SCARBOROUGH, Ont. - Centennial College's Department of Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce the appointment of John Stevenson as the new head coach of the Colts cross country running program. Stevenson takes over for former head coach Sean Squires.
"We are pleased and excited to welcome John as the new head coach for the running program here at Centennial," said manager of athletics Darcy Brioux. "John is a tremendously experienced distance running specialist and brings his extensive knowledge as a distance coach from the university, club and national perspective to our student athletes."
Stevenson is NCCP Level 4/5 athletics coach, graduating from NCI (National Coaching Institute) in April 2016. He is also an Official 4 coaching learning facilitator and learning evaluator. Stevenson brings extensive experience as cross country and distance coach with York University and London-Western Track & Field Club (as well as president), along with serving as the 2012 Canadian national cross country coach, NACAC Port of Spain. He has been the Ontario para coach in 2013 and will be in 2017 for the Canada Summer Games. John is also a professional volunteer as a director at Athletics Ontario.
Stevenson has a kinesiology degree from the University of British Columbia and is an avid runner. As a CIAU (now CIS) competitor at UBC he was a nationally-ranked 800 metre runner. He will look to make an impact immediately in taking over the reins of working with the Colts in their preparation for the fall season.
"I am passionate about guiding athletes to achieve their goals and dreams, and strongly believe that the Centennial Colts cross country team is capable of making a tremendous impact on the national collegiate stage."
Centennial College's Department of Athletics and Recreation is also pleased to announce the hiring of Seanna Robinson as the new assistant coach of the Colts cross country running program. Robinson takes over for former assistants Anna Serbina and Daniel Bates.
"We are very pleased and excited to welcome Seanna as the new assistant coach for the running program here at Centennial," said Brioux. "Seanna is a decorated runner and experienced distance running specialist. She brings her passion for running and working with people of all ages and know that her enthusiasm and extensive running knowledge will help guide, develop and inspired our student athletes."
Robinson is a past coach with the University of Toronto junior development team and current leader and coach of a running crew in Toronto (Lower East Siders). She is the owner of a corporate wellness company, RunningWell Inc., that delivers wellness and lifestyle tips through running and walking programs.
Robinson has a physical education degree from Queen's University and has been a competitive runner for over 26 years. She was the past captain of the Queen's cross country and track & field teams (1998). She currently competes as an elite masters runner in Toronto focusing on five and 10 kilometres, but has completed nine marathons, including one in an Ironman.
"I love working with people to help them realize their potential. As I learn more about the Centennial Colts running program and the student athletes desire to not only reach provincial or national running goals, but to develop themselves to their fullest potential as young people. I am so excited to be part of this team."
The Colts training camp and tryouts will take place in late August, with their first meet at Fanshawe College on Sept. 17. Other races include Sault Ste. Marie on Oct. 1, Seneca College on Oct. 15 and the OCAA provincials on Oct. 29, with the CCAA national championships from Nov. 11-12.
For more information about cross country running or any of the Colts varsity programs, please visit www.gocolts.ca.
Source: Centennial College