2007-08 Long Island University Track and Field/Cross Country General Information Table of Contents Quick Facts/ Founded .......................................................................1926 Quick Facts/Directions ...................................................................................1 Enrollment ................................................................11,000 Nickname ............................................................Blackbirds Coaching Staff Colors .........................................................Black and Silver Head Cross Country Coach/ Conference ........................................................... Northeast Director of Track and Field Operations Julia Sandiford .................................. 2 Home Court ........ Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center Head Track and Field Coach Simon Hodnett .................................................3 Directions Capacity ......................................................................2,500 Assistant Coaches ........................................................................................... 4 Athletics Web Site ...............................www.liuathletics.com President ........................................... Dr. David J. Steinberg Meet the Blackbirds Provost .................................................Gale Stevens Haynes Rosters ........................................................................................................... 5 Women’s Season Outlook ...............................................................................6 Director of Athletics .......................................... John Suarez Men’s Season Outlook ....................................................................................7 Senior Associate AD/ SWA ....................... Margaret Alaimo Women’s Profi les ............................................................................................ 8 Head Athletic Trainer ...............................Danny O’Connor Men’s Profi les ............................................................................................... 12 Athletic Department Phone ........................(718) 488-1030 Newcomer Profi les ....................................................................................... 16 Athletic Department Fax .............................(718) 488-1669 Record Book Coaching Staff School Records .............................................................................................18 Head Cross Country Coach/ Northeast Conference Accolades .................................................................. 19 Director of Track and Field Operations .........Julia Sandiford Northeast Conference Records ..................................................................... 20 Alma Mater, Year .......................................Seton Hall, 1995 E-mail ..............................................julia.sandiford@liu.edu Long Island University Head Track and Field Coach ....................... Simon Hodnett University Administration ............................................................................ 21 Alma Mater, Year ...................................Norfolk State, 1994 Athletics Administration .............................................................................. 22 E-mail ............................................. [email protected] Athletic Training/Strength and Conditioning ............................................... 23 Academics .................................................................................................... 24 Assistant Coach ...................Deron Giscombe (third season) Assistant Coach ............................Bryan Steele (fi rst season) Graduate Assistant Coach .........Camilla Harris (fi rst season) Cross Country Offi ce Phone .......................(718) 780-4094 Track and Field Offi ce Phone ......................(718) 488-3478 Athletic Media Relations Assistant Director of Media Relations ............. Shawn Sweeney ............................... Track and Field/Cross Country Contact Phone ..........................................................(718) 488-1307 Directions to E-mail .............................................shawn.sweeney@liu.edu LIU Assistant AD/Media Relations Director .................Jeff Mead Via Subway: Take the M,R (local) or B, Q (express) to DeKalb Avenue or Phone ..........................................................(718) 488-1420 take the 2, 3, 4 or 5 to Nevins Street. Also, A, C can be taken to Jay Street/ E-mail ......................................................jeff.mead@liu.edu Borough Hall. Media Relations Assistant .................................Dan Lobacz Manhattan via the Manhattan Bridge: Proceed along Flatbush Avenue Phone ..........................................(718) 488-1000 ext. 3026 Extension to Myrtle Avenue and turn left at light. Take Myrtle Avenue to Ashland Place. E-mail [email protected] Turn right onto Ashland Place and proceed to DeKalb Avenue, turning right. Parking Media Relations Fax ...................................(718) 488-3302 garage is fi rst brick building on the right. Mailing Address .................................. One University Plaza From Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge: Proceed along Adams Street, making a ...........................................Wellness Center/Room 214-216 left onto Tillary St. Turn right onto Flatbush Avenue Extension and make fi rst left at Myrtle Avenue. Turn right onto Ashland Place and proceed to DeKalb Avenue and make .......................................................... Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201 a right. Parking garage is fi rst brick building on the right. From Brooklyn: Belt Parkway to BQE. Take BQE to Cadman Plaza West and proceed to Tillary Street. Turn left on Tillary Street and turn right onto Flatbush Avenue Extension. Make immediate left at light onto Myrtle Avenue. Turn right onto Ashland Place and proceed to DeKalb Avenue and make a right. Parking garage is fi rst brick building on the right. From Queens/Long Island: Long Island Expressway (495 West) to BQE (278 West) to Tillary Street exit. Turn right onto Flatbush Avenue Extension and make fi rst left at Myrtle Avenue. Turn right onto Ashland Place and proceed to DeKalb Avenue, turning right. From Staten Island: Take Verrazano Bridge to BQE. See above. From Northern New Jersey: Take New Jersey Turnpike south to Holland Tunnel to Canal Street East and follow to Manhattan Bridge. See above. Credits From Southern New Jersey: New Jersey Turnpike north to Exit 10 The 2007-08 Long Island University Track and Field/Cross Country Media (Outerbridge Crossing) to 278 East Verrazano Bridge to BQE. Follow Guide was designed, written and edited by Shawn Sweeney. Editorial directions from Brooklyn. assistance by Jeff Mead and Dan Lobacz. Printed by William Charles Printing From New England/Westchester County: Merritt Parkway South or 95 South to the of Plainview, N.Y. Special thanks to Brian Ierardi. Photography by Gene Hutchinson Parkway South and over the Whitestone Bridge. Take 678 South (Van Wyck Boyars, Ned Dishman and Mike McLaughlin. Cover Design by Karyn Olsen. Expressway) to 495 West (Long Island Expressway). Follow directions from Queens. Long Island Blackbirds • 2007-08 Track and Field/Cross Country • www.liuathletics.com 1 2007-08 Long Island University Track and Field/Cross Country Julia Sandiford Head Cross Country Coach/ Director of Track and Field Operations••Ninth Season Seton Hall, 1995 Coaches Former two-time NCAA champion Julia Sandiford enters her 11th year with the Long Island Head University track and fi eld and cross country programs. After serving as head coach of both squads for the past eight seasons, Sandiford assumes the position of head cross country coach and director of track and fi eld operations. In her time in Brooklyn, Sandiford has built the Blackbirds program into a perennial conference power. She has guided Long Island to fi ve Northeast Conference women’s championships, including back-to-back indoor titles in 2006 and 2007. The Sandiford-led Blackbirds also captured the NEC women’s indoor title in 2002 and 2003 and the outdoor championship in 2006. Sandiford’s squads have also fi nished second in the conference a total of seven times. In addition, Sandiford has seen her athletes garner nine NEC Most Valuable Performer awards and earn Most Outstanding Performer honors 15 times. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed by the conference. Sandiford has been named the NEC Women’s Coach of the Year a total of fi ve times, most recently earning the indoor award last season. She also won the indoor honor in 2002, 2003 and 2006. Sandiford added her fi rst outdoor Women’s Coach of the Year award in 2006. With a plethora of talent returning and several strong newcomers in the mix, Sandiford is confi dent the overall program will continue to grow and remain one of the NEC’s elite. “I am looking for us to develop a winning program at the conference level, as well as the regional and national levels,” Sandiford said. “At the same time we recognize that winning is not the single measure of success. We work to boost school and community interest in the team, to make our program more attractive to prospective athletes and to improve the performances of each individual and the team as a whole throughout the season. “Through track and fi eld and the associated training, we seek to develop skills and a work ethic among our athletes that can be transferred to activities