NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Shortly after being hired as the new distance coach of the Christopher Newport University track and field team, Patty Ley was named the United States junior women's coach (19 and under) for the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
The event was held in Bydgoszcz, Poland on March 28th and Ley's team consisted of five collegiate runners, Shelby Greany (Providence College), Emily Jones (Georgetown), Juliet Bottorff and Sophia Ziemian (Duke University) and Laura Tremblay (University of Colorado) and Emily Sisson a standout high school runner from Missouri. The team raced very well to place 6th overall led by Sisson in 18th and Greany in 28th.
Ley was impressed by the camaraderie between the teams. “It was an amazing experience to be able to work with, and for some not only outstanding athletes, but outstanding people of character. The senior women's team immediately took the juniors under their wing and spent time teaching, motivating and inspiring the future of the sport. It was awesome to be able to see the 'present' of the sport giving so much to build the 'future' of the sport. This experience will definitely affect my approach to coaching and training developing athletes.”
Ley was joined by senior's coaches Danny Green (Texas) Mary Shea (California) and men's junior coach Robert Chapman (Indiana) as support staff for the athletes. Team members were selected by place after the USATF Cross Country Championships on February 13th. All four teams were represented by some of the best distance runners in the United States. The junior men were 8th, senior men 9th, and the highlight of the weekend was the 3rd place podium finish of the senior women.
