Pitt hires Texas' XC coach

[CrazyPaco]

Brad Herbster, former XC and distance coach at Texas, prior to that Clemson and UNC Charlotte. Will take over both men's and women's XC, replacing Bryan Jackson (now at UCF) and Adam Bray.

https://pittsburghpanthers.com/news...-named-pitt-cross-country-distance-coach.aspx

 

[CrazyPaco]

This is pretty remarkable. 11 of 16 head coaches (or quasi HCs) with only 2 seasons or less at Pitt, and only one with more than 5.

Sport ......coach ...tenure at Pitt (completed seasons)
Track & Field ...Webb ...16
Volleyball ...Fisher ...5
Tennis ...Santos ...5
Football ...Narduzzi ...3
Soccer, Men's ...Vidovich ...2
Swimming & Diving ...Hargis ...2
Wrestling ...Gavin ...1
Gymnastics ...Snider ...1
Diving ...Hazelton ...1
Soccer, Women's ...Waldrum ...0
Basketball, Men's ...Capel ...0
Basketball, Women's ...White ...0
Baseball ...Mike Bell ...0
Softball ...Jodi Hermanek ...0
Cross Country ...Brad Herbster ...0

 

[pittchagg]

Seems indicative of a pretty significant commitment by Lyke and the athletic department to land a coach of this caliber.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Seems indicative of a pretty significant commitment by Lyke and the athletic department to land a coach of this caliber.

They replaced 2 coaches with one, so it is hard to know. Hard to know if Lyke had any influence or if it was all Webb and decisions on how to use his coaching budget. But this is the first time they've gotten a distance coach from a power school. I don't know if there is any story there on either side, but Herbster is an east coast guy. UT replaced their coach with the guy from UVA. I doubt Jackson was pushed out, he landed at a really good situation at UCF with a guy that just got the head job there and who he coached with at his job prior to Pitt at Texas St.

 

[ThePanthers]

This is pretty remarkable. 11 of 16 head coaches (or quasi HCs) with only 2 seasons or less at Pitt, and only one with more than 5.

Sport ......coach ...tenure at Pitt (completed seasons)
Track & Field ...Webb ...16
Volleyball ...Fisher ...5
Tennis ...Santos ...5
Football ...Narduzzi ...3
Soccer, Men's ...Vidovich ...2
Swimming & Diving ...Hargis ...2
Wrestling ...Gavin ...1
Gymnastics ...Snider ...1
Diving ...Hazelton ...1
Soccer, Women's ...Waldrum ...0
Basketball, Men's ...Capel ...0
Basketball, Women's ...White ...0
Baseball ...Mike Bell ...0
Softball ...Jodi Hermanek ...0
Cross Country ...Brad Herbster ...0

That is pretty crazy, but as long as they are able to improve Pitt athletics and are the right hire, then hopefully that list in 5 years will remain the same names.

As with anything time will tell.

 

[CrazyPaco]

That is pretty crazy, but as long as they are able to improve Pitt athletics and are the right hire, then hopefully that list in 5 years will remain the same names.

As with anything time will tell.

If they are that successful, some will move on, and that is okay.

No one bats 1.000 though.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

This is pretty remarkable. 11 of 16 head coaches (or quasi HCs) with only 2 seasons or less at Pitt, and only one with more than 5.

Sport ......coach ...tenure at Pitt (completed seasons)
Track & Field ...Webb ...16
Volleyball ...Fisher ...5
Tennis ...Santos ...5
Football ...Narduzzi ...3
Soccer, Men's ...Vidovich ...2
Swimming & Diving ...Hargis ...2
Wrestling ...Gavin ...1
Gymnastics ...Snider ...1
Diving ...Hazelton ...1
Soccer, Women's ...Waldrum ...0
Basketball, Men's ...Capel ...0
Basketball, Women's ...White ...0
Baseball ...Mike Bell ...0
Softball ...Jodi Hermanek ...0
Cross Country ...Brad Herbster ...0

A thorough housecleaning was long overdue. Nice to see that there seems to be greater administrative support for all Pitt athletics, and not just the "Big Two".

 

[pittchagg]

On a similar note, it looks like the additional administrative support we figured had to have been promised to land Mike Bell is starting to come to fruition. The baseball program now lists Bell, Oakes (Assistant/Pitching Coach), Ty Mcgahee (Assistant/Recruiting Coordinator), Drew Linder (Director of Player Development), and David Stark (Director of Baseball Operations).

Last year, Jordano's staff had himself, Oakes, Billy Alvino (Assistant Coach) and Aaron Lynch (Volunteer Assistant Coach). If I'm reading the job descriptions accurately, it looks like the baseball program has an entirely new staffer (Linder) and an additional staffer going from a volunteer to a paid position, as the hiring announcement for Lynch sounds an awful lot like he was doing a lot of the duties that Stark will take on now. And, I would imagine that having a coach with "recruiting coordinator" in their title indicates that the recruiting budget has likely increased.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Seems a solid hire especially considering Pitt's track facilities are, well, they don't have one.

 

[Pitt79]

Have you guys been to many XC meets? Go Pitt!

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Have you guys been to many XC meets? Go Pitt!

In my (now ancient) student days they held home XC meets in Schenley Park. Do they still? As Pitt 79 hints you don't need an indoor or outdoor track for XC events since it is a long distance event not run on a track (hence, the term "Cross Country").

 

[Pitt79]

In my (now ancient) student days they held home XC meets in Schenley Park. Do they still? As Pitt 79 hints you don't need an indoor or outdoor track for XC events since it is a long distance event not run on a track (hence, the term "Cross Country").

I see the cross country meets at my daughter's HS! They're running behind the stadium as I'm watching the girl's soccer game. XC is not a fan friendly viewing sport. Theoretically you could block off a few streets and have the ACC Championship running around Oakland.

 

[ThePanthers]

I see the cross country meets at my daughter's HS! They're running behind the stadium as I'm watching the girl's soccer game. XC is not a fan friendly viewing sport. Theoretically you could block off a few streets and have the ACC Championship running around Oakland.

Put it in the Hill District and they'll run extra fast.

 

[CrazyPaco]

In my (now ancient) student days they held home XC meets in Schenley Park. Do they still? As Pitt 79 hints you don't need an indoor or outdoor track for XC events since it is a long distance event not run on a track (hence, the term "Cross Country").

Yes they use Schenley, but few serious distance athletes are going to select a school without both an outdoor and indoor track. All XC athletes run indoor and outdoor track too, not just XC, and if they have a shot at any sort of professional career or sponsored clubs, they will primarily occur on the track, not XC, unless they are just on the road race circuit or become marathoners. Nonetheless, tracks are part of normal distance workout routines all year long. A school is expected to have all those facilities.

Pitt uses the track in Schenley Park too, and CMU's sometimes, but the lack of an indoor facility is a real issue. The lack of it own home track just speaks to a recruit about the seriousness that the school takes the sport: i.e. not at all.

Heck, just the other day:

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

In my day the indoor track was in Fitzgerald Field House. Indoor field events done there also. Watched Jerry Richey, Pitt's sub 4 minute miler, run on that wooden indoor track. Outdoor track was in Pitt Stadium.

Clearly new facilities are needed for Pitt to get more seriously competitive in track and field.

 

[LivinWell]

Nick Wolk from Peters is an absolute stud runner. Entering his junior year and is very accomplished in XC and track at pitt. He's within 3 seconds of breaking 4 minutes in the true mile. He's run in some international meets as well. He may have been dinged up last spring but his pic is on the side of the field house on upper campus. They basically save these guys for the elite meets like ACC's and nationals.