Head Coach: Craig Penney
Office: (937) 327-6493
E-Mail

Postal Address: Wittenberg University P.O. Box 720 Springfield, Ohio 45501

Package Shipping Address: Wittenberg University 225 Fountain Ave. Springfield, Ohio 45504

Craig Penney was named Wittenberg men's and women's cross country and track & field head coach in August 2006. Penney took over the two programs after the departure of Steve Shutt, who left after seven years to take over the same positions at Gettysburg College.

The 2006 season marked Penney's debut as a Tiger coach, but he previously led cross country and track teams at six colleges in a 29-year span. One of his stops included Wittenberg rival and fellow North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) member College of Wooster. His last stop before Wittenberg was Shenandoah University, where he was the head cross country coach and an administrative assistant for media relations. During his two years at Shenandoah, Penney guided five runners to all-conference honors and led three of those individuals to strong finishes in the NCAA Division III South Region Meet.

During Penney's 17 years as a cross country and track & field coach he has been named conference coach of the year 12 times. In 2000, he was named the United States of America Track and Field Mid-East Regional Track and Field Coach of the Year. Beyond Penney's individual accolades, his teams have won 15 conference titles. He has also produced 250 all-conference performers, 20 most valuable player awards, 52 National Qualifiers, and 32 All-Americans. He has also helped athletes set more than 70 new college records.

Not only has Penney led his individuals to high levels of competition, his teams have also held their own in the classroom. In 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003, his cross country teams earned Coaches Association Academic All-America recognition. Last year at Shenandoah, Penney's women's cross country team was one of 108 Division III schools to earn the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Academic Award with a 3.39 grade point average.

Penney has also been involved in other activities beyond coaching. From April 2003 through July 2004, Penney was the assistant conference planner and programmer for Penn State University Conferences & Institutes. He also has gained experience as a director of seven conference championship events and three NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships. During his time at Shenandoah as an administrative assistant, Penney helped to process media guide advertising and handled media relations responsibilities for postgame interviews.

At Wittenberg, Penney has focused on refining his coaching philosophy. Rather than emphasize winning alone, he has begun to focus on helping each runner improve with every meet, and stresses that “winning in the classroom and on the athletic field” go hand in hand. His athletes now look forward to racing with some of the best runners in the country, hoping to improve themselves even if success is not immediate. Penney’s ultimate goal is to attend bigger meets which provide the “next level” of competition, and accordingly he has made efforts to diversify scheduling and travel to new places. Overall, he looks to help his students improve not just their finish time but their motivation, work ethic, and academics as well.

Penney, who was a double major at Edinboro State University, earned his master's degree in sports administration from Ashland University.

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Assistant Coach: Ralph Bergdoll
Office: (937) 327-6493
E-Mail

Ralph Bergdoll became part of the Wittenberg men's and women's cross country and track and field coaching staff in 2000 after more than 40 years of coaching in the Dayton area. A graduate of West Virginia Weslyan and Xavier University, Bergdoll is also certified in Level I and II with the USTAF and is Level I instructor.

As a scholastic coach Bergdoll has experience with both cross-country and track programs. For 10 consecutive years (1990-1999), he had competitors qualify for the OHSAA State track meet. In 1988 Bergdoll was inducted in the Ohio Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. He has served many years as a meet manager and has conducted four Level I schools for USATF

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Assistant Coach: Jennifer Haynes
E-Mail

Jennifer Haynes joined the Wittenberg coaching staff in 2007 as an assistant track & field, cross country, and women's basketball coach, after earning a breadth of experience in multiple sports and venues. She came to Springfield from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio, where she earned a master's degree in education in May, 2007. She spent her undergraduate years at Ohio Northern University, actually earning two bachelor's degrees while there, in Exercise Physiology and a double major in Psychology and Sociology.

At Heidelberg, Haynes kept busy, serving as a graduate assistant cross country and track & field coach, and also helming the seventh-grade girls basketball team at nearby Buckeye Valley Local Schools in Delaware, Ohio. In 2004 she served as head track & field coach for New Riegel High School in New Riegel, Ohio. Haynes is a member of the USA Track & Field Coaches Association as a certified coach and a licensed track & field official.

Originally from Tiffin, Ohio, Haynes graduated from Mohawk High School in 1998. After coming to Wittenberg she signed on as house director for Gamma Phi Beta sorority, where she now resides.

Men's Cross Country Home Page

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