Riverdale, N.Y. (September 2, 2005)--Manhattan College Athletic Director Bob Byrnes announced the hiring of two assistant track and field coaches on Friday. Joining head coach
Dan Mecca's staff are two former Division I athletes, Sara Vergote and Elliot Belin.
Vergote comes to Manhattan as an assistant coach to help with the distance program, and she brings a rich background of distance running with her to Riverdale. The 2003 graduate of the University of Toledo qualified for the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships while helping her team win its second consecutive Mid-American Conference title during her senior year. During that same year, Vergote captured the 2003 MAC Outdoor Championship in the steeple chase and earned a trip to NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
"As an NCAA qualifier, Sara adds another level to our women's program," said Mecca.
After completing her undergraduate work in biology and education, Vergote moved onto Ohio University where she worked in the Athletic Compliance Department.
From Ohio, Vergote moved on to the University of Massachusetts where she earned a graduate degree in sport management as a graduate assistant in academic services. While at UMass, Vergote worked on several projects for the athletic department, including preparation for the NCAA Field Hockey Championships.
Vergote is a native of Kalkaska, Michigan.
Belin makes his return to Manhattan as an assistant coach to help with the jumpers and overall conditioning of the field athletes.
Prior to being named a Jasper assistant, the 2003 Manhattan graduate was coaching high school track and field at Trinity School in Manhattan.
Belin, a Bronx native, brings persistence and perseverance with him to the program. Not highly recruited out of Cardinal Hayes High School for track and field, Belin came to Manhattan to major in chemical engineering. In his second year as a Manhattan undergraduate, Belin decided to walk onto the Jasper track and field team. Only two years later, he was one of the MAAC's top triple jumpers, and he qualified for the prestigious IC4A Championships.
"Elliot is a perfect example of a great work ethic," noted Mecca. "Coming in as a walk-on and qualifying for the IC4A shows what happens when you put your heart into something."
Belin still competes in the triple jump at the Metropolitan Athletic Congress's (division of USA Track and Field) Open Meets.
