Beth Alford-Sullivan

Beth Alford-Sullivan

Position:
Director and Head Coach of Track and Field/CC

Years:
10thSeason

Beth Alford-Sullivan - one of the most established and respected coaches in all of collegiate track and field - begins her 10th year as the head coach of the Nittany Lion women's track and field and cross country programs, and her third year as the Director and Head Coach of Track and Field/Cross Country for both the men's and women's squads in 2008-09.


Sullivan led the Nittany Lions to unparalleled success in 2008, highlighted by a Big Ten championship finish from the Penn State women's squad, which would go onto finish fourth at the NCAA Championships - the highest placing in program history. The Nittany Lions began their record run at the conference meet, scoring an impressive 151 points to better some of the country's top programs, and earn Penn State's first-ever outdoor Big Ten crown. Throughout the competition, Sullivan oversaw gold-medal performances from Shana Cox in the 200- and 400-meters, Aleesha Barber in the 100-meter hurdles, Bridget Franek in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and Briene Simmons, Dominique Blake, Fawn Dorr, and Cox in the 4x400-meter relay. Sullivan was named Big Ten Women's Coach of the Year following the competition, while Cox gained conference Athlete of the Championship and Athlete of the Year honors.


The Nittany Lion women continued to fire on all cylinders at the NCAA East Regional meet, posting a program-best second-place finish - just one point shy of a team title - while also registering a record number gold-medal efforts. Cox would once again lead the way for Sullivan's Lions, scoring individual victories in the 200 and 400, setting a school-record 50.84 in the quarter, which would stand as the top time by a collegiate in 2008. Sullivan, who led a travel squad of nearly 20 women to the regional meet, also saw winning performances from Franek in the steeplechase, Blake, Barber, Gayle Hunter, and Cox in the 4x400, and Karlee McQuillen in the javelin. The awards continued to roll in for the Penn State women's squad at the regional level, as Sullivan was named Mid-Atlantic Region Women's Coach of the Year, assistant Chris Johnson earned Assistant Coach of the Year honors, and Cox was named Track Athlete of the Year.


Sullivan's Lions remained in top form at the NCAA Championships, powered by victories from Cox in the 400 - the first-ever NCAA win from a Penn State woman in a track event - and the 4x400, which included Blake, Barber, Hunter and Cox, who clocked a school-record and 2008 NCAA best-mark of 3:27.69.


The Nittany Lion men also made some impressive strides in their second year under Sullivan's guidance, ending the collegiate season with an All-America performance from Clarence Smith, who finished ninth in the triple jump at the NCAA Championships. Smith and junior Ryan Fritz would also go on to make appearances at the 2008 US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. The Nittany Lions sent three men to the national meet, including Smith, Shawn Colligan, who finished 16th in the decathlon, and Mark Miller, who qualified in the 800-meters. At the Big Ten Championships, Sullivan coached freshman sensation Samuel Borchers to a conference victory at 1500-meters, while Smith, Colligan, Miller, and Ron Jules would all earn runner-up honors in their respective events.


Smith would earn Mid-Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year honors during the outdoor season, while assistants Fritz Spence and Drew Hardyk would earn Men's Assistant Coach of the Year citations.


In summary, Sullivan led 13 Nittany Lions to the NCAA Championships, and saw 18 Penn State women to NCAA regional-qualifying performances in 16 events; while the Nittany Lion men recorded 13 NCAA regional marks. During the outdoor season, the Nittany Lions won six Big Ten titles, and produced eight runner-up finishes. The Nittany Lions would set a total of four school records during the outdoor season, including NCAA leaders in Cox's 50.84 in the 400, and the 4x400.


Indoors, Miller and Smith both scored individual Big Ten titles with Miller taking the 800, and Smith besting the triple jump field. The Nittany Lion men totaled seven NCAA provisional-qualifying performances during the indoor season, as well as school-record efforts from Borchers in the 1,000-meters and mile run. Borchers' impressive 4:01.58 shattered Nittany Lion legend Greg Fredericks' long-standing 4:02.3 mile from 1972, and was also the third-fastest among NCAA freshmen during the indoor season.


