Men's Track and Field
Coaches
Head Coach Liz Aldrich
Liz Aldrich has returned for her fourth season with the Blue Devils, and second as the program's interim head coach.
At Fredonia State she has guided Julia Hopson to a national title -- the first for a Fredonia woman -- and five All-American honors. Hopson won the weight throw at the 2009 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships after finishing second in 2008 and sixth in 2007. In the hammer throw, Hopson finished 3rd (2009) and 4th (2008) at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. Hopson was also named a finialist for the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Aldrich has spent eight summers coaching the Chautauqua Striders summer club team. During this time, her athletes earned two national titles and over 20 All-American honors. She has also coached two high school teams with three state meet qualifiers and two state champions.
An outstanding local athlete, Aldrich was the 1995 New York State Public High School discus champion at Fredonia High School. She was an All-American discus thrower and competed in the SEC conference at the University of Alabama. While at Alabama, she was coached by U.S. Olympic Coach Sandy Fowler and trained with national champions and Olympians.
Her experience training with high-caliber international athletes provided Aldrich with a great wealth of throwing and training knowledge. In 2004, she completed her Masters' in exercise physiology, which furthered her knowledge of biomechanics and training techniques.
Assistant Coach Paul Csont
Paul Csont returns for his 22nd season with the Blue Devils. From 2004-2006, Csont served as interim head coach for the men's program, but has since returned to his former position as track and field assistant coach.
Specializing in the sprints and jumps, he has coached 17 all-Americans, mostly while part of Jim Ulrich's coaching staff. The Blue Devils won numerous SUNYAC titles during those seasons.
His familiarity with SUNYAC track and field dates back to his days as a SUNY Cortland student. Prior to his graduation in 1985, Csont set the Cortland 100-meter record, which was eventually broken by NCAA Division III national champion Stephen Mascoll. Csont also was part of a record-setting 4-by-100 meter relay team.
Following graduation, he served the Red Dragons as a volunteer assistant coach for one season. That was followed by coaching assignments at Depew High School (1986); St. Francis High School of Athol Springs (1987-88), where he started an indoor track program; and at Dunkirk High School (1988). He is a physical education instructor in the Dunkirk City School District, and is president of the Dunkirk Teachers Association.
Prior to attending Cortland, Csont attended Williamsville South High School, where he set 16 school records --- one of which, the 55-meter dash indoors, still stands -- and won the Section VI 300-meter indoor title, and was runner-up in the 55 meters. Outdoors, he is a past Erie County Interscholastic Conference 200-meter champion.
Csont has three children -- Brett, Jenna, and Brianna.
Assistant Coach Jeffrey Beck
In addition to serving as the interim head coach of the cross country team, Jeff Beck assists with the track and field teams, specializing in the distances. Beck ran collegiately at SUNY Geneseo where he was a three-time All American distance runner.
During the 2008 cross country season, Beck guided Tom Williams to an NCAA Championships appearance.
A native of Fairport, N.Y., Beck excelled as a high school runner and earned a place in the New York State Section V Cross Country Hall of Fame. He attended SUNY Oswego before transferring to SUNY Geneseo, where he earned three All-American awards -- twice in cross country (2003, 2004) and once in track & field (2005) -- for the Blue Knights. He also earned membership in the SUNYAC Cross Country Hall of Fame, and was a team captain at Geneseo.
After competing with Geneseo -- he holds a bachelor of science degree in elementary education -- Beck stayed on at his alma mater and assisted head cross country coach Mike Woods. Their 2005 women's team won the NCAA Division III championship led by three All-American runners. He also served as an assistant track & field coach for one season.
Prior to returning to collegiate coaching, Beck served as a personal coach and worked as an assistant manager at Medved Running and Walking Outfitters. An outdoor sports enthusiast, he has twice qualified for the U.S.A Snowshoe team and has twice been an alternate on the U.S.A. Mountain Running team.
Assistant Coach Tom Wilson
Assistant coach Tom Wilson specializes in pole vaulting. He has been vaulting for 13 years, beginning at Niagara Wheatfield High School. At Alfred State College, he was was the 1999 NJCAA Regional outdoor champion, 2000 NJCAA indoor champion, and 2000 All-American at both the NJCAA indoor and outdoor nationals.
He transferred to Fredonia State and was the 2002 indoor & outdoor SUNYAC champion, indoor New York State Collegiate Track Conference champion, and outdoor NYSCTC runner-up. He put up the third best vault in Fredonia State history at 14'6'' and was ranked in the top 25 nataionally in NCAA Division III during 2002. He has competed in the Empire State Games and was an ESG runner-up in 2004.
In his seventh year coaching the pole vault, Wilson trained the Blue Devil women's record holder Erin Ross, who owns both the indoor (10'0"), and outdoor (10'0") school records. He and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Fredonia.