ATHLETE HONORS

Walt Drenth was appointed as the director of the men's and women's track & field and cross country programs at Michigan State on June 2, 2006. He had joined the Michigan State program as head men's cross country coach and assistant men's track & field coach in 2004.

In more than 20 years of collegiate coaching, Drenth has amassed a wealth of coaching honors. Since 1985, he has led 20 teams to NCAA Championship appearances and has coached 39 All-Americans and seven Academic All-Americans in both track and cross country. Additionally, Drenth has been recognized by his conference and regional peers as Coach of the Year on 17 occasions.

Drenth may have had his best overall season with the Spartans in 2007-08, highlighted by the women's cross country team that finished fifth at the NCAA National Championship, its best finish since 1981. He also coached Nicole Bush to a school-best fifth-place finish at the championship, earning her All-America honors. The women's indoor track squad also saw plenty of success, finishing 25th at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships. Drenth and his staff sent 15 student-athletes to the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, while two, Zoe Pelbart and Sarah Price, earned a berth at the NCAA National Championships.

Drenth's level of coaching was also seen nationally over the summer, as Bush, a Kellogsville, Mich. native, made a splash at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Bush ran a time of 9:40.27 in the 3,000m steeplechase, smashing her previous career-best. Her time was just one tenth of a second away from qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Heading into just his third year as the director of track and field and cross country, Drenth has helped to elevate the Spartan track and field program to a new level of success. In the past two years, MSU has had 32 regional qualifiers, four national qualifiers, eight All-Big Ten finishers and 10 school-record holders.

Drenth made an immediate impact at Michigan State, leading the men's cross country team to its first NCAA Championship bid in three years during the 2004 season. MSU finished seventh at the Great Lakes Regional in 2004 and 2005, and took fourth place at the 2006 meet en route to an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship Meet in Terre Haute, Ind. The Spartan women's cross country team also advanced to the NCAA Championship Meet after winning the Great Lakes Regional race.

The 2006-2007 track & field team had a great year under Drenth, as he coached four NCAA qualifiers and helped Bush to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships after posting a 9:56.68, setting a then school-record in the steeplechase, breaking her previous record by nearly two seconds. The sixth place nod also earned Bush All-America honors. In fact, throughout the 2006-07 season, Drenth coached three All-Americans, nine Academic All-Americans, 10 All-Region selections, nine All-Big Ten honorees and had three teams recognized as All-Academic programs.

Since his arrival at MSU, Drenth has changed the culture of the track & field program and molded it into a team that will be dangerous for many years to come. Bringing in a new coaching staff that includes the hiring of Chris Bostwick, Randy Gillon, Kim McGreevy, John Newell and Melanie Rhoden, Drenth has brought in coaches that will elevate the program to new heights while keeping the program balanced. With his assistants in place, Drenth has set himself up for many years of success in East Lansing.

The Spartans have been one of the top academic performers on campus since Drenth's arrival. Matt Bartlebaugh was honored with the President's Award in 2007. The award is given to a graduating athlete that possesses the highest grade point average. In 2007, Bartlebaugh, a pre-law major, had a 3.948 grade-point-average upon graduation.

Before arriving at Michigan State, Drenth was responsible for the drastic turnaround of the cross country programs during his tenure at Arizona State from 1996 until 2004. Prior to his arrival, ASU's women had never made a team appearance at the NCAA National Championships, never earned a national ranking, and never had produced an All-American. The Sun Devil women had not finished higher than sixth at the West Regional since 1986 and had only three finishes better than seventh at the Pac-10 meet.

The Sun Devil men also had never made a team appearance at nationals or earned a national ranking. ASU had previously finished higher than seventh at the Pac-10 Championships only three times and higher than seventh at the West Regional only once prior to 1996.

With the odds stacked against him, Drenth was not phased by the challenge ahead. After taking the reins, the turnaround was almost immediate. During a six-year span from 1998-2003, the ASU women made trips to the NCAA Championships in each season, including a school-best sixth-place finish in 2000. Following their record-breaking 2000 season, the Sun Devils were ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation during the 2001 season. Individually, Arizona State had a streak of four straight years, from 1998-2001, in which a Sun Devil earned All-America honors. For his efforts, Drenth was named Pac-10 Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000, and was also selected as the West Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2000.

Under Drenth's tutelage, the ASU men had five top-four finishes at the Pac-10 Championships and placed in the top five regionally four times. The Sun Devils made two trips to the NCAA Championships (1999, 2001), finishing as high as 14th in 1999. Drenth also coached Fasil Bizuneh to All-America honors twice in 1999 and 2001. The Sun Devils were ranked as high as ninth nationally during the 1999 season, the programs highest ranking ever.

Prior to his arrival, ASU had two All-Americans total between the men's (2) and women's (0) programs. In just eight seasons under Drenth, ASU runners earned All-America honors eight times. Drenth also coached the first female Sun Devil cross country runner, Amy Hastings, to be named Pac-10 Athlete of the Year and NCAA West Region Athlete of the Year, and helped both one male and one female runner earn the program's first Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year awards. Before 1996, six Sun Devils earned all-conference honors; during Drenth's eight seasons, 15 student-athletes earned 20 selections to the first or second team and 32 times a Sun Devil earned All-Region honors.

Drenth also made an impact on the track at ASU. In his tenure, the Sun Devils had eight NCAA top-20 finishes and his athletes received All-America honors 16 times. The ASU men's teams finished fourth or higher at the Pac-10 Championships each of his past five years, while the women placed no lower than fourth place in each of the last five seasons coaching at Arizona State.

