Karen Dennis Hired as Ohio State Women’s Track and Field Head Coach – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
July 25, 2006
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Karen Dennis was named Ohio State women’s track and field head coach Tuesday in an announcement made by Miechelle Willis, Ohio State’s senior associate athletics director. A sprints and hurdles assistant with the Buckeyes the last four years, Dennis becomes the first women’s head coach since Mamie Rallins in 1993.
“I am excited for this opportunity,” Dennis, a Detroit native who ran collegiately at Michigan State, said. “It is great that Gene Smith and Miechelle Willis decided to separate the men’s and women’s programs. It is a beneficial move for Ohio State track and field and for collegiate women’s track and field as well.
“We plan to make great strides in this new era at Ohio State and refocus attention to the superior product we have here. Ohio will be reenergized as our core recruiting area. We plan to bring in student-athletes from in-state as well as regional and national talent to move Ohio State in a winning direction.”
Dennis previously has served as women’s head coach at UNLV (1992-2002) and Michigan State (1981-1991). In her four seasons with the Buckeyes, she has guided several NCAA qualifiers on both the men’s and women’s side. Joel Brown, a Buckeye men’s hurdler from 2001-04, was the most-decorated, winning the 2004 NCAA Mideast Regional title in the 110-meter hurdles and gaining multiple All-America honors. Molly Logan was the top female hurdler, claiming the 2004 100m Big Ten title.
Dennis, who led both UNLV and Michigan State to conference team championships, also has vast international coaching experience. She was the head coach for the U.S. Olympic Team at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.
In 11 seasons at Michigan State, Dennis guided the Spartans to the 1982 Big Ten Outdoor Championship and she was named District IV Coach of the Year. She mentored Spartan hurdler Judi Brown-King to the silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and Cheryl Gilliam to 12 Big Ten championships. She also mentored former Spartan walk-on Odessa Smalls to 13 Big Ten titles and All-America honors three times.
At UNLV, Dennis’ Runnin’ Rebels won a conference team championship in her first season (1993), earning her league coach of the year honors. In her tenure at UNLV, Dennis guided 12 student-athletes to All-America honors. She also coached former distance standout Katie Barto to an NCAA championship in 2002. That same season, Dennis guided Michelle Davis, a six-time All-American, to the 2002 UNLV Sportswoman of the Year Award.
Dennis has been involved on the national and international track and field scenes for the past three decades. In addition to the 2000 Olympics, she served as assistant coach of the 1995 World Championships squad in Gotteberg, Sweden, and guided the U.S. women’s team at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana, Cuba. She also served as an assistant women’s coach at the World University Championships in Duisburg, Germany, in 1989.
Dennis is on the USA Track & Field International Competition Committee and is a past president of the Athletic Congress Women’s Track Coaches Association. Dennis also has served as a member of the NCAA Women’s Track and Field Committee and the NCAA Track Coaches Association.
