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Spivey To Leave Vanderbilt Coaching Position 12/28/2005 Search On For New Cross Country Mentor Vanderbilt athletic officials are searching for a new women’s cross country coach following the announcement that former Olympian Jim Spivey was leaving after four years with the program. Spivey, a three-time Olympian and holder of the second fastest 1,500 meters ever by an American, will leave the Commodore program to enter corporate business, joining the ASICS Corp., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of running shoes and apparel. The search for Spivey’s replacement is being conducted by Commodore Track and Field Head Coach Lori Shepard and Vanderbilt Director of Sport Operations Kevin Colon, who includes oversight of the distance running programs among his duties. In his four-year stint with Vanderbilt, Spivey guided the cross country program to a pair of fifth place finishes at the Southeastern Conference Championships, three consecutive wins at the Commodore Classic and a fifth place result at the 2003 NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships. Spivey also mentored two of the program’s most celebrated female runners — Kylene Kownurko and Erika Schneble. In 2002, Kownurko became the first Commodore distance runner to win an individual title at the SEC Outdoor Championships by claiming the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Schneble, a current Commodore, matched the feat in 2004, winning the 5,000 meters in Oxford, Miss., during a summer campaign that included All-American recognition. Another current Vanderbilt runner, Ashleigh Wetzel, has earned NCAA All-Regional and All-SEC honors in cross country.
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