Men's and Women's Cross Country

Joe Connelly
	Cross Country (M) - Head Coach Saint Michael's '87 seventh season jconnelly@smcvt.edu 802.654.2616

Saint Michael's College graduate Joseph Connelly enters his 7th year as the men's cross country coach in 2007.

In Connelly's first 6 seasons at the helm of the Purple Knights, the team has placed in the top 3 at the Vermont State Meet 5 times and has earned a top-eight or better ranking at NCAA Regionals 4 of 6 years. During the 2003 season Saint Michael's qualified its first runner in program history to compete at the NCAA Championship.

In addition to coaching the men's cross country team, Connelly has also been at the helm of the College's Nordic ski program since 2001.

Connelly is active in the local running community, serving as the Technical Coordinator for RunVermont, Inc, producer of the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon the second largest marathon in New England, and a Runner's World top-20 U.S. marathon.

A six time letter-winner at Saint Michael's, class of 1987, in both Nordic skiing and cross country, Connelly has run in 20 marathons, including 10 Boston Marathons. He has also competed in the U.S. Triathlon Series and has worked as a personal trainer for individuals who want to improve their long distance running. A native of Glenville, NY, Connelly competed in Nordic and Alpine Skiing, Golf and Tennis at Scotia-Glenville High School. Prior to joining the coaching staff of Saint Michael's, Connelly was employed as an accountant in the long-term care and software industries. He is currently pursuing a Master's in Education at Saint Michael's.

Molly Peters
	Cross Country (W) - Head Coach Middlebury '97 second season mpeters2@smcvt.edu 802.654.2927

Molly (Enman) Peters, a former All-American and three-sport standout at Middlebury College, enters her second season as the head coach of the Saint Michael's College women's cross country program in 2007. Peters replaces Larry Kimball, who retired from coaching following his fifth year with the program in 2005. She is the seventh head coach in the program's history, and will work in all capacities with the NCAA Division II Purple Knights.

Peters has gathered a wealth of coaching experience since graduating from Middlebury in 1997 as an Academic All-American with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology. Most recently, Peters has spent the past three years working at Burlington High School as an assistant cross country coach, as well as a sprint and hurdle coach.

"We are very excited to have Molly joining our staff," said Geri Knortz, Saint Michael's Director of Athletics. "Her impressive combination of experiences and skills gained both as a student-athlete and coach will be a wonderful asset to our women's cross country program."

In 2002, Peters served as the head men's and women's cross country coach at the Division II University of Redlands in California. Prior to working at Redlands, Peters spent five years as an assistant men's and women's cross country and track coach at her alma mater, as she was the head distance coach for the indoor and outdoor track teams and coached numerous All-Americans and NCAA Division III national champions.

While an undergraduate at Middlebury, Peters was a four-year member of the cross country, track and Nordic ski teams. She was an NCAA qualifier in cross country as a senior, and an All-American in track and field in the 1,500-meter run in 1997. She also qualified three times for the NCAA Championships in Nordic skiing, earning All-American status once.

In addition to her vast coaching and playing experience, Peters trained in Nordic skiing in Park City, Utah, with aspirations of qualifying for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. She currently works at Sleepy Hollow Inn in Huntington, where she serves as events coordinator and Nordic ski instructor, as well as coaching a weekly junior ski program.