The most surprising moment for the cross country team this season did not occur during either of the two meets that the team has competed in thus far, but on Sept. 16 when head coach Kebba Tolbert resigned. Tolbert, who had served as head coach of both the cross country and the track and field teams at Portland State, had guided the team for the last three years.
Carrying on
The most surprising moment for the cross country team this season did not occur during either of the two meets that the team has competed in thus far, but on Sept. 16 when head coach Kebba Tolbert resigned.Tolbert, who had served as head coach of both the cross country and the track and field teams at Portland State, had guided the team for the last three years.
He announced that he was leaving the team for an assistant coaching position at the University of Texas-El Paso.
Tolbert’s departure came after the team had already competed in two different local meets and was looking forward to hosting the Big Sky Championships on Nov. 1.
The news of Tolbert’s departure startled the Portland State athletic community, as he became just the latest in a surplus of coaches to depart the South Park Blocks.
“I was a little surprised by the departure,” said athletic director Torre Chisholm. “But we appreciated his dedication to the program during his three years here.”
Despite losing their head coach, the cross country team seems poised on continuing to improve the program and their standings as both teams search for a new coach.
“We’re in the early stages of a national search but will probably not find a new coach until after the season is over,” Chisholm said.
In the meantime, assistant coaches Ronnie Harrison and John Parks will lead the team. Both have experience in distance running and in working with runners at Portland State.
Junior Nate Endicott, who has excelled during the first two meets of the season, said that Coach Tolbert did not work closely with the runners who competed in cross country.
“In three years, I can’t remember a time that he has come to our practices aside from track, as well as meets. Therefore my reaction on the cross country side is that he will not be missed,” Endicott said.
Endicott said that Harrison has worked hard at developing a strong connection with the runners and looked forward to his guidance.
“In his three weeks of being here, I have noticed a much better relationship and effort to bring the team closer as a whole than the three years under Tolbert,” Endicott said.
Parks will also continue his work with the team and, in particular, the distance program. He has had previous stopovers at Auburn University and as a head coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, making him a potential candidate for the newly vacated Portland State head coach position.
“It is something that has been discussed with the entire athletic staff,” Chisholm said of the possibility that Parks could be hired as head coach.
Thus far this year, the men and women’s teams opened the season at the Pre’s Trail Run hosted by the University of Oregon. The men’s team finished second in the 7k race while the women finished third at that meet.
The Vikings also competed at the Lewis and Clark invitational in Estacada and both squads finished third out of nine schools. Endicott finished sixth in the 8k race while sophomore Stephanie Deever finished fifth in the women’s 6k. Both athletes registered personal best times for their respective races.
Cross Country Schedule
Sat., Oct. 4 Willamette Invitational Salem, Ore. Sat., Oct.18 Clackamas Invitational Oregon City, Ore. Sat., Oct. 25 Beaver Classic Corvallis, Ore. Sat., Nov. 01 Big Sky Conference Championships Portland, Ore. Sat., Nov. 15 NCAA Regional Championships Stanford, Calif.
