Michelle Chewens Named Cal Poly Head Women's Cross Country Coach
7/8/2022 12:00:00 PM | Cross Country, Track and Field
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Michelle Chewens has been named head coach of the women's cross country program, Cal Poly Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ryan Vanhoy announced Friday.
Chewens spent the past three seasons as a volunteer assistant coach for the Ole Miss track and field and cross country programs, working primarily with the women's distance runners. Chewens' coaching experience spans more than a decade, and includes stints at UNC Greensboro, Toledo, Columbia and Wake Forest prior to helping turn the Ole Miss women's distance program into one of the best in the nation.
In addition to overseeing the women's cross country program, Chewens will serve as an assistant track coach for the women's distance runners at Cal Poly. Chewens is married to Ryan Vanhoy, and she thanked Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman for providing the couple with the opportunity to work side-by-side while building a powerhouse distance program at Cal Poly.
"Ryan and I both have big goals for the program, and I'm really excited to get out there and get started," Chewens said. "I think San Luis Obispo offers a great mixture of many things that we are excited about. It's such a great environment to train as a distance runner, there's a strong community to raise your family in, and there's a rich history of success within the program. That's a really unique environment to be in as a coach. We are excited to continue to build on the Cal Poly tradition through developing the current team and recruiting for the future."
During her time at Ole Miss, Chewens helped the women's cross country team reset its best finish at the NCAA Championships each year from 2019-21, capping it off with a program record 10th-place finish this past season. She guided the Rebels to the NCAA South Region team title in 2021 along with their highest national ranking in program history (No. 9). Five of her athletes also earned NCAA All-South Region honors in 2021, a school record.
Ole Miss women's cross country finished inside the top three in the SEC each year during Chewens' tenure, and she coached nine NCAA All-South Region honorees and five All-SEC runners.
On the track, Chewens' resume with the Rebels was just as impressive. She coached 22 NCAA East Region qualifiers, 10 NCAA qualifiers, nine first or second team All-Americans and six SEC champions. From the 800 meters all the way to the 10,000, eight of the 10 possible school records across the indoor and outdoor track seasons were dismantled under Chewens' watch from 2020-22, and during this past indoor season, the Rebel women tied for sixth as a team at the NCAA Championships, a program best.
"I'm looking forward to working with the current student-athletes at Cal Poly and hope they are excited about a new challenge as we move forward," Chewens said. "I plan on helping athletes grow as individuals not only on the track or cross country course, but also in their daily lives."
With the Rebels, Chewens also mentored one of the greatest distance runners Ole Miss has ever seen in Sintayehu Vissa. In June, Vissa, who owns four school records, won the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Championships to earn the Rebels' first ever NCAA individual title on the track on the women's side. This past fall, Vissa, who was recently selected to represent Italy in the 2022 World Athletics Championships later this month, became the first All-American in Ole Miss women's cross country history, and she finished runner-up in the mile at NCAAs during the 2022 outdoor season.
Prior to arriving in Oxford in fall 2019, Chewens spent three seasons at Wake Forest (2016-19) as the head women's cross country coach and an assistant track coach. Chewens made an immediate impact on the program, helping the Demon Deacons' women's cross country team finish sixth at the 2016 ACC Championships, a significant improvement from its 12th-place result a year prior. The team went on to finish fifth at the 2016 Southeast Regional, 23 points shy of an NCAA automatic bid.
In 2017 on the track at Wake Forest, Chewens coached two All-ACC performers indoors, and two East Regional qualifiers and one All-American outdoors. From 2018-19, she mentored four East Regional qualifiers, two NCAA qualifiers and a pair of All-American honorees. In 2018, Chewens led the women's cross country program to its best finish at the ACC Championships since 2003.
Chewens spent time as an assistant track & field and cross country coach at Columbia (2014-16) and Toledo (2013-14) prior to Wake Forest, overseeing 11 East Preliminary qualifiers outdoors across the two schools.
From 2012-13, Chewens got her first taste of coaching at the collegiate level at her alma mater, UNC Greensboro. She oversaw three All-Americans on the track and one in cross country while serving as an assistant coach for both programs.
Chewens graduated from UNCG in August 2011 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a concentration in sports medicine. Chewens, originally from Cornwall-On-Hudson, N.Y., was a four-time letterwinner in track and cross country for the Spartans, earning Academic All-SoCon honors each year. She was also a part of UNGC's first SoCon Championship in women's cross country in 2011.
