Aug 21, 2008

Eles promotes Marc Small to assistant track and field coach

SAULT STE. MARIE - The Lake Superior State Department of Athletics added a paid position for an assistant track coach beginning in 2008-09, and former LSSU athlete and graduate assistant Marc Small will fill the post.

"This is big news for the University," LSSU cross country/track and field head coach Steve Eles said. "We had some creative ways of finding coaching help in the past, but the University was never able to come up with the funding for an assistant until now. Our team is growing, and the University is supporting us."

Small earned an undergraduate degree in business administration from Tiffin University in 2006 and a master's degree in education from LSSU in 2008. Eles was a graduate assistant coach for two years at Tiffin and encouraged Small to come with him to LSSU, where he could complete his competitive eligibility, attend graduate school and get his feet wet in the coaching world.

Small, a native of Akron, Ohio, was a team captain at Tiffin and helped lead the Dragons to three straight American Mideast Conference championships. He was a middle distance specialist and, at one time, held six school records. He credits Tiffin head coach Jeremy Croy and former Tiffin strength and conditioning/jumps coach Marsha Folcht with much of his athletic success.

As a fifth-year senior at LSSU in 2006-07, he helped set school records in the men's indoor 4x400 and distance medley relays.

"I was looking for a graduate school, and Steve needed some coaching help," Small said. "Most of the schools wanted me to just run or just coach. Steve gave me an opportunity to run and implement some workouts. It was a pretty good opportunity."

As a graduate assistant coach, Small took charge of LSSU's sprinters and jumpers, and managed strength and conditioning workouts for the entire track and field squad. This year, he'll also monitor academic progress for the cross country and track and field athletes.

"Almost every sprint record has been broken during the past two years," Small said. "It's not to say that those athletes haven't been coached in the past, but Steve now has more time to concentrate on recruiting and the distance runners. We have more range of coaching expertise and more free time -- more one-on-one time to give to individuals."

"Marc does a fantastic job with sprints and jumps," Eles said. "I don't have to worry too much about those events. He handles their training and practices. He does weight programs for the entire team, which is a big undertaking. He does an individual weight sheet for every athlete for every week. That's where we've gotten a lot of good results. How many school records have been broken in sprints and jumps? And we're placing sprinters in the conference meet. Sprinters have to be explosive and powerful, and that comes from lifting weights."

"I'm really excited about the upcoming season, about the students who are returning and the new students we have coming in," Small said. "I have nothing else to think about. Track is my life right now, and it's just great to focus on that...It's a good opportunity for me as well as the team. I'm fresh out of graduate school with my master's degree, and I'm already wrapped up in the organization. I can help keep things moving forward."

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