Creston, IA—Southwestern Community College (SWCC) recently announced the addition of men’s and women’s track and field starting with the 2012-13 school year.
According to Dr. Matt Thompson, SWCC dean of students, the decision to add an intercollegiate sport was made after a lot of thought and consideration by the college’s administration. SWCC has had men’s and women’s cross country programs in place since 2006. The Spartans’ cross country teams, under the direction of Head Coach Bill Huntington and Assistant Coach Cari Stalker, have been national contenders throughout the years. During the 2011 season, the women’s team was ranked in the top 20 nationally.
“Track and cross country go hand in hand at the collegiate level,” stated Bill Krejci, SWCC athletic director. “Student athletes are much more likely to come to a college that offers both sports.”
SWCC is pairing the track coaching position with a career and technical education recruiting position. The position, recruiter/head track coach, was advertised late last week. Career and technical education is another area where the college sees potential for growth in enrollment.
“The plan is for this individual to focus on the recruitment of students for Southwestern’s career and technical education programs,” explained Thompson. “He or she will visit the high schools to educate career and technical educators about the career-related programs offered at SWCC.”
The college has 23 one- and two- year career and technical education programs in fields such as agriculture, automotive, business, construction, health, and technology.
To learn more about track and field at SWCC or the college’s career and technical education programs, please visit the college’s website at www.swcciowa.edu.