Northeastern director of track and field and cross country Cathrine Erickson announced the hiring of Ryan Vanhoy as an assistant coach on December 7. Vanhoy will work primarily with the NU distance student-athletes after spending the previous five seasons at the University of North Carolina.
"We are absolutely thrilled with Ryan joining our staff,” Erickson said. “When I accepted the position at Northeastern, Ryan's name was recommended to me from several of my trusted colleagues who raved about his ability to recruit and coach, as proven by his stint at UNC."
Vanhoy joins the Huskies following a five-year stint with the Tar Heels, where he helped produce two Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champions, five NCAA East Preliminary qualifiers and two Olympic Trails qualifiers. Most recently, he guided Isaac Presson and Ashley Verplank to conference titles in the mile and 1500-meter runs, respectively.
Vanhoy, who took over the men’s and women’s distance programs in January of 2012, was responsible for recruiting and implementation of training programs for more than 40 student-athletes, in addition to other administrative and operational duties. During the 2012-13 season, he mentored the men’s distance medley relay team, which broke a school record that stood for 27 years.
"I am thrilled with the opportunity to join the Northeastern family and Coach Erickson's staff,” Vanhoy said. “The potential for what we can accomplish here is exciting, and I am ready to get started with these student-athletes as we work to elevate the program."
Prior to his promotion, Vanhoy worked as an assistant track and field and cross country coach for two seasons, where he assisted with all aspects of the North Carolina program development and operation. While coaching the men’s middle distance runners, he also managed areas of team compliance, travel and recruiting.
"Anytime a head coach starts putting together a staff, they look for team players who will work extremely hard to enhance the philosophies that they have established for the program,” Erickson said. “Ryan believes in the same philosophies and the idea of team first, the cornerstone for the future success of the Northeastern track & field, cross country programs. I really believe the staff that we have in place shares in this philosophy and will work incredibly well together in our pursuit of excellence in both the classroom and in sport."
Vanhoy, who graduated from North Carolina in 2009 with a bachelor's of science in biology, completed his master's degree in exercise physiology in May.
"I can't wait to see how well our athlete's will respond under Ryan's tutelage,” Erickson said. “I have no doubt that he will make a huge impact on each athlete in our program."
