January 9, 2008

DeGrado elevated to head cross country coach

Having helped guide the Cowley College cross country teams to a pair of top-10 finishes at the NJCAA National Cross Country Championships in November, Vince DeGrado was recently promoted from assistant coach to head coach of the Tiger men and women’s cross country teams.

Mark Phillips, who had served as the head coach of both the cross country and track and field teams at Cowley, had been considering handing over the cross country head coaching duties to one of his assistants for some time now.

“This is the direction that a lot of the really good programs have been headed for over the last 10 years,” Phillips said. “For recruiting purposes and reputation Vince deserves the title of head coach. He has come into our program and done a wonderful job with these kids, he has done everything I expected him to do.”

Cowley athletic director Tom Saia believes this move will strengthen the Tigers’ cross country and track and field programs.

“Vince is an outstanding coach and he and coach Phillips work very well together,” Saia said.

DeGrado, who was hired at Cowley just prior to this past cross country season, was named the Region VI Men’s Coach of the Year after he helped the Tiger cross country team capture its first ever Region VI Championship.

“I knew I had to come in and prove myself,” DeGrado said. “I have been rewarded with a great opportunity to run the program. I love working with Mark (Phillips), he has helped me grow and I have learned a lot from him,”

Competing in the largest field of runners in NJCAA history, the Tiger men finished fifth in the nation, while the Lady Tigers placed eighth.

“We are looking to be even better next year with the recruiting class we have coming in,” DeGrado said.

DeGrado will coach Cowley’s distance and middle distance runners during the track season.

Prior to coming to Cowley, DeGrado served as the head cross country and track coach at Allen County Community College for two full seasons.

In the two seasons he coached at Allen County, DeGrado’s squads broke or tied 22 school records. During the 2006 season, his first recruiting class in cross country proved to be a successful one as the Allen County women were ranked in the top-25 for the first time in almost ten years.