Sean Cleary
[ head coach • fifth season, 20th overall • west virginia, ‘92 ]
CLEARY FILE COACHING EXPERIENCE WEST VIRGINIA, 1993-PRESENT • Fifth season as Head Coach • 20th season overall with the program • 13 All-America track performances • Five ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans • Three Capital One Academic all-district honorees in 2011 • 2009-10 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award – Marie-Louise Asselin • 12 NCAA Regional qualifiers in 2011, tied for school record • Two-time Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year (2010-11) – Chelsea Carrier • 2008-09 Mid-Atlantic Track Athlete of the Year - Clara Grandt • 2008-09 BIG EAST Indoor Most Out standing Track Performer - Keri Bland • 2008 1,000 NCAA APR score • 23 BIG EAST champions • Four ECAC champions • Numerous NCAA National qualifiers • 10 USTFCCCA All-Academic team members in 2010
Sean Cleary, one of the sport’s most talented and knowledgeable coaches, is in his fifth season at the helm of the West Virginia University cross country and track and field teams after being associated with the program for 20 years. With his expertise in mentoring, training, conditioning and recruiting of athletes, Cleary has quickly built West Virginia’s programs into a national powerhouse with numerous All-Americans and several all-conference runners. Coming off one of the most successful seasons in WVU track and field history, Cleary continues to validate his reputation as one of the top coaches in the nation. In 2011, the Mountaineers earned their fourth consecutive Top-20 finish in both indoor and outdoor track, a year in which 13 All-American performances were turned in by eight athletes, including four from nine-time AllAmerican, Chelsea Carrier. At the conference level, eight WVU were crowned BIG EAST champions and Cleary and his staff were given the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year award. Cleary was also one of eight finalists for the USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year award. In 2009-10, Cleary aided the WVU track and field team to the national spotlight as it finished the season listed at No. 5 on the Terry Crawford Program of the Year Award list, given to the top programs in terms of finishes in track and field, cross country and academics. On its way to earning that honor, WVU saw eight All-Americans, a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships, 16th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, fourth-place showings at the BIG EAST Indoor and Outdoor Championships and five conference champions. Junior Chelsea Carrier made strides into becoming one of the best athletes in school history, earning her first All-America honors last season as she finished fourth in the pentathlon and sixth in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Carrier was also named the Mid-Atlantic Field
RUNNING EXPERIENCE WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY, 1991-92 • Helped 1991 team to Atlantic 10 title • Earned all-conference honors in 1992 EDUCATION WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY, 1992 • Bachelor’s degree (physical education)
22 [ WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY ]
Athlete of the Year after earning two BIG EAST Champion honors and breaking the school record in the pentathlon at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge on Feb. 5. Cleary also saw WVU greats Marie-Louise Asselin, Keri Bland and Clara Grandt earn All-America honors in three sports in the same season (cross country, indoor track and outdoor track). The 2008-09 track team was a testament to his success as it finished the year with four athletes qualifying for national meets and three qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Grandt led the team as she earned her first All-America honor for finishing fourth in the 10,000-meter finals. The West Union, W.Va., native was also named MidAtlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for her efforts throughout the season. In his first season as head coach, Cleary saw Asselin and Bland claim BIG EAST indoor titles in the 3,000-meter and 1,000-meter, respectively, while the distance medley relay (DMR) set a BIG EAST meet record while winning the indoor crown. The DMR went on to place fourth at nationals and Asselin placed seventh in the 3,000-meter to earn All-America honors. He also helped Grandt break a 28-year record in the 10,000-meter at the ECAC Outdoor Championships and saw Carrier win her first league title in the 100-meter hurdles during her freshman outdoor season. Bland finished the 2008 outdoor season by earning All-America honors in the 1,500-meter to become the first female in WVU history to earn All-America honors in three sports in the same year (cross country, indoor track and outdoor track). The 2009 cross country season can only be described as historic. Ranked in the top 10 all season by the USTFCCCA, the Mountaineers raced their way to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship, marking the third consecutive season WVU finished in the top
Under Sean Cleary, WVU track & field has finished with four consecutive Top 20 NCAA finishes