2012 Cross Country Yearbook - Indiana State University Athletics

Indiana State Cross Country / Track & Field Coaching StaffJohn Gartland - Women’s Cross Country Head Coach / Track AssistantFor nearly a quarter of a century, John Gartland has heldthe reigns of the Indiana State women’s cross country team.He enters his 25th season as the head coach with the 2012-2013 campaign and his third season as an assistant coachon the women’s track & field team after serving as the headcoach for 22 years. The Madison, Wis., native handed overthe top spot of the women’s track & field program to formerassistant coach and former Sycamore athlete Angie Martinafter the 2010 season.Gartland is just one of 11 coaches in the history of theMissouri Valley Conference to be named to the league’s trackand field All-Centennial Team which was released in 2007.The veteran women’s head coach joins ISU men’s headcoach John McNichols on the list to form the only coachingtandem in the league currently on the all-time list.The honor stems from his team’s successes over twodecades on the course and on the track, including two crosscountry conference titles (1991, 1993), four indoor trackconference titles (1993-95, 2001) and six outdoor crowns(1991-94, 1998-99). Gartland’s squads have also fared wellat the national level as the women’s track and field teamshave finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships threetimes including a fifth place finish at the 1993 NCAA IndoorChampionship and a sixth place finish at the 1994 OutdoorNCAA Championships.He has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Coachof the Year 10 times (six in outdoor track & field, three inindoor track & field, and one in cross country) and the NCAADistrict V Coach of the Year four times (indoor track & fieldand outdoor track & field in both 1993 and 1994).While handing over the responsibilities for the overalldirection of the women’s track & field program, Gartlandremains as an assistant coach to mentor the women’sand men’s middle distance runners, the women’s distancerunners, and the men’s and women’s high jumpers in theSycamores’ combined track and field program.Indiana State distance runners have often found their wayto the top indoors and outdoors during Gartland’s tenure atISU. Debbi Ramseyer leads an impressive group of runnersas a winner of nine combined titles in track and two crosscountry championships to go along with 12 combined allconferenceselections. Also included in that group are All-American Angie Martin, a three-time all-conference selection,Angela Lansing, who currently serves as an Assistant AthleticDirector at Indiana State (senior women’s administrator andathletics business manager), and Jessica Wayton, wife ofCoach Geoff Wayton, who was a cross country All-Americanin 2003.Several Sycamore high jumpers have also flourishedunder the guidance of Gartland, including Steve Smith whoqualified for four combined NCAA Championships and addedtwo second-place finishes (1991 Indoor and 1994 Outdoor).Smith later went on to win a silver medal at the 1995 Pan-American Games, placed seventh at the 1995 Indoor WorldChampionships in Barcelona, Spain, and participated in theU.S. Olympic Trials in 1992, 1996 and 2000.Page B4JOHN GARTLANDHEAD COACHWOMEN’SCROSS COUNTRY –25th SeasonASSISTANT COACHWOMEN’STRACK & FIELD –3rd SeasonWomen’s Track &Field Head Coach1988-2010Major Clay is the most recent Sycamore high jumper toadvance to the NCAA Championships as he competed inthree straight championships before an injury kept him fromcompeting as a senior. He also competed in two straightUSA Outdoor Championships and had qualified for the U.S.Olympic Trials but was unable to compete in 2012. In all,high jumpers have qualified for the NCAA Championships 18times under Gartland’s leadership with eight All-Americansand 30 MVC Champions.Prior to accepting his position at Indiana State, Gartlandserved an assistant track coach and women’s cross countrycoach from 1982-88 at Western Michigan. His Broncos wonthree-consecutive Mid-American Conference titles from1984-86 and he mentored 13 MAC individual champions andsix runners-up in the throws and distances. He also coachedthree NCAA qualifiers, including 1986 third-place finisherCaroline Mullen, two All-Americans, and one U.S. OlympicTrials qualifier in the distances.Before heading to Western Michigan, Gartland served asa graduate assistant track coach and women’s cross countrycoach at Indiana under head coach Sam Bell from 1980-82. Under his guidance, the Hoosier women finished sixthin the Big Ten in cross country and second in the NCAARegional Meet, while two of his runners advanced to theNCAA Championships in 1981.Gartland’s coaching ledger began in Wisconsin, wherehe was the head boy’s cross country coach at MadisonEdgewood High School from 1976-78. He also served asthe assistant girl’s track coach at Edgewood in 1976 beforebeing named the head coach in 1977 and the boy’s assistantcoach in 1978. From there, he moved on to become thehead boy’s track coach at Madison West High School from1978-80, while also spending time as a part-time assistantmen’s track coach at Wisconsin from 1979-80.Aside from coaching, Gartland served as the president ofthe USTFCCCA Division I Cross Country Coaches Associationfrom 2006 to 2009 and has been the Assistant Meet Directorat the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2002 andSycamore Cross Country 2011 Yearbook