August 11, 2006                                                                     

Foley New Pioneers Cross Country Coach

Was Assistant at Ohio University, Coached Upstate Teams

SPARTANBURG, S.C. –  Spartanburg Methodist College announced that Mike  Foley will coach the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams beginning with the 2006-2007 season.

In recent years Foley has coached cross country throughout the Upstate, most recently as Head Boys and Girls Cross Country Coach at the South Carolina Governor's School for Arts & Humanities in Greenville. He was also a head coach at Blue Ridge High School in Greer, where his Boy’s Cross Country Team won the Class AAA State Title in 2003 and 2004, and his Girl’s Cross Country Team was a Class AA State Title Runner-Up. Foley was also an assistant track coach at Eastside High School in Greenville and was also Head Coach at various Greenville Track Club and cross country youth teams (AAU & USATF). He was also coach of the Asics/Players Choice Racing Team at Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was Assistant Women’s Track and Cross Country Coach at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, and was Assistant Boys and Girls Track and Cross Country Coach at Okemos High School in Okemos, Mich.

In 2004 Foley was named Cross Country Coach of the Year, for S.C. High School League Class AAA and in 2003 was named Cross Country Coach of the Year for S.C. High School League Class AA. Other awards include Peach Blossom Region Cross Country Coach of the Year and Appalachian Region Cross Country Coach of the Year.

" I think Mike brings a great deal of experience to SMC and should continue the success that Eric brought to the program," said Mark Perdue, SMC Athletic Director.

Foley earned a Bachelor's degreee in Journalism at Michigan State University and is currently working on his Masters degree (thesis pending) in Mass Communications from the University of West Florida. 

He is married to Robin Tarpinian, a high school English teacher at Blue Ridge High School and a former track and cross country coach at Blue Ridge and Greer high schools, as well as a former cross country coach at Converse College. He is also a writer for the Greenville News.

Foley has a positive outlook on the upcoming season and offered praise to outgoing coach, Eric Cummngs, for leaving a strong program with talented runners. His goal is to build on his predecessor’s successes and achieve even higher rankings for his teams.

“There are many good runners returning, and an exciting number of promising freshmen,” said Foley, impressed with returning sophomores that include Griffin Cole and Ross Kaiser. He also looks forward to working with Brian McGuffee, whom he coached while both were at Eastside. He is equally impressed with returning sophomores Jocelyn Veit, Hilary Richards and Maria Ruvalcaba. Foley also looks forward to coaching promising freshmen, who include Jeremy Vangsnes and Todd Hines, whose high school careers he followed.