored as the Ohio Cross Country Coach of the Year after guiding the RedHawks to their second consecutive MAC Championship and a berth in the NCAA Championship. Mandrell earned MAC Coach of the Year honors in 1997 when his RedHawks ended their 12-year MAC Championship drought and finished the season ranked in the nation's top 25. Miami climbed as high as 11th in the 1997 polls. As the head of the Miami track and field team, Mandrell mentored Huling, who turned in one of the most impressive individual seasons in 2006. Huling won the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase at the MAC Championships, becoming the first athlete in program history to win three individual conference titles at the same meet, and he was the named the meet's Most Outstanding Performer. Huling then went on to place sixth in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Championship, earning All-America honors and becoming the first athlete since the 1944-45 seasons to be named a dual All-American in both cross country and track and field. During the 2005 season, both Jake Dunkleberger and Huling won MAC titles. For the second year in row, Dunkleberger captured the conference hammer title and went on to become an All-American at the NCAA Championships. Huling was the MAC Champion in the 5,000 meters and set a Miami record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Mideast Regional. Five other athletes also have won conference titles during Mandrell's tenure, including Bryan Hawkins (1996, 1997), Fitz Read (1999), Chris Swank (1999), Nick Somerville (2001) and Erik Reynolds (2004). Mandrell's student-athletes also have achieved success in the classroom. Since Mandrell's arrival in 1994, Miami has produced 88 academic all-MAC and MAC Honor Roll selections, including 20 athletes in 2005. Last season, the RedHawks also were honored by the National Collegiate Division I Track Coaches Association for having the 16th-highest team grade-point average in the nation (3.02). Two student-athletes--Swisher and Pat Sovacool--who both qualified for the NCAA MidEast Regional in the 1,500 meters, were honored individually as all-academic selections. Prior to taking over at Miami, Mandrell spent 12 years as the top assistant coach for the men's and women's cross country and track and field teams at Northern Arizona University. He was a part of the school's five men's and six women's Big Sky Conference Championships in cross country, as well as the 14 men's and six women's indoor and outdoor league titles. With Mandrell as an assistant, NAU's men's cross country squad finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships six times between 1984 and 1991, including a second-place finish in 1988, and the women's program finished in the top 20 every year from 1986 to 1992. He coached seven men's and seven women's All-Americans while at NAU. Outside of coaching, Mandrell served more than 20 years as an Army officer in both active duty and reserve forces. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Mandrell commanded a basic training company on active duty, and he also served as the Director of Plans and Operations for the Arizona National Guard Navajo Army Depot. Born in Lincoln, Ill., Mandrell graduated with honors from Michigan Technological University in 1978 and was Most Valuable Performer of the Michigan Tech cross country team in 1974. Mandrell also competed in track and field and cross country skiing as a student-athlete. He earned his master's degree in physical education from Northern Arizona in 1984. Mandrell, who is a lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard, resides in Oxford, Ohio, with his wife, Peggy, and children, Heather (18), Nathan (13) and Adam (9). Mandrell by the Numbers
THE MANDRELL FILE MIAMI MAC CROSS COUNTRY FINISHES 1994 - Fifth 1995 - Sixth 1996 - Second 1997 - First 1998 - First 1999 - Second 2000 - T-Second 2001 - Second 2002 - Third 2003 - Third 2004 - Second 2005 - Second 2006 - Fourth 2007 - Second |
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