SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. - The Sault College Cougars have once again added to their varsity sport portfolio in the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association. At the OCAA sport meetings in Ottawa last month, the Cougars were granted entry into the sport of cross country running - becoming the 18th school in the province to compete in this sport both on the provincial and national stage.

It is at this time that the Cougars would like to announce their coach for the upcoming 2012 cross country season, Sherri Smith. As such, Smith has become the first Cross Country Coach in the history of the school. Smith comes from an impressive background as she attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, winning four titles in the prominent Big 12 conference of the NCAA Division One in the 5000m, 10,000m and cross country; along with a sixth place NCAA finish in the 10,000m. Upon graduation, she switched to triathlon and became one of Canada's best triathletes of the early 2000's - finishing first in the overall women category representing all of Canada at the 2004 Triathlon World Championships in Portugal. Among her credits locally is also the creation of the St. Joseph Island Triathlon held in August.

"We are ecstatic to have someone of Sherri's credentials lead us in the creation of a cross country program here at Sault College," states Athletic Director Scott Gray. "Sherri's experience and desire to build something special will allow us to attract the best collegiate student athletes to Sault College."

"This is a great opportunity for both the college and for me," added Smith. "We want to build a program that will compete both provincially and nationally every year - letting these students accomplish both their academic and athletic goals along the way."

The Cougars plan to compete in a full slate of events for this upcoming season both in Canada and the United States and invite all potential student athletes to contact either Coach Smith or the Athletic Department at crosscountry@saultcollege.ca or athletics@saultcollege.ca respectively.

Source: Sault College