Greg Metcalf steps down as head track and cross country coach at the University of Washington...
In the UW press release, Metcalf said, "I have decided that it is in the best interest of the program for me to step down. I want to thank the UW community who has made the past two decades such a special experience for me and my family."
Metcalf, who ran for the Huskies in the late 1980s-early 1990s, brought success to the Washington program, primarily with a distance-based track and field team. His greatest success during his tenure came in the 2008 season when the Washington women brought home its first ever NCAA championship in cross country.
However, the Washington program has been plagued by questions, particularly with high profile athletes leaving the team, with the most recent being Charlotte Prouse, who transferred to the University of New Mexico, where she helped the Lobos win an NCAA cross country crown last fall.
There were rumors after the 2014-15 season, that Metcalf’s job was in jeopardy, after several male distance runners transferred to other schools. However, those rumors were laid to rest after a successful 2016 track season, in which the Husky men finished second in the Pac-12 championships at Husky Track, thanks to wins by Aaron Nelson in the steeple, Colby Gilbert in the 5000, and Izaic Yorks in the 1500.
At those Pac-12 championships, the men’s distance group especially had unprecedented success this weekend, scoring a total of 60 points over the 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m, 10,000m, and 3,000m steeplechase.
In contrast, the 2018 version of the Huskies had no winners, and an eighth place finish on the men’s side, and a ninth place finish in the women’s side.
"Greg poured tremendous passion and energy into his work, and I am grateful for his many years of service to the University of Washington," UW Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen said. "I wish him the best moving forward."
Besides his work with the team, Metcalf has made Seattle a go-to destination during the indoor season, with numerous teams and high-profile individuals willing to come to Seattle to race at Washington’s Dempsey Indoor facility. Those high profile individuals include numerous world and Olympic medalists, none of whom received appearance fees or travel expenses to compete in Seattle. In fact, Metcalf often said that those athletes had to pay their entry fees, just like everyone else.
paulmerca.blogspot.com received a text from UW sports information spokesman Mike Bruscas stating that associate head coach Jason Drake will be the interim head coach for the NCAA West Regionals and the NCAA championships.
Washington will go into next week’s regionals in Sacramento with 25 men’s and women’s entries, with six male runners from 800 and above and five female runners from 1500 meters and up.
While there will be a plethora of questions asked in the next few weeks, one of the biggest short term questions surrounding the program is what athletes on the current team will transfer to other schools (assuming that the current assistant coaches are replaced by the new head coach), and what incoming recruits will elect to stay at Washington.
The school will begin a national search for Metcalf’s successor immediately.
paulmerca.blogspot.com attempted to reach Metcalf for comment without success. This is a developing story and will be updated.
The school's press release is available here.
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