Feb. 2, 2007

CANYON, Texas - West Texas A&M athletics director Michael McBroom has announced that WTAMU Associate Athletics Director Paul Sweetgall will take over the duties of men's cross country head coach following the departure of former coach Kyle Winter.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to coach the men's cross country team," commented Sweetgall. "I thank (Director of Athletics) Michael McBroom for discussing the situation with me and making the offer. Michael has our program headed in the right direction. He has high expectations for all of our sports, including the cross country program."

Sweetgall takes over for former WTAMU cross country runner Kyle Winter who led the program as head coach last fall, but has moved on to pursue other opportunities.

"The past year has not been easy on our cross-country staff and our student-athletes," said McBroom. "The passing of Coach Eric Lathrop was certainly difficult on everyone, but I want to commend our women's coach, Kimberly Dudley, for her extra effort and leadership, as well as our interim coach for the past fall, Kyle Winter. Both have done an exceptional job under unusual circumstances. Coach Dudley has certainly gone above and beyond in recruiting efforts for both teams."

"My short-term goals include being competitive at both the conference and regional levels," said Sweetgall. "I met with some of our current student-athletes, and we went through a list of teams that finished ahead of us last year that we feel we can be more competitive with. As for long-term goals, I want these guys to look back thirty years from now and say that they are still running because of the great experiences they had during their college days."

Sweetgall has served in the WTAMU athletics department for the past seven years and is currently serving the department as Associate Athletics Director in charge of financial operations. His connection with running started at an early age since he participated on the high school cross country and track & field teams in his hometown of Hudson, N.Y. Following his prep career, Sweetgall moved on to The Ohio State University where he participated on the cross country and track & field teams for one year, before concentrating on academic endeavors on his way to receiving both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from OSU.

"Another source of my motivation comes from (the late cross country coach) Eric Lathrop," Sweetgall added. "Running was a common bond that Eric and I shared, and I always enjoyed talking with him. He had such a thorough, technical knowledge of the sport, and approached it so enthusiastically. He is the one who was responsible for reviving the sport at WTAMU, and it is up to us to further the cause."

"Certainly, it's a departure from his normal duties overseeing the business side of athletics, but I will reduce his responsibilities in that area to allow him to give the appropriate time and attention to the cross-country program," said McBroom. "I am pleased Paul agreed to accept this challenge and know he will be successful."

Aside from his extensive athletics administration background, Sweetgall has been an avid runner for the past 36 years and has participated numerous road races ranging from 5K to half marathons. In addition, Sweetgall has served as a certified official for the Missouri Valley Track & Field Association. Sweetgall and his wife Linda, who is an area elementary teacher, reside in Canyon with their daughter Lindsey, who is a sophomore at Canyon High School.