In the classroom, three Sun Devils were named Academic All-American in cross country and three more in track and field, while his cross country teams were named Team Academic All-American with Distinction (team grade-point average of 3.25 or above) four times.

Before going to Arizona State, Drenth led the William & Mary men to five Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) cross country titles and two track and field crowns in six years (1990-95). He was named CAA Cross Country Coach of the Year on five occasions, including each of his last four seasons in Williamsburg. He also was tabbed as District II Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1995. William & Mary was the District II champion in cross country in 1990.

Drenth's runners competed at three NCAA Championship meets: 1990 (15th), 1994 (18th) and 1995 (17th). On the track, Drenth led William & Mary to two CAA titles (1992, 1993). He tutored two All-American cross country runners and eight All-America distance runners and one collegiate record-holder in his six seasons in Williamsburg.

Prior to his stint at William & Mary, Drenth was the head cross country coach and assistant track coach at his alma mater, Central Michigan University, from 1985-90. He was named District IV Coach of the Year in 1989 after leading CMU to the District IV title. He led the Chippewas to two Mid-American Conference titles (1988, 1989), and was named MAC Cross Country Coach of the Year both years.

Drenth also led CMU to three successive Central Collegiate Conference titles from 1987-89, and was selected Central Collegiate Cross Country Coach of the Year all three years. He coached two cross country All-Americans and three All-Americans on the track.

Drenth earned his bachelor's degree in psychology and political science from CMU in 1981 and his master's in physical education from CMU in 1990. Drenth and his wife, Cara, have two children, Emma and Gerrit.

Q & A With Coach Drenth

Q: What aspects of coaching do you find to be most important? A: There are a number of important aspects necessary to building a program and helping student athletes meet their potential. In no specific order: It is critical to understand the developmental process and how it relates to each person and event group. I believe we have a great group of teachers on our coaching staff. They understand the science specifically related to their event area and they continue to immerse themselves in the learning process. It is important to create a vision for success for each athlete and for the team in general; the vision of success also gives everyone a stronger sense of purpose as we go through the long months of training before the season. Enthusiasm plays a key role in creating a training environment in which student athletes will respond favorably. Finally, creating the proper balance between the sense of urgency needed to get better in short order and the patience necessary to allow athletes to develop.

Q: What are your goals for the program? A: The goals for the program are to build a balanced track & field and cross country program that can compete for Big Ten championships. My goal with a balanced program is to have competitive student athletes in every event area. This gives the team a consistent chance at being successful during championship events. I believe it is important in each event area to have training partners and a training group. It is more fun to throw, jump, or run with teammates than alone because you are the only athlete in that event or event area. Additionally the program needs to sustain its nationally competitive level in cross country. These goals are not mutually exclusive; we expect to be highly competitive during every season.

Q: Why should a student athlete choose Michigan State? A: Academically Michigan State boasts some of the best programs of study in the nation and is consistently among the leading public institutions in the country. For student athletes the Clara Bell Smith Center (our academic and student-athlete center) will enhance every learning experience. The facility is dedicated to each student-athlete's success both academically and personally. MSU is a great place that appeals to people from all walks of life. Michigan State is on one of the great campuses in the country and the positive energy that is growing here should appeal to everyone.

Our support staff, academic assistance, strength and conditioning and sports medicine are great assets. The people working with our student athletes take a personal role in contributing to the success of each of our team members.

Our Director of Athletics, Mark Hollis, has a stated goal of becoming competitive in every sport. The leadership that Mark and his staff provide will allow the department and our program to flourish. I believe we also offer a unique opportunity for student athletes to become part of building the track and field program to a highly competitive level. Often programs have established identity; as a building program, student athletes will have a genuine opportunity to leave with their finger print on the future of our program. For student athletes the opportunity to compete in the Big Ten and measure themselves against the nation's elite is an opportunity unlike many. At Michigan State there is a great sense of growth and improvement around every corner.

Finally, I believe our coaching staff is qualified and dedicated to helping each student athlete meet their potential academically and athletically. The staff exemplifies the athletics department mission statement: "We gather and engage our community to teach, support, and celebrate our student-athletes in their quest for excellence."

Q: What excites you the most about this program? A: There are a number of exciting aspects. The most obvious to me is the energy and sense of purpose the first couple of recruiting classes have brought to the program. We have outstanding upper-class student athletes who are talented and driven, but the influx of a number of highly competitive new people really has created the energy and purpose important to the program's progress and success.

Q: What are the benefits of a combined program? A: The opportunity to grow and learn in a more diverse environment is tremendous for personal growth, but the bottom line advantage is coaching and attention for each student athlete in every event area. Combined programs are allowed 6 full time coaches while split programs are allowed 3 full time coaches. This difference can result in asking coaches to work outside their area of expertise or at the minimum trying to cover a number of events during the day. In a combined program no event area gets left on their own.

Q: What type of student athlete will do well in this program? A: I think the quality of our staff will provide athletes from many perspectives the opportunity to succeed. We look for athletes who have set high goals for themselves academically and athletically. We also seek athletes who are interested in becoming part of a great team. It is important to have people here with like goals and high ambition. The coaching staff does an amazing job with the development process. While we have a number of people who have come out of high school as national level athletes, we have also had great success developing athletes with potential but less competitive high school marks into national level collegians.