Elmira, NY -- Pat Thompson, Vice President of Athletics, announced the appointment of
Shannon Howley as the first Head Women's Cross Country Coach at Elmira College. The Soaring Eagles inaugural season will be in 2014-15. The team will compete in the Empire 8 Conference.
“The College is pleased to offer another participation opportunity for women. Coach Howley's head coaching and recruiting experience will benefit the development of this new program,” Thompson said.
Howley, a member of the Soaring Eagle staff, just finished her fifth season as head coach of the Elmira College Women's Basketball program. She has also served as the Director of Sports Information for the last five years and will relinquish those duties in order to head the women's cross country program.
The Silver Spring, MD native is excited at the opportunity to begin recruiting and creating a schedule for the Women's Cross Country team's inaugural season.
“I am looking forward to the challenge of building a competitive program and recruiting quality student-athletes to Elmira College,” Howley said.
Howley joined the Soaring Eagle staff after three seasons as Head Women's Basketball Coach and Assistant Director of Athletics at Arcadia University. In her three seasons with Arcadia, she molded the Knights from a six-win team in 2005-2006 to narrowly missing the postseason in 2008.
Her coaching resume also includes assistant coaching positions at the Catholic University and Marymount University. In four seasons at Marymount her teams tallied an overall record of 90-30 including three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 2004.
Howley is a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the Women's Basketball Regional Committee. She holds a B.S. in communications from Radford University and received her master's degree in educational leadership from Arcadia.