"I'm excited to share my vision for the program with the team, and to take advantage of this great opportunity to build something special," Chewens said. "I'm ready to hit the recruiting trail hard in pursuit of student-athletes who are excited about this opportunity, too, and are ready to establish a legacy at Cal Poly."
Chewens spent the past three seasons as a volunteer assistant coach for the Ole Miss track and field and cross country programs, working primarily with the women's distance runners. Chewens' coaching experience spans more than a decade, and includes stints at UNC Greensboro, Toledo, Columbia and Wake Forest prior to helping turn the Ole Miss women's distance program into one of the best in the nation.
In addition to overseeing the women's cross country program, Chewens will serve as an assistant track coach for the women's distance runners at Cal Poly. Chewens is married to Ryan Vanhoy, and she thanked Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman for providing the couple with the opportunity to work side-by-side while building a powerhouse distance program at Cal Poly.
"Ryan and I both have big goals for the program, and I'm really excited to get out there and get started," Chewens said. "I think San Luis Obispo offers a great mixture of many things that we are excited about. It's such a great environment to train as a distance runner, there's a strong community to raise your family in, and there's a rich history of success within the program. That's a really unique environment to be in as a coach. We are excited to continue to build on the Cal Poly tradition through developing the current team and recruiting for the future."
During her time at Ole Miss, Chewens helped the women's cross country team reset its best finish at the NCAA Championships each year from 2019-21, capping it off with a program record 10th-place finish this past season. She guided the Rebels to the NCAA South Region team title in 2021 along with their highest national ranking in program history (No. 9). Five of her athletes also earned NCAA All-South Region honors in 2021, a school record.
Ole Miss women's cross country finished inside the top three in the SEC each year during Chewens' tenure, and she coached nine NCAA All-South Region honorees and five All-SEC runners.
On the track, Chewens' resume with the Rebels was just as impressive. She coached 22 NCAA East Region qualifiers, 10 NCAA qualifiers, nine first or second team All-Americans and six SEC champions. From the 800 meters all the way to the 10,000, eight of the 10 possible school records across the indoor and outdoor track seasons were dismantled under Chewens' watch from 2020-22, and during this past indoor season, the Rebel women tied for sixth as a team at the NCAA Championships, a program best.
"I'm looking forward to working with the current student-athletes at Cal Poly and hope they are excited about a new challenge as we move forward," Chewens said. "I plan on helping athletes grow as individuals not only on the track or cross country course, but also in their daily lives."
With the Rebels, Chewens also mentored one of the greatest distance runners Ole Miss has ever seen in Sintayehu Vissa. In June, Vissa, who owns four school records, won the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA Championships to earn the Rebels' first ever NCAA individual title on the track on the women's side. This past fall, Vissa, who was recently selected to represent Italy in the 2022 World Athletics Championships later this month, became the first All-American in Ole Miss women's cross country history, and she finished runner-up in the mile at NCAAs during the 2022 outdoor season.
Prior to arriving in Oxford in fall 2019, Chewens spent three seasons at Wake Forest (2016-19) as the head women's cross country coach and an assistant track coach. Chewens made an immediate impact on the program, helping the Demon Deacons' women's cross country team finish sixth at the 2016 ACC Championships, a significant improvement from its 12th-place result a year prior. The team went on to finish fifth at the 2016 Southeast Regional, 23 points shy of an NCAA automatic bid.
In 2017 on the track at Wake Forest, Chewens coached two All-ACC performers indoors, and two East Regional qualifiers and one All-American outdoors. From 2018-19, she mentored four East Regional qualifiers, two NCAA qualifiers and a pair of All-American honorees. In 2018, Chewens led the women's cross country program to its best finish at the ACC Championships since 2003.
Chewens spent time as an assistant track & field and cross country coach at Columbia (2014-16) and Toledo (2013-14) prior to Wake Forest, overseeing 11 East Preliminary qualifiers outdoors across the two schools.
From 2012-13, Chewens got her first taste of coaching at the collegiate level at her alma mater, UNC Greensboro. She oversaw three All-Americans on the track and one in cross country while serving as an assistant coach for both programs.
Chewens graduated from UNCG in August 2011 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a concentration in sports medicine. Chewens, originally from Cornwall-On-Hudson, N.Y., was a four-time letterwinner in track and cross country for the Spartans, earning Academic All-SoCon honors each year. She was also a part of UNGC's first SoCon Championship in women's cross country in 2011.
"I'm excited to share my vision for the program with the team, and to take advantage of this great opportunity to build something special," Chewens said. "I'm ready to hit the recruiting trail hard in pursuit of student-athletes who are excited about this opportunity, too, and are ready to establish a legacy at Cal Poly."
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