Cross Country
NCCC Launches New Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Programs
North Country Community College’s Saints Athletic Department will be sponsoring both a Men’s and Women’s Cross Country program in the 2010-2011 academic year. As part of their membership into the Mountain Valley Collegiate Conference, the Saints were asked to initiate a cross country program. The Conference currently has four other schools that sponsor Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, including Herkimer County Community College, Mohawk Valley Community College, Hudson Valley Community College, and SUNY Delhi. The team will also compete against other schools in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association’s Region III, which consists of 2 year schools in New York and northern Pennsylvania.
“The initiation of a new program is an exciting process. We are looking forward to the addition of these two new programs, and the opportunities it will provide for students to participate at the collegiate level,” states Saints Athletic Director, Heather Conger.
The Department has hired David Tyldesley to lead the new programs. This fall, Tyldesley will concentrate on recruiting and preparation for the Saints’ first season. Tyldesley currently coaches cross country, and assists the track and field program, at Saranac Lake High School. He has been with their cross country program for the past eleven years, with the last seven as the head coach, accumulating a record of 155-6 and a 66 meet win streak. In 2008, his program was ranked 9th in New York State class C, and has been in the top 20 of its class every year, with a ranking as high as second in 2003. All seven years the team has been Section VII Champions. Tyldesley was named the Section VII/CVAC Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2006.
Sixteen of Tyldesley’s former student-athletes have gone on to compete at the collegiate level, including four Division I, including Appalachian State, Brown, Cornell, and Louisiana State University.
“North Country Community College is a perfect place to run. We have a beautiful trail system and many great locations to train. With the start of a cross country program, the program hopes to have many local recruits. As a coach, it is one of my goals to bring success to a college program.”
Tyldesley graduated with a Masters and Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from SUNY Cortland, and also has earned an Associates Degree in Liberal Arts from Jefferson Community College.
Mr. Tyldesley stated, “I plan on implementing a system that utilizes a combination of Daniel’s and Lydiard’s programs. The system has been used very successfully in other schools and created great success. Further, we will individualize the program to accommodate each athlete’s current and previous training history, as well as ability level and personal work ethic. This will give us the chance to have each athlete reach there greatest potential while still promoting a team orientation.”
For more information on the Saints Men’s and Women’s Cross Country programs, please visit the Saints Athletics website at http://www.nccc.edu/athletics.aspx.
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