By: By Bill Morgal, Sports Information Director
Head coach
Dave Osanitsch '96 of the Shippensburg University men's and women's track & field teams has been named the 2013 PSAC Indoor Coach of the Year in both sports after guiding each squad to a PSAC Championship and instructing programs that combined for 13 NCAA qualifiers.
Osanitsch, in his eighth season at the helm of the Raider track & field programs, has now earned 17 PSAC Coach of the Year awards – including four consecutive women's indoor honors and three consecutive men's indoor honors.
On the men's side, Shippensburg placed 12th overall the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships – marking the second time in three seasons in which SU has posted a Top 15 finish at the event. The performance included a national championship distance medley relay squad and All-America finishes for senior distance runner
Matt Gillette and sophomore jumper
Steve Waithe.
Osanitsch also guided the men's squad to its third consecutive PSAC Indoor Championship and its league-best sixth overall. Shippensburg finished first or second in 12 of 18 events at the conference meet, winning nine to achieve a 78-point team victory. His specialty coaching event is jumps, where his athletes scored 59.5 points at the conference meet (including 40 points in just the long jump (1-3-4-6-7).
The Raiders had seven NCAA qualifiers and 28 total place-winners at the PSAC Indoor Championships and were ranked as high as No. 9 in Division II this season.
On the women's side, SU sent six competitors to the 2013 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships after winning its fourth straight PSAC Championship and sixth overall. The Raiders won four events and had 19 individual place-winners. Shippensburg has been among the Top 15 teams in Division II throughout the season.