For Immediate Release
Dec. 6, 2007

Huntingdon adds cross country, women's golf teams
MONTGOMERY, Ala. ---- After more than a year of planning and preparation, President J. Cameron West and Director of Athletics Buzz Phillips officially announced the addition of women’s golf and men’s and women’s cross country to the slate of varsity sports offered at Huntingdon College for the 2008-09 season on Thursday.

“NCAA Division III athletics has provided an exciting dimension to student life at Huntingdon, and we welcome the opportunity to serve students who wish to pursue their passion for each of these sports at the collegiate level,” West said. “Speaking from an administrative perspective, I believe that these sports are natural additions to Huntingdon's athletic program because they require no special training facilities beyond what we already provide to other teams.”

With the addition of the three new sports, Huntingdon now offers 14 varsity sports, seven for both men and women. Along with cross country and golf, female student-athletes can compete in basketball, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. In addition to cross country, male student-athletes can participate in baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer and tennis.

Huntingdon is affiliated with the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC), a league that hosts an annual men’s and women’s cross country championship. Beginning in 2008, 11 of Huntingdon’s 14 varsity sports will be affiliated with the GSAC, with the only sports not affiliated with the GSAC being football and men’s and women’s golf.

“During the last year, the administration and athletic department have talked and done studies about starting both a men’s and women’s cross country and women’s golf program,” Phillips said. “We had a lot of interest for the coaching positions for both of these sports, as well as interest from our students on campus about participating. As always, I greatly appreciate our administration for their support in making our athletic department as strong as it is.”

Along with announcing the addition of three sports, the Huntingdon athletic department has also announced the hiring of Gwen Watson to the position of women’s golf head coach and Nate Rucker as the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country programs.

Watson joins the Huntingdon staff after spending the past year at Mars Hill College, a Division II institution in Mars Hill, N.C. While with Lions, Watson was responsible for the scheduling of all practices and tournaments, all aspects of the women’s golf budget, including fundraising, and monitoring the academic progress of the program’s student-athletes. Along with her duties as head coach, Watson is also beginning her second year as an Apprentice Level, LPGA instructor.

“We are very fortunate to add someone the caliber of Gwen Watson to our staff,” Phillips continued. “She has experience building a program from scratch and knows the challenges that she will face. She has a very dynamic personality and a strong knowledge of the game of golf, while having played at N.C. State speaks for itself. I am looking forward to her joining our athletic department.”

Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Watson enjoyed a two-year playing career at North Carolina State. Watson graduated from N.C. State in the spring of 2005 with a degree in Art Applications, was on the Dean’s List for five semesters and was selected as a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

“Because of our location in the heart of the South and because of our strong tradition in men's golf over many years, Gwen Watson will have two strengths to help her build the new women's golf program at the College,” continued West. “The third strength is her status as an LPGA apprentice coach and playing experience at North Carolina State University. I'm thrilled that she will join us to be the first coach for this new and promising program.”

“It is a great honor to have been chosen the first coach in the history of Huntingdon women’s golf,” Watson said. “I am certainly looking forward to the challenge of building my own program, and feel that we already have tools in place with the support of the administration and athletic department personnel. It is very exciting for me to be have the opportunity to implement many of the ideals that I have learned in the past and the Christian values set forth by Huntingdon College.”

Rucker has spent the last six seasons climbing the coaching ranks, spending the last year as the head cross country and assistant track and field coach at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo. Rucker’s primary responsibilities with the Eagles included recruiting of student-athletes, organizing practices, fundraising activities and management of all home contests, including the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Cross Country Championships and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Region V Cross Country Championship. He also spent the 2005-06 season as an assistant coach with the cross country and track and field programs at CMU.

During his tenure with the Eagles, Rucker coached numerous individual and team HAAC Champions, as well as had several student-athletes qualify for the NAIA National Championships.

“In going through the process of hiring a coach, Nate Rucker’s resume continued to return to the top of the list for both search committee and myself,” Phillips said of Rucker. “I feel he is very qualified to start our cross country program and is going to hit the ground running. I have a vision to see Huntingdon College with a fully equipped men’s and women’s cross country and track and field team in the future, and cannot think of a better candidate to lead those programs than Nate.”

Prior to joining the staff at CMU, Rucker spent nearly two years as the head cross country and assistant track and field coach at his alma mater, the University of Dubuque in Iowa. In his two years with the Spartans, Rucker coached the three-time NCAA Indoor National Champion Men’s 55m hurdle squad, while also receiving the Jesse Owens Award from Black Student Union. The Spartans also established eight men’s and women’s track and field records under his guidance.

“Nate Rucker brings to us the enthusiasm and experience necessary to begin and build a cross country program,” West said. “We are looking forward to this exciting new dimension in Huntingdon athletics.”

Rucker spent the fall of 2003 as the assistant cross country coach and distance coach at Washington University in St. Louis, following a two-year stint as a graduate assistant coach at Southwest Baptist University.

Rucker earned his undergraduate degree in communications in 2001 from the University of Dubuque, where he was a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams. He also earned his master’s degree in education from Southwest Baptist in 2003.

Rucker is married to the former Betsy Nelson. The couple has a daughter named Claire and are expecting a second daughter in February of 2008.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to build the Huntingdon Cross Country program from scratch,” Rucker said. “Being responsible for a first-year program is what really drew me to the position. I would like to thank President West and Coach Phillips for choosing me to be the first coach in the history of Huntingdon College Cross Country. That is a great honor in itself. The process of starting a new program will take a lot of work and many nights on the road recruiting, but with the vision of the athletic department and the College, I can envision the cross country program at Huntingdon being successful in the very near future and for years to come.”

Courtesy of Huntingdon College Sports Information

 

Site Design by malliedein.com | All Rights Reserved. © 2005-06