Ferris State Alum Jared Kelsh Appointed As Bulldogs' Interim Head Track/Cross Country Coach Following Departure Of Steve Picucci To NCAA Division I Level

Big Rapids, Mich. - A Ferris State University alum will serve as the Bulldogs' interim head men's and women's track and field/cross country coach as Jared Kelsh has been appointed today (Aug. 20) to fill the position vacated by fellow alum Steve Picucci, who was recently selected as the new head coach at NCAA Division I Moorhead State (Ky.).

Picucci spent the past six seasons as the Bulldogs' head coach while helping FSU achieve success on both a conference and national level. A local native, Kelsh will serve in an interim role as the program's head coach until a permanent hire is made.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Steve to become a head coach at the NCAA Division I level and we wish him well," said FSU Athletics Director Perk Weisenburger. "We're appreciative of his efforts over the last six years in helping our program achieve success on both the conference and national levels.

"We are very pleased, given the timing of Coach Picucci's departure, to be able to announce that Jared Kelsh will lead our program this coming year," he added. "Jared knows the GLIAC, Ferris State University and our program as both an accomplished student and a top athlete here at Ferris State. We are extremely confident in his abilities to come in and have a positive and immediate impact on our program and student-athletes. I'd also like to thank Assistant Track Coach Larry Levine for his continuing role in this transition process."

Kelsh was a four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs in both cross country and track from 2004-08 following a standout prep career at Chippewa Hills High School. The former All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) honoree later served as a assistant coach in the FSU program and presently holds the school's second-fastest time ever in the outdoor 1,500 meters. He also began his coaching career at FSU, working under Picucci as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2012.

Since 2012, Kelsh has served as a volunteer assistant on the men's cross country/track and field staff on the NCAA Division I level at the University of Buffalo where he's assisted in organizing and running daily workouts along with mentoring student-athletes in mental toughness and racing strategy. He also worked as a personal trainer in the Buffalo area and was the general manager of Blast Fitness. In six years as a collegiate assistant coach, he's helped tutor 17 All-Americans, two individual Mid-American Conference (MAC) Champions and three teams have advanced to the NCAA National Cross Country Championships.

A six-time All-GLIAC selection as a Bulldog student-athlete, Kelsh was a NCAA Division II National Provisional Qualifier and team MVP numerous times during his FSU career. Prior to his Ferris State career, he was an all-state selection and team captain as a prep runner at Chippewa Hills and also ranked third nationally in the U19 age group at the 2005 USATF Track and Field Junior Nationals. Since completing his collegiate career, he's also competed as a distance and half-marathon runner sponsored by Brooks Sports, Inc.

"I'm thrilled to be back at Ferris State and am confident under my leadership that we can continue a history of being competitive at the national level," said Kelsh. "I believe I can successfully recruit and develop student-athletes to reach their potential and am dedicated to continuing to build a program that creates pride within the student body and alumni base."

Overall, more than 25 student-athletes earned All-America accolades under Picucci's direction with numerous school records and all-time top five event performances recorded during his tenure. This past year marked the third consecutive year in which at least one member of the FSU women's track and field/cross country program earned first team Academic All-America status with senior Anna Rudd honored for the second-straight year in addition to cross country runner Samantha Johnson, who recorded the highest individual finish in school history at last fall's NCAA Championships by placing fifth overall.

Picucci originally joined the track/cross country staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2007-08 campaign before becoming the program's interim head coach in 2008-09. He then moved into a permanent role as the head coach the following season. Before embarking on his coaching career, he was also a four-year letterwinner in both cross country and men's track as a student-athlete at Ferris State.

In his initial campaign at the FSU helm, Picucci guided the Bulldog women's cross country team to the program's first NCAA National Championship appearance since 1987 and helped standout runner Tina Muir become only the second women's cross country All-American in school history. The Bulldogs also placed third overall in the 2008 NCAA-II Midwest Regional Championships (Nov. 8) held on their own course at Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids.

After his first campaign, Picucci guided the Bulldogs to additinoal success on both the conference and national levels. Muir eventually became an 11-time All-American for Ferris State under his tutelage while Rudd also experienced success on the national stage, winning the 2013 NCAA Division II National Championship in the indoor 5,000 meters. Both concluded their careers among the most decorated student-athletes in school history.

Picucci led the Bulldog women's cross country team to NCAA Championship appearances for five consecutive years from 2008 to 2012. Meanwhile, the men's squad reached the national championships each of the last two years, which marked the program's first such showings since 1985.

With Picucci at the helm, the Bulldog women's program had one of its best performances ever during the 2012-13 academic year, placing among the top 10 programs in the country in the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Program Of The Year standings for combined performance. The effort was fueled by a national championships appearance in cross country along with a top 15 team performance at the NCAA-II Indoor Track & Field Championships.

The Bulldogs are slated to open the 2014 cross country campaign this fall by hosting the annual Ray Helsing Bulldog Invitational on Sept. 6 at FSU's Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids.