 MIKE COLLINS, Ph.D. Head Coach Coach Collins enters his 11th year at the helm of the Warrior running program. In that time he has taken a program that scrambled to just field teams to one of the nation's premier distance running programs. In the past 8 years the teams have produced 34 All-Americans, multiple All-Conference and All-Region selections and numerous other recognitions including awards within the college such as outstanding student of the year (2003 & 2001). In 2001 the women's xc team finished 15th at the national championships and in 2002 they improved to #9 in the country and in 2003, with a team of mostly freshman, finished 19th, 17th in 2004, 19th in 2005, and 21st in 2006. 2007 should be an exciting year with a core of runners that have seen national races and other big time races and know what it takes to get to the top. In addition, 2003 was the first year an entire men's team qualified for nationals finishing 23rd. This past year the men's team was ranked in the top 10 in the country with two weeks at #8. They went on to finish 21st at nationals with it being the first time for all but one of them having ever seen a national championship race. The 2007 team returns five of the top six runners and with some of the new guys vying for spots in the top seven, this upcoming year should be exciting. Coach Collins prides himself on staying on top of the current science and education involved in becoming a better coach as well as the aspects necessary to help runners get better and faster. Not only does Coach Collins have a master's degree in Exercise Physiology and a Ph.D. in Sport Science, he is also a USATF Level II Coach with a specialization in endurance. Although he has worked hard to make himself better to better assist his runners, he stills believes that any athlete that works hard and is smart about their training can get faster. A big part of his job as coach is to guide his runners and help them to become as fast as they can be. In his spare time, Dr. Collins does triathlons. He has qualified for the US National Championships five times and competed in his first Ironman (2.4m swim/112m bike/26.2m run) in June of 2005 (Finish time of 11:06:24 after cramping on the run). He also enjoys fly fishing and spending quality time with his wife (Tracy), his daughters (Kassie & Emily) and the big brown dog (Einstein). Coach Collins also tries to be a coach that does not just talk the talk, but walk the walk. Although not at the same level of his runners he does go out and compete and trains hard for some of his competitions. Below are a list of his PR's and personal accomplishments.
Coach Collins Comment: "I enjoy coaching here in Lewiston and love the climate where I can run outside year-round and still enjoy the other activities that are important to me like fishing, cycling, etc... This is a great community to live in and raise a family." |
TRACY COLLINS, ATC Head Assistant, Head Athletic Trainer Tracy has acted as an assistant coach since the very beginning of the program and was instrumental in convincing her husband to come in and coach the team. As the athletic department's head trainer, she sees and treats the injuries of all athletes at the college, including those of the warrior runners. She plays a major role in the development of the cross country scholarship program, where individual's and businesses contribute money to the team to be used for student-athlete school costs. She also does many of the other administrative duties that help to keep the program moving in the right direction. Tracy was also a runner in college where she ran for Boise State University. However, she takes a lot of kidding from her husband and the team at times because she was a sprinter competing primarily in the 100, 200 and relays. Kidding primarily about how sprinters only deal with pain for mere seconds, compared to middle and long distance runner. She still holds six records at Lewiston High school, including 11.93 100 meters and 24.97 200 meters. --The Collins Family includes Mike and Tracy and two girls (Kassie and Emily) ages six and three, and their first child, the big brown dog (Einstein) age eleven. As well as their extended family (The XC Team) |