Women’s T&F: Karen Dennis Adds Joseph, Neal to Coaching Staff – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
A former Buckeye All-American makes her return to Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ohio Karen Dennis, Ohio State women’s cross country and track and field coach, Thursday announced the hiring of two new assistant coaches. Joining her staff is former Ohio State All-American Rosalind Joseph (formerly Goodwin), who spent the last two seasons as an assistant track coach at Auburn, and Chris Neal, an Indiana native who has been the assistant cross country and track coach at Tulane University since 2006.
“I’m thrilled to have Rosalind and Chris join our track and field and cross country staff,” Dennis said. “We are all excited about the new direction of our track and cross country programs and are eager to get started.”
Joseph ran track for the Buckeyes from 2002-05, graduating from Ohio State in 2005 with a degree in human ecology. She was a two-time All-American in the triple jump, placing fifth at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships and sixth at the 2004 outdoor meet. She was a 2004 Olympic Trials qualifier in the triple jump, finishing 14th, and placed ninth at the 2005 USA Track and Field Championships.
She was a six-time Big Ten champion, with three wins in the long jump and three in the triple jump. She won the Big Ten indoor triple jump and long jump titles in both 2004 and 2005, while also winning the 2004 outdoor triple jump and 2005 outdoor long jump crowns. Joseph still holds Ohio State records in the outdoor triple jump (44-3.5), the indoor triple jump (43-10.5) and the indoor (20-9) and outdoor (20-11.75) long jump.
“Rosalind was one of the finest student-athletes in the history of our program and will be a fine coach to the women in our field events area,” Dennis said. “As an assistant coach at Auburn she has contributed to the success of their SEC and NCAA championship winning teams. She’s familiar with our university, the community and athletic family. Rosalind knows how to win and will bring those championship expectations to the young women on our team.”
During his time at Tulane from 2006-08, Neal coached his runners to an eighth-place team finish at the 2007 NCAA Mideast Regionals and a ninth-place finish at the 2007 South Central Regional Cross Country Championships its first Top 10 finish in school history.
Tulane’s distance program saw marked improvement under his tutelage. The 2007 cross country team won three meets and placed in the Top 10 in three others while freshman Laurie Dalrymple ran her way to All-Conference USA honors. The Green Wave took sixth at the Conference USA Championships and gained its first Top 10 finish at the NCAA South Central Region Championship also the school’s first time bringing a full squad to a regional meet.
The 2006 cross country team moved up six places in the Conference USA Championship meet from 2005 and placed two of its team members in the Top 50 at regionals. On the track, eight student-athletes moved up onto the Top 10 performances in school history. Highlighting the season was Aubrey Phillips, who set two school records and also scored in two events at the C-USA outdoor championships.
“Chris will coach our distance personnel and will be an asset to the development of our cross country team,” Dennis added. “Chris is anxious to help us score on the track as well and improve our position in the conference during the cross country season.
“As a native of Indiana, he knows the area and has been an avid supporter and fan of The Ohio State University. Having coached through Hurricane Katrina, Chris knows first-hand how to surmount challenges. He brings an undaunting determination to get out in the state, meet coaches, build relationships and recruit Ohio’s best to our great university.”
Prior to Tulane, Neal served as assistant coach at the University of New Orleans from 2005-06. During his time with the Privateers, he coached the Sun Belt Conference cross country individual champion, four track and field individual champions and the team had 10 SBC all-conference performances. His athletes set two conference records and six school records. Neal helped one runner to Louisiana Male Freshman of the Year honors, while the UNO program received the Louisiana Female Runner of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards.
Before making the trip south, Neal spent one season as an assistant coach at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., during the 2004-05 campaign and served as a volunteer coach during the spring of 2004. While at BSU, he worked with an NCAA national cross country championship qualifier, an outdoor track and field championships qualifier and four conference champions. He coached seven Mid-American Conference individual champions and the runner-up cross country team.
Neal went to Ball State in the spring of 2004 as a volunteer coach and helped three runners to MAC Championship individual titles. One runner was a junior national championships qualifier, while another qualified for the NCAA outdoor track & field championship.
Neal earned his bachelor’s of science degree in physical education from EKU in 2003, and earned his master’s degree in sports administration from Ball State University in 2005. He is also USATF Level II certified in both the endurance and jumping events. He lettered in cross country at Eastern Kentucky University, where he helped the Colonels to the Ohio Valley Conference cross country championship.
