Rovelto, Taylor to lead Team USA at 2011 Pan American Games
Pan American Games
Kansas State University head coach Cliff Rovelto and former George Mason University head women’s track and cross country coach Angie Taylor have been nominated to lead Team USA’s respective men’s and women’s coaching staffs at the 2011 Pan American Games, October 23-29 in Guadalajara, Mexico.Since becoming the head coach at Kansas State in November of 1992, Cliff Rovelto’s men’s and women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field programs have earned 149 All-American certificates and 111 individual conference championships. Over his 23 seasons at K-State, Rovelto has personally directed 46 individuals to 105 NCAA All-America certificates, as well as 49 individuals to 70 conference event championships. Rovelto has served on Team USA coaching staffs on six occasions, including at the 2005 and 2007 World Outdoor Championships.
Following a distinguished career as a head coach and as a student-athlete, Angie Taylor enters her third year at Coppin State as an assistant athletic director for academics. Taylor served as the head coach of the women’s cross country and track and field programs at George Mason University for nine seasons. Under her guidance, the Patriots finished as the runner-up in four of her nine seasons at the Colonial Athletic Association Track and Field Championships. On the international coaching scene, Taylor served as Team USA’s head women’s coach at the 2003 World Outdoor Championships in Paris, France.
Men’s Staff Assistant Coaches
Manny Bautista – Head Manager: Bautista has served as a collegiate coach at Mesa, Grossmont, Kansas State and Cal Poly SLO, and has also served on numerous U.S. national team staffs, including as head men’s manager at the 2008 NACAC U-23 Championships.
Rod Staggs – Sprints/Hurdles: As a high school coach at Berkeley High School in Missouri, Staggs won 13 state championships, including 12 boys’ titles, and has served on numerous national junior team coaching staffs.
Troy Engle – Endurance: (Note: The original version of this release misspelled Mr. Engle’s name) Formerly an assistant coach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Engle has served as the institution’s head men’s and women’s track and cross country coach since October of 2008. He most recently coached the U.S. track and field team at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. During his tenure with the USOC, which began in 2006, Engle also served as the associate director of the Paralympic Division.
Nat Page – Jumps: Now in his 15th year as an assistant coach for the Georgia Tech track and field program, Page is responsible for coaching field events, including high jump, long jump and triple jump, as well as the men’s and women’s sprint/hurdle events. Since joining the Tech staff in 1996, Page has mentored Tech student-athletes to 37 ACC titles, 39 All-America performances and four national titles. He has coached American record-setting high jumpers Tisha Waller and current record-holder Chaunte Lowe.
Rob Lasorsa – Throws: Formerly served as USA Track & Field’s Men’s Development Committee shot put chair. Lasorsa has served on the coaching staffs of several U.S. national teams including: USA versus England (1996), Junior Pan American Games (2006), and World Indoor Championships (2008).
Women’s Staff Assistant Coaches:
Kim Keenan-Kirkpatrick – Head Manager: The Associate Athletic Director for Compliance at Seton Hall University, Keenan-Kirkpatrick was an assistant women’s team coach at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships and 2008 Olympic Games. She was women’s head manager for Team USA at the 2006 NACAC Under-23 Championships, and was the head coach at the 1999 Yokohama Women’s Ekiden. She also served as Team USA’s athlete liaison at the 2004 World Indoor Championships in Budapest.
LaTanya Sheffield – Sprints/Hurdles: A 400m hurdles finalist at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Sheffield posted the then American record in that event of 54.66 seconds at the 1985 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas. Two years later Sheffield captured the 400m hurdles bronze medal at the 1987 Pan American Games. She currently serves as USATF’s Women’s Development Hurdles Chair.
Francie Larrieu Smith – Endurance: A 1998 inductee of the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, Larrieu Smith’s running career spanned four decades and included 13 world indoor records and a total of 35 American records in distances ranging from 1,000 meters to two miles. Larrieu-Smith qualified to compete on five Olympic teams.
Joy Upshaw Margerum – Combined Events: Upshaw Margerum recently completed a seven-year stint with the University of California Golden Bear coaching staff working with hurdlers before beginning work in coordinating alumni and community relations. Upshaw Margerum joined the Cal program on a volunteer basis during the 1997 season while serving as the co-head cross country coach. She has also served as the coach of the Jackrabbit Track Club and Lady Sprinters, based in Palo Alto.
Sandy Fowler – Throws: Now entering her 13th season as the head coach of the University of Alabama women’s track team, Fowler was an assistant coach at the 1990 Goodwill Games and the 1993 World Outdoor Championships. Fowler served as an assistant coach at the 1999 World University Games, and served in that capacity at the 2000 Olympic Games. Fowler also served as Team USA’s head women’s coach at the 2005 World Outdoor Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
