Running Coach, Prof, Track Project Make Headlines
May 07, 2012 - In the News
Dave Scott-Thomas, head coach of the University of Guelph’s track-and-field and cross-country teams, and several Guelph runners, including plant agriculture professor Istvan Rajcan, were featured in the weekendGlobe and Mail .
The full-page news story looked at the grassroots fundraising effort to build an international-calibre track and field facility at U of G's Alumni Stadium that raised $1-million in less than two weeks.
It also talked about how Scott-Thomas created the Speed River Track and Field Club for student and local runners that is now the most successful running club in Canada. Since arriving at Guelph in 1997, Scott-Thomas has won 22 Coach of the Year Awards from Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and 19 from Canadian Interuniversity Sport. A Level IV certified coach, he has coached Olympians and 17 national teams.
Following the fundraising effort, the University revised its planning for the stadium project to incorporate an eight-lane International Athletic Federation-certified track in Alumni Stadium. The city and the University will host internationally accredited events at the new facility, which has been supported through donations from elite athletes, community members, alumni, family, friends and businesses.
Officials hope to have the new facilities ready for the fall semester, before the Gryphons’ football home opener Sept. 15.
