PASSING OF THE TORCH: Bill Devine '74 Retires, Marlee Berg-Haryasz '09 Named as Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach

Westfield State athletics has announced that men's and women's cross country coach Bill Devine '74 has retired, and that Marlee Berg-Haryasz '09 will take over head coaching responsibilities for the men's and women's cross country teams.

Devine, a member of the Westfield State Athletic Hall of Fame, led the Owls cross-country programs since 2007.

"I'm happy to have had the opportunity to coach at WSU," said Devine, calling in from his winter home in Florida. "Coach (Jerry) Gravel, who was my head coach at Westfield State, suggested that I apply for the job and I am glad I did.  Westfield State is a great environment, has a great history in cross country and track, and that will continue with Marlee as well."

The Owls experienced much success under Devine's tutelage.

The Owl women won nine straight conference titles from 2007-2016, and again in 2019 and 2021.

Coached All-Americans Kerry Arouca and Jessie Cardin to multiple appearances in the NCAA Championships, with Arouca placing 19^th in the nation in 2009 and Cardin running to a 20^th place finish in 2015.  Cardin was the first-ever 4-time MASCAC cross country champion.  Most recently, Owls senior Amy O'Sullivan won the MASCAC individual title and qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2021.

"They did the work," said Devine.   "You can give workouts and keep them motivated, but they a have to do the work and they were all intrinsically motivated, and good students as well, so you never had to worry about them in the classroom."

The Owl men won five conference titles for Devine, with Mike Skelly winning the conference's individual title in 2016, and freshman Jack Merck won the MASCAC's rookie of the year award in 2019.

"Bill was a great leader for our cross country teams, and he both recruited and coached a number of great student-athletes for us," said Westfield State director of athletics Richard Lenfest, Jr. 

"I stood on the shoulders of the people who went before me," said Devine.  "Whether it was my father, my 8^th-grade phys ed teacher, my high school football coaches, or even my high school track coach 'Squirrel' Anderson, and Coach Gravel.  Going from high school to college, I wasn't sure who to recruit at first so I reached out to other college coaches."

"Whether it's teaching art, or coaching cross country, you get to know the kids, and try to get the most potential from them," said Devine.  "I'm enthusiastic, and I like to think it rubs off.   That will be the part I will miss the most.  My 4x4 relay from college are all my best friends, we play golf together, we have been in each other's weddings, and I always have told the team that the friends they are making are going to be their best friends in life."

"How often do you lose a hall of famer as a coach, and you are able to fill that role right away with another hall of famer," said Lenfest. "Marlee has some big shoes to fill on the coaching side, but she has a terrific resume as both a coach and an administrator, has strong connections with our alumni and the running community as a whole, and will give us the chance to have a seamless transition in leadership in our cross country programs."

Berg-Haryasz, who ran for both coach Devine and Bob Rausch as a student-athlete, joined Devine as a member of the Owls' Athletic Hall of Fame this past fall.  The 2009 NCAA Division III National Champion in the women's high jump was also a cross-country runner for the Owls as an undergrad, where she was part of two straight MASCAC Championship-winning women's cross country teams, finishing fourth individually in the MASCAC Championships in 2008 as a senior.

Berg becomes the first female head coach of a male sport in the history of the Owls athletics program.

"I am honored and thrilled to be named the head coach of the men's and women's cross country programs at Westfield State," said Berg-Haryasz.  "Thank you to Dick Lenfest for his trust in me to carry on and build upon the rich history and traditions that both programs hold."

"I had the privilege of being coached by Bill Devine, and had the opportunity to learn from him as his assistant from 2017 up until his retirement," added Berg-Haryasz. "Bill continues to be a mentor.  I'm grateful for his guidance and his trust.  He provided an environment where I could learn and grow as a coach.  He made a big impact on the program and I am thankful that I was able to be one of his students as both an athlete and assistant coach."

Berg-Haryasz has been employed in the athletics department at Westfield State since 2016, and was promoted to the role of Assistant Athletics Director for recruitment, retention and student-athlete well-being in 2020.  She has served as an assistant coach for both the Owls cross country and track and field teams, and is a member of the NCAA Division III track and field and cross-country committee, which manages the annual national championship meets.

"I'm organized; she's even more organized," said Devine of Berg-Haryasz. "She has a wealth of coaching experience, has worked with a variety of coaches – which is always a plus – and she is a hard worker and will use the social media to advantage to help the program.  Her role as an advocate for student-athletes at Westfield State was a huge addition to the program, and it's a great advantage to her to really know the student athletes very well."

Berg and the Owls cross country program will be back in action on their home course at Stanley Park in Westfield in the fall of 2022.