The Penn State women also had one of the more productive indoor seasons in recent memory, including nine All-America finishes at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Sullivan once again saw an All-American 4x400 (Blake, Barber, Cox, Dorr), that would finish fifth at the championships, while Cox took fourth in the 400, and Barber took eighth in the 60-meter hurdles. Franek posted a seventh-place finish in the 5,000-meters to go along with a 10th-place effort in the 3,000-meters and was the first-ever Penn State women to garner All-America finishes in the two distance events in the same year. Sullivan also oversaw a fifth-place finish from Hunter in the heptathlon.


Over the course of the 2008 indoor season, Sullivan's Lions would set eight school records, claim five Big Ten title finishes, earn one NCAA automatic qualifier, and record a grand total of 25 NCAA provisional-qualifying marks.


Sullivan's efforts did not go unnoticed during the 2008 campaigns, as she was named Mid-Atlantic Women's Head Coach of the Year during the indoor and outdoor seasons. All told, the Penn State's teams have earned over 60 NCAA All-America honors and gained 46 Big Ten Champions under Sullivan's tutelage.


Sullivan's Penn State men were also solid during the 2007 campaign, tallying a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships - just half a point from the medal stand. On the NCAA stage, Sullivan saw sophomore and NCAA East Region high jump champion Ryan Fritz earn All-America honors during both seasons, including a fifth-place finish indoors. Under Sullivan's watch, Fritz, who also won a pair of Big Ten titles in 2007, was named the Mid-Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year for the indoor season, while Big Ten javelin record holder and NCAA qualifier Allen Pettner won the same award outdoors. Pettner won his second-career Big Ten javelin crown in 2007, setting new Big Ten, Penn State, and Nittany Lion Track facility records. All told, Sullivan's 2007 squad produced two All-America performances, four NCAA Championship appearances, three Big Ten individual titles, and 14 NCAA Regional qualifiers.


Under Sullivan's watch, the Nittany Lion women continued to tear through Penn State history, finishing the year with nine All-America performances and 13 school records. Then-junior Cox, who was named the 2006-07 Penn State Female Athlete of the Year, produced one of the most memorable moments of the entire year with her second-place finish in the 400-meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Cox, and teammates Blake, Simmons, and Barber made Penn State history in 2007, scoring a fouth-place finish in the 4x400-meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning the school's first-ever All-America finish in the mile relay. Sullivan also coached Big Ten Freshman of the Year Franek to an outstanding rookie campaign, which included three NCAA appearances, as well as a school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Franek was the only freshman in Division I to qualify for all three NCAA Championships in a distance event. The 2007 Nittany Lion women also received All-America performances from Hunter in the heptathlon, Simmons in the indoor 800-meters and Barber in the 400-meter hurdles. At the NCAA regional level, Sullivan's team recorded 21 individual and two relay qualifiers, with senior Christen Clemson adding an NCAA East Region title in the discus to the Lion trophy case. The Nittany Lion women managed a fourth-place finish overall, tying the program's highest-ever effort at the regional meet.


Throughout the year, Cox, Hunter, Pettner and Fritz earned major regional recognition winning Mid-Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year honors, with Hunter and Fritz claiming the award indoors, and Cox and Pettner earning regional accolades outdoors.


Off the track, Sullivan's teams excel as well, as her women's squad have maintained over a 3.0 since her arrival in Happy Valley. Nine members of the Nittany Lion teams were named United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team last spring adding more outstanding accomplishments to an already sensational 2008 season. Seven Nittany Lion women attained the honor, including Gabriela Baiter, Megan Duncan, Bridget Franek, Heidi Nadeau, Claire Percival, Emma Schmelzer, and Cheryl Spring. On the men's side, James Pagana and Clarence Smith made the All-Academic squad. The Nittany Lion women, coming off the program's first-ever Big Ten Outdoor Championships, and a best-ever fourth place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, also earned the All-Academic Team distinction, posting a team GPA of 3.250 for the spring semester. In order to attain All-Academic honors, athletes must have completed at least two semesters and maintain a GPA of 3.25 or higher and have posted either an NCAA provisional-qualifying performance or an NCAA regional-qualifying mark. Prior to her tenure at Penn State, Sullivan was the Women's Coordinator for the Stanford track and field and cross country teams from 1995-99. During those four years, Sullivan coached over 30 NCAA All-America athletes including one NCAA individual champion (Monal Chokshi in the 3,000 meters), led numerous Pac-10 team and individual championship performers and led the team into national prominence. Under her coaching, Stanford placed in the top 10 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships all four years of her tenure including winning the NCAA championship in 1996. The Cardinal also took home runner-up honors in 1997 and a strong third place finish in 1998. In return, Sullivan was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year three times, NCAA Regional Coach of the Year twice and NCAA Division I Coach of the Year in 1996. In all, Sullivan has received Coach of the Year honors 17 times during her career. Before her years at Stanford, Sullivan served as the head coach at Mankato State University from 1993-95 and as the assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State University from 1991-93. Responsible for all aspects of coaching and recruiting within these programs, she was able to turn them around and create very successful teams in her short stays while laying a strong foundation for her later coaching endeavors. She earned conference-coaching honors and produced over 20 conference champions for these schools.


