Former UC Davis track and field standout Samantha Kearney returns to her alma mater as an assistant coach with the men[apos]s and women[apos]s cross country programs beginning with the 2014 season.
[quote]I[apos]m very happy to be back in the program,[quote] Kearney said. [quote]The team has reached new heights every season, and I am excited to be a part of these history-breaking teams. The ultimate goal for the past few years has been to be established teams on the national level. I believe the talent, experience, and determination, that this group of Aggies has will get us there.[quote]
Kearney returns [quote]home[quote] after spending a season as the women[apos]s cross country and men[apos]s and women[apos]s mid-distance and steeplechase coach at Hillsdale College in Michigan. In her only season, Kearney helped the Chargers[apos] cross country squad reach the NCAA Division II championships, posting a 15th place team finish, while helping one of her athletes, Emily Oren, earn indoor and outdoor All-America honors in both the mile and 3K steeplechase.
She coaches Oren and teammate Amy Kerst to a total of four Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference indoor distance titles as well as six conference all-academic awards.
Prior to her work with the Chargers, Kearney followed up a stellar collegiate career with the Aggies by spending the 2012-13 season as a volunteer assistant coach at UC Davis working with both the cross country and track and field squads, including helping the Aggies to a Big West track and field title.
During her first coaching stint with the Aggies, Kearney helped tutor a pair of Division I All-Americans in Lauren Wallace (800m) and Katie Fry (steeplechase) as well as four Big West champions on the track: Wallace (800m, 4x400m), Fry (steeplechase), Sarah Sumpter (10K), and Raquel Lambdin (1500m).
As a student-athlete, Kearney served as team captain for the Aggies[apos] first Big West titles in cross country and track and field while also excelling in the classroom. She finished her career ranked third on the UC Davis all-time steeplechase list with a time of 10:37.62 and finished 35th in the event at the NCAA West Region preliminary meet.
Off the track, Kearney was a member of four USTFCCCA All-Academic teams and was a five-time Big West All-Academic Team honoree. She also earned a spot on the Dean[apos]s List twice during her academic career.
A 2012 graduate of UC Davis, Kearney earned a bachelors degree in exercise biology with a minor in Spanish. She also earned her USTFCCCA Track and Field Technical Certification Level 1 in 2013.
