In December, it was reported by The Stride Report that Florida distance coach Chris Solinsky was taking a job as an assistant coach with the Oregon Ducks. That, in turn, left an open position with the Gators which was eventually filled by former Alabama women's distance coach, Will Palmer.
The departure of Palmer from Alabama's program ultimately sparked a key transfer from former Crimson Tide star Amaris Tyynismaa who ended up joining the NC State women earlier this winter.
After a month-long, nationwide coaching search, Alabama ultimately hired Toledo's Nick Stenuf to lead the Tuscaloosa's women's distance group.
The former Rocket coach had worked with the Toledo men and women since the fall of 2019 after stints at UConn, Duke and Ottawa University (in Kansas). Stenuf had previously worked with current Toledo Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Andrea Grove-McDonough at UConn, eventually reuniting with her in 2019.
Stenuf worked alongside Grove-McDonough as the Toledo women evolved into a national-caliber distance program. While he predominately worked with the Rocket men during the cross country season, the newest Alabama coach also worked with Toledo's distance women on the track.
The Toledo women won the 2021 MAC XC Championships, their first conference crown since 2014. They later won the 2022 conference title and qualified for the NCAA XC Championships that same season. The Rockets have also amassed some of the strongest distance-based recruiting classes in the nation, recently earning a TSR #7 ranking for their current crop of rookies.
On the men's side, Toledo earned back-to-back runner-up finishes at the MAC XC Championships, tied for their highest placement as a team in the program's 42 year history.
Coach Nick Stenuf was also responsible for overseeing the development of former first-team MAC runner Jacob Harris, a recent graduate transfer who played a pivotal scoring role for Alabama this past fall.
Stenuf will now inherit an Alabama women's distance program that is headlined by Mercy Chelangat, Hilda Olemomoi, Flomena Asekol and a promising group of youngsters.
While it's true that this 2022 cross country podium team will be without Chelangat and Tyynismaa next fall, the core of a nationally competitive team is still expected to remain eight to 10 months from now.