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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

One-Track Mind: WSU Consolidates

Do a good job, and they’ll give you more work.

Washington State University men’s track coach Rick Sloan was rewarded Thursday with responsibility over the women’s program, as well, as the school consolidated what had been separate programs.

“Nearly all of the time our programs travel and compete together,” said Rick Dickson, WSU athletic director. “This is not a precedent-setting move on our part. It has been done and done successfully by nearly all the Pac-10 schools as well as all the top track programs in the country. After studying that model, we felt merging the programs would benefit both programs at WSU.”

The examination of the program status began in the wake of Rob Cassleman’s recent resignation as the WSU women’s coach.

“I love it,” Sloan said of the merger. “If I have an expertise in an area, why should I only coach men or women? Why not exploit that expertise?

“I think it’s going to present a more unified and harmonious atmosphere for track and field at Washington State.”

For gender-equity reasons, however, accounting and funding of the programs remain separate. Oregon is the only Pacific-10 Conference school to have completely separate men’s and women’s track programs.

Current assistants Li Li and Mark Macdonald from the men’s team and Lissa Olson and Marcia Mecklenburg from the women’s team will remain. One fulltime assistant remains to be hired, along with a volunteer assistant coach. Another volunteer coaching position will be filled by decathlon world-record holder Dan O’Brien, whom Sloan also coaches.

Coaches will be assigned “event areas” and will coach both men and women athletes, Sloan said.

Sloan took over as head men’s coach last summer, replacing long-time head coach John Chaplin.

, DataTimes