Aaron Russell, a proud Lock Haven alum has been a fixture with The Haven track & field program for over 20 years.
The 2024-25 academic year marks Russell's 27th overall as a track & field coach at Lock Haven. He’s also the head men’s and women’s cross country coach.
The full story:
Russell’s leadership has taken the Bald Eagles to new heights.
Working primarily with the mid-distance and distance student-athletes, he’s guided runners to a number of honors including All-Conference, All-Region and All-American status. Russell’s knowledge has helped runner after runner achieve PSAC qualifying marks, NCAA qualifying marks, school records and personal bests.
2023-24 Season Recap:
Track & Field headlines:
Academic:
2 USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes
2 Team USTFCCCA Academic Awards
Ryan Miller Named PSAC Spring Scholar Athlete & PSAC Spring Top-10
Outdoor - 2023
Men
The Bald Eagles finished 5th of 12 at the 2024 PSAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
- Ryan Miller was crowned champion in the 400-meter dash with a conference-best time of 48.19 in the finals.
- Peter Bellomo brought home silver in the javelin throw with a mark of 206-2.
- Justice Shoats leaped to silver in the long jump (23.0-75) and added a third-place finish in the high jump with a final mark of 6-4.75
Women
The Bald Eagles placed 14th at the 2024 PSAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships
- Aubrey Sechrist brought home bronze in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:18.2.
Indoor - 2023-24
Men
2022-23 Season Recap:
Track & Field headlines:
Academic:
Ryan Miller Academic All-America Team
4 USTFCCCA All-Academic Student Athletes
2 Team USTFCCCA Academic Awards
42 PSAC Scholar Athletes
Outdoor - 2022
Women
The Haven women finished ninth at the PSAC Outdoor Championships but saw a number of strong individual performances throughout the event.
Riyana Owens broke the school record at 200 meters and finished third with a 24.79 and
Billie Jo Bollinger brought home a second place and third place finish in the 100 and 400 meter hurdles, respectively.
Morgan Perry also found the podium and finished third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:16.34.
A trio of Bald Eagles earned USTFCCA All-Region honors after the season as Bollinger, Perry and
Megan Manglaviti each brought in the awards. Perry earned the honors in the 5,000 meters and the 3,000 meter steeplechase, while Bollinger collected in the 400m hurdles and Manglaviti in the hammer throw after her season-best of 164-1.
Men
The Haven men capped the outdoor season with another indivdual PSAC Champion.
Gage Krall took home the 5K with a blazing time of 14:54.61.
Ryan Miller had another strong championships and notched a second-place NCAA provisional mark of 47.63 in the 400 meter finals.
The dynamic duo of Miller and Krall were later named USTFCCCA All-Region in their respective events.
Indoor - 2021-22
Women
The LHU women had another strong indoor season as Riyana Owens advanced all the way to the NCAA Championships in the 60 meters and finished 17th in all of Division II. Owen's consistently broke her own school record in the event and her mark stands at 7.54. Owens later collected All-Region in both the 60 & 200 meters, after setting a school record in both, and was joined by
Karina Long, who earned the honors in the long jump.
Men
For The Haven, the 2021-22 indoor season marked a triumphant return for the indoor track & field program and LHU notched a fifth-place finish at the PSAC Championships.
Ryan Miller brought home the 400-meter crown with a time of 49.02, and the quartet of
Gage Krall,
Ryan Miller,
Kirk Stewart and
Matthew Muthler were named to the USTFCCA All-Region list after their school-record and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 10:02.69 in the DMR.
OUTDOOR – 2021:
Women –
The 2021 outdoor season was historic for the prestigious program.
Laurel Moyer highlighted a special season for the Lock Haven contingent and ran to All-American honors by way of her fourth place 3k Steeplechase finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Moyer set a blistering school record of 10:27.32 in the event. She also qualified in the 10km, finishing 15
th overall.
Ahead of the PSAC championships the women’s team qualified 18 individual entries for the meet. Lock Haven eventually finished 6
th in the PSAC team standings behind strong efforts at the games. Moyer won both the 10k and Steeplechase titles, while adding a silver medal in the 5k. Riyana Owens finished third in both the 100 and 200-meter dash. Billie Jo Bollinger added fourth place showings in both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles.
Moyer and Owens both collected All-Conference honors.
Men –
Ahead of the PSAC championships the men’s team qualified 13 individual entries for the meet.
At the PSAC Championships, Aaron Pfeil finished fourth overall in the 10,000-meter run and freshman teammate Ethan Rogers was not far behind him, placing ninth. John Davern followed up Pfeil’s strong effort with a third overall finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Freshman Kohen Stover urged his way into the scoring with an eight place showing.
Davern earned All-Conference honors by way of his third place finish.
INDOOR – 2019-20:
Women –
Over the span of the season, nine individuals recorded fifteen individual PSAC Championship qualifying marks.
