Douglas Hoover enters his 12th season at the helm of the Saint Francis University men's and women's cross country and track & field program in 2023-24. A 20-year veteran of the collegiate coaching ranks, Hoover previously served two years as an assistant coach with the Red Flash from 2000-2002.
During Hoover’s first eight years at the helm of the SFU program, the squads have become perennial contenders in the Northeast Conference, and have captured two conference team titles. Sixteen women’s track & field school records, and 12 men’s school records have been re-written. Five women and three men have qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary, with two advancing to the National Championship.
Hoover's teams have excelled in the classroom, as well as in competition. Four of his six teams have won the Northeast Conference Team GPA award, earning the highest GPA in their sport in the conference: Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, and Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field. The women’s and men’s cross country teams have earned 4 and 5 consecutive NCAA APR Public recognition awards, respectively. The awards are given annually to teams scoring in the top 10% in each sport.
In his eighth year at the helm, the women’s cross country team earned their fourth consecutive top-three finish in the Northeast Conference Championship, while the men produced their best finish in sixteen years with a 13th place finish in at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. At the NEC Indoor Track & Field Championship, the women’s team had their best finish in six years, taking 5th. Neither squad got to compete outdoors, due to the season’s cancellation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hoover earned NEC Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year honors in 2019, after the Red Flash finished second at the NEC Indoor Track & Field Championship, and captured it’s first NEC Outdoor Track & Field title since 2003. Saint Francis dominated with 192 points, 42 points clear of the next closest challenger. Dashaun Jackson was named Most Valuable Performer, Christopher Frederick was the Most Outstanding Track Performer in Sprints, and Benjamin Ross was the Most Valuable Field Performer in Throws.
The women also had success at the NEC Outdoor Championships, finishing in third place, just two points short of the title in a balanced team effort. Freshman Emily Lunger was named the Most Outstanding Freshman Performer.
Under Hoover's watch, junior Sara Phelan became the first female athlete in SFU history to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field National Championship in 2019. She qualified in the javelin with a school-record throw of 50.91 meters (137’ 0”). She finished 21st at the National Championship. Senior Dashaun Jackson produced arguably the greatest athletic performance in Saint Francis history, when he placed 4th in the NCAA National Championship in the 110m Hurdles, with a school record time of 13.37, earning First Team All-American honors. They were joined in the NCAA East Preliminary by junior Taylor Weaver, who competed in the pole vault.
Saint Francis had a successful 2018 cross country season, with the men and the women each finishing second in the Northeast Conference Championship, as four women earned All-Conference honors. They were led by senior Hannah Dorian, who took second, becoming just the fourth SFU woman to earn All-Conference honors four times.
The Red Flash sent four participants to the NCAA East Region Preliminaries in 2018 in Outdoor Track & Field, as they were represented by Dashaun Jackson (110m Hurdles), Bryce England (10,000m Run), Sara Phelan (Javelin), and Michelle Hildebrand (Javelin). England earned the Most Valuable Performer award at the Indoor NEC Championship, capturing the 3,000m and 5,000m races, and leading the Distance Medley Relay team to the team title. Outdoors, England earned the NEC Outstanding Track Performer for Distance honor, after winning the 5,000m and 10,000m races for the second straight year.
The men and women each placed third at the 2017 NEC Cross Country Championships. Senior Bryce England became just the third man in SFU history to win the NEC individual cross country title, and the fourth to earn four All-Conference honors. He also became just the fifth SFU man to earn All-Region honors more than once, and the fourth SFU man to crack the top-10 at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Championship.
During the 2017 track & field seasons, the men’s team continued to progress to 4th place at both the indoor and outdoor championships. Bryce England won the 3,000m run at the Indoor NEC Championship, and the 5,000m and 10,000m runs at the outdoor championship. Dashaun Jackson won the 110m hurdles. Both of those men qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary. Taylor Thurnherr captured the pole vault title at the outdoor NEC championship, after breaking the SFU school record earlier in the season.
Hoover earned 2016 NEC Women’ Cross Country Coach of the Year honors, after leading the women's cross country team to the conference title that year, it’s first since 2004. Danae Peters led the way with a second-place finish to earn All-Conference honors. Hannah Dorian and Morgan Kiebler joined her on the team with eighth and ninth place finishes. The men's cross country team also experienced success in Hoover's fifth season, placing third at the NEC Championships. Bryce England landed on the All-Conference Team for the third consecutive season as he was joined by first-time all-conference performer, Gordon Phipps III.