In 2004, Sullivan was named a member of the Olympic coaching staff for the Athens Games, where she helped the United States squad to nearly 25 medals in the sport of track and field. She was also selected to represent the United States as an assistant coach at the 2003 World Championships in Paris where she guided the middle distance runners for the world's top ranked track and field team. The 2004 Olympics was the fifth coaching post for Sullivan on the international level. She also has served as an assistant on the 2001 U.S. World Championships Team, guiding middle-distance and distance team members throughout the trials and the championships held in Edmonton, Canada. Prior to that appointment, Sullivan guided the U.S. Junior Team to the 1997 World Cross Country Championships in Turin, Italy. She was also the coach for the 1994 U.S. team that competed in the Beijing International Ekiden and was an assistant coach for the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival staff in Colorado Springs. In addition to coaching, Sullivan is actively involved in the development and direction of collegiate cross country and track and field. She is an executive board member of USA Track and Field's Cross Country Committee, the U.S. Women's Track Coaches Association and the USTFCCCA first vice president. From 1998-2000, she served as the NCAA Division 1 President of the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Association.


In 2007, Sullivan was inducted into the Classic Lake Conference and the Hopkins High School Hall of Fame, both in Minnetonka, Minn. As a high school athlete at Hopkins High, Sullivan competed in track and field and cross country and was a member of the state championship cross country team in 1983, and the fourth-place 4x800-meter relay at the state level.


Sullivan earned a bachelor's degree in social work in 1989 from the University of Minnesota. As a Golden Gopher, she ran cross-country and track and field and captained her cross-country team her sophomore through senior years. She later completed a Master of Science degree in sports administration at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1993. While at SIU, she began her college coaching career serving as assistant coach from 1989-91. During her time at SIU, she met and married her husband, Jim Sullivan. Jim is a full-time instructor with the Department of Kinesiology at Penn State and continues to be an important resource in developing training methodology. Dr. Sullivan volunteers his time as the Penn State pole vault coach. The couple lives in Bellefonte, Pa.


Awards and Honors
2008 Big Ten Coach of the Year
Outdoor Track and Field
(Penn State)



Penn State University
Achieving Woman Award
2008


2008 Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year
Outdoor Track and Field
(Penn State)


2008 Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year
Indoor Track and Field
(Penn State)



2007 Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year
Outdoor Track and Field
(Penn State)


2004 Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year
Indoor Track and Field
(Penn State)


2004 Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year
Outdoor Track and Field
(Penn State)


2004 Big Ten Coach of the Year
Indoor Track and Field
(Penn State)


1998 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
Women's Cross Country
(Stanford)


1997 West Region Coach of the Year
Women's Cross Country
(Stanford)


1997 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
Women's Cross Country
(Stanford)


1996 Pac-10 Coach of the Year
Women's Cross Country
(Stanford)


1996 West Region Coach of the Year
Women's Cross Country
(Stanford)


1996 NCAA Coach of the Year
Women's Cross Country
(Stanford)


1995 North Central Conference Coach of the Year
Indoor Track and Field
(Mankato State)


1995 Regional Coach of the Year
Indoor Track and Field
(Mankato State)


1992 OVC Coach of the Year
Cross Country
(SE Missouri State)


1992 Coach of the Year
Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association
(SE Missouri State)

Courtesy Penn State