Lock Haven placed tenth at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships on the heels of a brilliant triple by Laurel Moyer. She won the 5,000-meter run and finished second in both the mile and 3000-meter run.
To put an exclamation point on the season, Laurel Moyer ran to school records in the 1,000-meter run, mile and 3000-meter run.
LHU Women’s Track & Field: A look back at the 2019-20 Indoor Season
OUTDOOR – 2020:
Men & Women -
The season was cut extremely short for the Bald Eagles as the season was cancelled during day 2 of their opening competition. Despite that the teams logged a total of six PSAC qualifying marks between five athletes.
Fifth year returner Wade Laudeman narrowly missed throwing a NCAA DII Provisional mark, and LHU athletes found themselves atop ten different PSAC event rankings.
INDOOR – 2018-19:
Women –
On December 1, 2018, the women's indoor track & field team opened the season with a sensational outing. From that season-opener in early December, the Bald Eagles never looked back, as the 2018-19 indoor season proved to be a special one all-around for LHU.
In the end, Lock Haven placed seventh at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships, highlighting the strong campaign. During the three-month season, the Bald Eagles set five school records and recorded 10 all-time top-five performances.
Distance-star Laurel Moyer set school records in the 1,000-meter run and the mile. Freshman sprint-sensation Riyana Owens set records in the 60 and 300-meter events. Rookie Karina Long set the school-record in the long jump in the season-opening meet at Bucknell.
During the regular season, nine different Bald Eagles accounted for 19 individual PSAC qualifying marks across 13 different events.
OUTDOOR – 2019:
Women -
The 2019 outdoor season proved to be a special one.
It ended with freshman-sensation Karina Long representing the Bald Eagles on the sport's biggest stage, as she competed at the 2019 NCAA Division II Women's Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.
Long was one of three All-Region performers on the season. Long, along with Cadie Kiser and Laurel Moyer all earned spots on the 2019 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCA) All-Atlantic Region Team. Kiser, Long and Moyer combined to earn All-Region status in six total events.
Moyer, the 2019 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) champion in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter events, earned All-Region honors in three events. She was named to the All-Region team in the 5K, 10K and 1,500-meter run. Kiser earned All-Region status in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 10K. Kiser was the PSAC champ in the steeplechase. Long earned All-Region status in the long jump, the event she competed in at the 2019 NCAA Championships in Texas.
During the regular season, the women's team had 13 student-athletes record 24 individual PSAC qualifying marks in 17 different events.
Men -
The 2019 outdoor season was another special season filled with highlights and honors.
The season ended with a pair of Bald Eagles competing on the big stage, as both senior javelin thrower Wade Laudeman and freshman hurdler CJ Anderson qualified for the 2019 NCAA Division II Men's Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Anderson, Laudeman and Marcus Disbrow all earned All-Region status, as each earned a spot on the 2019 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCA) All-Atlantic Region Team.
Anderson, LHU's rookie sensation, earned All-Region honors in the 110-meter hurdles. Throwers Disbrow and Laudeman earned All-Region honors in the hammer throw and javelin throw, respectively.
During the regular season, the LHU men's team saw 12 student-athletes record 25 individual PSAC qualifying marks in 15 different events.
Leading the way was Anderson, the most dynamic and versatile hurdler and sprinter in the PSAC. During the regular season, Anderson recorded individual PSAC qualifying marks in the 100, 200 and 400-meter events, as well as the 100mH and 400mH. He ranked among the top-10 in the PSAC in all five individual events and he ran NCAA Division II provisional marks in both hurdle events.
The 2017-18 season was no different as the outdoor season was highlighted by the both men and women's teams strong overall performances. The LHU women hit 11 different individual Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying marks in the six different individual events. Highlighting the way was four individual qualifying marks at 1,500-meters. The men hit 25 individual Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) qualifying marks in 12 different events. Seniors Mitchell Coakley (steeplechase) and Matt Taylor (10K) have been named to the All-Region Team.
During 2017-18 indoor season was saw all-time marks and records being broken all across the board. The two records that were broken this season was the women's 60-meter hurdles and the women's 300-meters. Rashana Tompkins was able to lower that record by three tenths of second (.30) to 8.87. Kayla Braithwaite, who broke the 300-meter record, ran to a time of 43.06 which is .06 faster than the previous record that stood for eight years. Laurel Moyer hit numerous top-five all-time marks in numerous events across the board. She ran up the record books to mark herself second all-time in the 1,000, 3,000, and 5,000 races! She also hit the fourth fastest mile time in school history at the Mid-Major Invite at Youngstown University.
2016-17 was yet another strong year for the program. The highlight performances were Addison Monroe and Rahjeir Miles-Eubanks who both earned second team All-American at the Outdoor NCAA Division II Track & Field Nationals in the 10K and Javelin, respectively.
At the Indoor PSAC Championships, the Bald Eagles had seven All-Conference student-athletes and 10 that earned All-Region. Addison Monroe was named the most outstanding male athlete at the Championship meet for his victories in both the 3K and 5K. Both Brian Zimmerman and Lydia Werner were also named the Indoor Freshman of the Year for their terrific performances. Adrienne Puglia also capped the Indoor season by winning the Weight Throw at the Championships.
