John Crooke - Head Cross Country Coach

(860) 685-5320 - jcrooke@wesleyan.edu

    John Crooke is in his ninth season as head men’s and women’s cross country coach at Wesleyan University. Under his guidance both the men’s and women’s team have risen steadily in regional and national rankings and are consistently ranked among the top-10 in New England . The 2002 women’s team qualified for the NCAA championships for the first time in school history and the 2004 squad repeated the effort while placing 14th nationally.  The men's team qualified for its first national championship in 2005, also coming in 14th, then qualified a second time in 2006 with a 15th-place showing.  John was named NESCAC men's co-Coach of the Year and New England Division III men's Coach of the Year following the 2005 campaign.
    John also serves as an assistant coach for both men's and women's indoor and outdoor track, working with the distance runners. John was acting head coach for both teams during the outdoor season in 2000-01 and guided the women’s team to a third-place finish in the NESCAC championships which was the highest conference finish in school history.
    Prior to his appointment at Wesleyan, John served as head men's and women's cross-country and track & field coach at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, for the 1998 and 1999 seasons. He was associate head cross-country and track & field coach at Widener University in Chester, Pa. (1996-98) where he directed the women's programs, and head boys and girls cross country and track & field coach at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa. (1988-95).
    Graduating from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia in 1983, John went on to earn his master's degree with a concentration in sport and athletic administration from West Chester University in 1996. While a student at St. Joseph's, John was a team captain in both cross country and track, earning all-Atlantic 10 honors in each while also receiving all-East accolades in cross country. He is a member of his alma mater's track & field Hall of Fame.

Lucia Pier - Assistant Coach
lpier@wesleyan.edu

     Hired as an intern and serving as assistant coach for both men's and women's cross country as well as for the distance corps for both men's and women's indoor and outdoor track, Lucia Pier joins the Wesleyan coaching staff for the first time in 2008-09.  A 2008 graduate of  Wesleyan, Lucia enjoyed an outstanding running career for the Cardinals in both cross country and track. Lucia capped off her final season in cross country with all-New England Division III honors and a trip to the NCAA Division III Championship. There she finished in the top half of the field. A team co-captain in both cross country and track last season, Lucia earned her first all-New England Division III cross-country honor in 2006. In track, Lucia was a solid distance runner, receiving all-New England Division III honors outdoors in the 5k in both 2008 and 2007. She was well-decorated at Wesleyan, receiving the prestigious Roger Maynard Award in 2008 as the top female senior scholar-athlete along with the Jones Award as the team MVP in cross country.  In addition to her coaching duties at Wesleyan, Lucia is a Russell House Arts Fellow, assisting in the college's writing program under director Ann Green and helping to publicize the Russell House's series of speakers and other activities.