Veteran cross country coach Dr. Michael Garrison has joined the University of Hawai`i track and field and cross country coaching staff for the 2007-08 season. Garrison, who holds a PhD. in kinesiology, enters his first season as the assistant coach for the track and field and cross country programs.
Garrison was recently the head coach of the Atlantic Coast Conference's University of Maryland cross country team for three years from 2004-07. He was also the assistant men's and women's track coach. Garrison guided the women's cross country team to their first-ever national ranking (29th) in October 2005.
Garrison implemented training programs to improve the Terrapin team and was successful recruiting top athletes for the programs. He recruited Foot Locker Finalist and Nike outdoor national steeplechase champion Greg Kelsey, who was the first national-level distance runner for the school in 10 years. He also coached Meghan Braffet, a two-time all-ACC performer and NCAA regional and provisional qualifier. Braffet was the first Terrapin since 1987 to earn all-conference honors for indoors and outdoors. She was also the first outdoor champion for Maryland in a distance event since 1988 and first-ever 10,000-meter champion.
Two other runners - Matt Sanders and Katie Purcell - qualified for either the NCAA Regional or were NCAA provisional qualifiers. During his coaching tenure at Maryland, 19 different runners had marks in the school's all-time record book.
Before he arrived at College Park, Garrison made his mark in Fayetteville, Ark., where he was an assistant women's track and field and cross country coach at the University of Arkansas for six years. He designed workouts for the runners and assisted in the long term development for the team and was in charge on travel and preparing the team for upcoming meets.
At Arkansas, Garrison mentored 15-time All-American Amy Yoder-Begley, who was also a two-time national champion and 15-time SEC champion. In 2000, she was an U.S. Olympic Trails Qualifier. The following year she was named the NCAA Women of the Year and was the SEC Female Athlete of the Year. In 2006, Yoder-Begley was inducted in the Arkansas Hall of Honor for Track and Cross Country.
Under Garrison's tenure, the Lady Razorbacks were SEC cross country champions five times and placed in the NCAA Top 17 five times. Besides Yoder-Begley, Garrison coached eight other runners who earned 32 All-American honors in their events.
In his collegiate career, Garrison ran cross country at the junior college level for Diablo Valley College before transferring to University of California, Davis, where he ran cross country and track for the Aggies. He was also on the UC Davis cycling team and later coached the team from 1996-97.
While studying for his masters in sport management at Arkansas, Garrison was a graduate assistant, where he was a student-athlete academic counselor and tutor coordinator.
Garrison enjoys hiking, cycling, ultimate Frisbee, golfing, and he hopes to learn how to surf.