The Haven followed up the Indoor Championships with more stellar performances at the Outdoor Championships. The Bald Eagle student-athletes earned 6 All-Conference honors and landed eight on the All-Region team. Addison Monroe highlighted the excellent performances as he was the 10K champion.
The 2015-16 season was once again another successful year for the Haven track & field teams. At the PSAC Indoor Championships Lock Haven had eight All-Conference athletes as well as eight athletes earning All-Region teams in seven events. Highlighting the performances was senior Lindsay Hepburn who defended her championship in the weight throw.
Following a stellar indoor championship The Haven had some great individual performances at the PSAC Outdoor Championship. Leading the way was Tyler Burger and Rahjeir Miles-Eubanks. Burger capped his freshman year by winning the decathlon. Miles-Eubanks was second in the javelin and both mens performances were NCAA provisional marks. Also hitting a NCAA provisional mark was Elizabeth Kravitz in the javelin throw.
Over the last several seasons, Russell’s group has won several PSAC Championships including Ben Robinson (5K) outdoor in 2015 and Zach Mains (2014-15 indoor 3K).
Alex Monroe, who qualified for the NCAA National Championships several times, became an All-American in 2015 in the 5,000.
In 2014-15, six Bald Eagles earned All-Region status indoor and two outdoor in the mid-distance distance events. In all, 13 athletes earned indoor All-Region status and eight were named All-Region outdoors.
Highlighting the 2014-15 season was Bobby Shorthouse winning the PSAC Sportsmanship Award and Ben Robinson and Lindsay Hepburn earning Academic All-American honors.
During the 2011-2012 seasons Russell coaches numerous All-Region athletes and guided numerous runners to the PSAC and NCAA Championships. Mark Manno, Alex Monroe, and Tyler Thomas are just a few who qualified.
In the 2010-2011 seasons Russell coached two All-Americans and guided several runners to both the PSAC and NCAA championships. He also coached Alex Monroe, who qualified for both USA Junior Outdoor Championship and the Pan Ann Games.
During the 2009-10 season Russell was elected Division II Executive Director of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) by his peers. In the position, Russell presides over the DII Board of Directors and, in conjunction with the CEO of the USTFCCCA, will act as the representative to the NCAA Division II coaching membership.
Russell was named Pennsylvania PSAC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Head Coaches of the Year. Russell led the Bald Eagles to the 2010 Indoor Conference Title.
On the year, The Haven men set three school records to go along with a number of top-three all-time performances. Lock Haven also had five men who hit NCAA DII qualifying times and the men’s distance medley relay hit a qualifying time.
Five members of the Lock Haven University men’s track & field team have earned a spot on the 2009 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division II Men’s All-Academic Track & Field Team.
The LHU women’s track & field team was named a 2009 USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field team. Russell also produced one PSAC Cross Country Male Athlete of the Year and four All-region award winners.
The 2008-2009 season was another very successful season under the guidance of Russell. The Bald Eagles finished second at the 2009 PSAC Indoor Track and Field Championships and the Lady Eagles took home a solid third place finish. At the championships nine individuals were crowned champion for both the men and the women. At the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships Lock Haven secured nine All Americans, which is the most in school history at one championship. Outdoors both teams continued their success with both the men and the women bringing home a third place finish. The Bald and Lady Eagle teams also had six individual champions and six NCAA Championship qualifiers.
In 2007-08 his team won a PSAC Men's Indoor Championship. In the spring both the men's and women's teams finished second in the PSAC. Under his guidance, Ryan Blood earned the East Region Men's Track Athlete of the Year and Paul Martin was an All-American in the 400 hurdles.
In 2006-07 he was voted East Region Coach of the Year, PSAC men’s coaches of the year, and was elected as secretary of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Russell directed the 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 men's cross country teams to PSAC titles. He also led them to East Region titles in 2003, 2004 and 2006 along with a school-best ninth- place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships in 2004. He has helped guide 28 runners to All-PSAC status, including 20 All-Regional Harriers, six All-Americans, and four PSAC Rookie of the Year runners.
While serving as an assistant at EKU, he helped coach three cross country teams to Ohio Valley Conference titles, seven OVC Athletes of the Year, three All-Americans and numerous GTE Academic All-Americans.
Russell was honored with PSAC and USTFCCCA East Region Coach of the Year awards in 2003, '05 and '06.
Russell was honored following the 2007 indoor season with PSAC men's coach of the year honors. The men's team won the indoor conference championships while the women placed second.
Russell received his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and mass communication from LHU in 1996. He then earned his Master of Science degree in sport administration from Eastern Kentucky University in 1998.
While at The Haven as a student-athlete, Russell was a two-year captain, a multiple PSAC Scholar-Athlete and an ECAC qualifier in track & field.
*Updated January 2025
