Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Carleton's Funke-Harris to Coach at Amherst

Former Carleton College cross country All-American Cassie Funke-Harris has been named the new women's cross country and track and field coach at Amherst College, the Massachusetts school announced recently.

Funke-Harris (pictured), has served as an assistant coach at Carleton for the past six years, after graduating with honors from the Northfield school in 2005.

“I have always had tremendous respect for Amherst College, and to be a part of the Athletics department is exciting for me,"  Funke-Harris, a Partridge, Kansas native said in an Amherst media release.  "It’s the type of school and the type of program at which I’ve always envisioned myself.”

Funke-Harris takes over a program that has seen a lot of success in the last decade.  The Lord Jeffs, who finished 11th at last year's NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, were national champs in 2007 and the D3 runners-up in 2006.

In 2007, the Amherst women's track team finished a trophy-winning fourth at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships.  In 2006, the team finished third at the D3 Indoor Championships.

During her coaching tenure at Carleton under head coach Donna Ricks, Funke-Harris helped the women’s cross country team capture a pair of MIAC titles and three NCAA berths. She helped develop ten all-conference honorees, 13 all-region performers, and a pair of All-Americans.

Working with the women’s track and field program, Funke-Harris helped guide Carleton athletes to 19 individual MIAC titles, 34 all-conference selections, 19 NCAA provisional qualifying marks, and nine All-America performances.

Funke-Harris also served as an assistant coach at Rosemount High School prior to assisting at her alma mater.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Carleton in 2005, Funke-Harris earned her master’s in kinesiology and exercise physiology from the University of Texas-Austin in 2008. She holds a USATF Level I Coaching Certification, having also participated in the National Distance Running Summit in Grinnell, Iowa in 2011.

Photo courtesy of Carleton College.

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