During his fourth season as head coach in the 2015-2016 academic year, Hoover led the men’s and women’s cross country teams both to fourth place finishes at the NEC Cross Country Championship. Bryce England led the way for the men, earning a third place finish and earned All-NEC honors. On the women’s side, Morgan Kiebler and Angela Barber posted top-15 finishes and landed on the All-NEC Team. Jordan Collins highlighted the indoor track and field season. Collins was named NEC Most Outstanding Field Performer for throws, as the Saint Francis men and women’s track and field teams landed nine athletes on the 2016 Indoor Track and Field All-Northeast Conference team.
In the 2014-2015 academic year, Hoover led the cross country teams to a strong fall, as each team finished in the top-three at the NEC Championship. The men placed second as Ryan Kennedy, Bryce England, and Christopher Fischer each posted top-12 finishes and landed on the All-NEC squad. Kylie Jackson and Hannah Dorian led the women’s team with All-NEC honors, as the squad finished third. Jackson earned NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors for women’s cross country and women’s indoor track & field. The men’s indoor track & field team highlighted the 2015 campaign with a third place finish. Jesse Brown won the weight throw, while earning NEC Rookie Performer of the Meet honors. Ryan Steinbugl claimed another victory pole vault at the Championships. On the women’s side Emma O’Hara put together another strong performance at the NEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships as she broke the NEC record for the hammer throw.
During his second season at SFU in the 2013-2014 academic year, Hoover’s squads hosted the 2013 Northeast Conference Cross Country Championships in Loretto. The men’s side improved six spots from its finish in 2012 by placing third, while the women’s team jumped up four spots and finished fourth overall. Kylie Jackson earned All-NEC First Team honors for her efforts as the junior placed sixth overall.
During the track & field season, Hoover saw the men’s team make great strides. Ryan Steinbugl won his second straight NEC Indoor Pole Vault Championship and the Flash placed sixth, improving four spots from the previous year. The women’s team finished fourth at the Indoor Championships and fifth at the Outdoor Championships. Senior Brittany Johnson claimed the 100m and 200m dash titles for the second straight season. Freshman standout Emma O’Hara also picked up a win in the hammer throw for SFU, while Paris Cotman won the 400m dash for the second consecutive year.
Hoover coached the women’s track and field team to a second place finish at the 2013 Northeast Conference Outdoor Championships after winning five events. Brittany Johnson picked up wins in two individual events and took home the NEC Track Athlete of the Meet. Paris Cotman also earned an individual win in the 400m dash.
Hoover came to Loretto from Juniata College, where he served as an assistant coach with the men’s and women’s track & field and cross country teams from 2007 to 2012. While there, he helped the women’s cross country team to a Landmark Conference Championship in 2007. During his tenure Juniata produced three All-America selections, an NCAA Championship qualifier in cross country, and a NCAA provisional qualifier in track & field. The men’s cross country squad landed 14 student-athletes on the Landmark Conference’s first or second teams, while the women’s cross country team had 12 who were honored.
Prior to Juniata, Hoover spent five years as the head coach for the men’s and women’s cross country teams at Penn State Altoona, where he was instrumental in the founding of the program in 2002. In his first five years with the newly-minted program, Penn State Altoona teams placed among the top three in the conference championships eight times while earning one team championship and one individual championship. He was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Women’s Cross Country Coach of the year in 2004 and 2005.
Prior to that, Hoover served as a graduate assistant coach with the Saint Francis men’s and women’s track & field and cross country teams from 2000 to 2002. During that time, the men’s teams won every Northeast Conference Championship, and future Olympian Brian Sell qualified for the 2001 NCAA National Championship in the 10,000m run. Kevin Doyle also captured the 2001 Northeast Conference individual cross country championship. The women’s cross country team captured the 2001 NEC team title. Five women and four men earned All-NEC cross country honors in 2001.
Hoover’s competitive career was spent in the Summer Biathlon, which combines the disciplines of cross country running and rifle marksmanship. He was a member of the United States Summer Biathlon National Team from 1997 to 2012. Hoover was a five-time National Champion (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012). He had a total of 13 top-ten finishes in the National Championships during his competitive career. He also represented the United States in five World Championships (2003, 2006, 2007. 2008, and 2009), earning two top-twenty finishes, while leading the United States team four times. He was the USA Flag Bearer at the World Championships in 2007, and was the USA Team Captain in 2009.
In 2016, Hoover was inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame.
Hoover received his Bachelor’s degree in Finance with a minor in Economics from the Pennsylvania State University in 1994, and earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Saint Francis University in 2002.
A native of Tyrone, Pennsylvania, Hoover now resides in Loretto.
Douglas Hoover File
| SAINT FRANCIS COACHING NEC CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS |
| Season |
MXC / WXC |
MITF / WITF |
MOTF / WTOF |
| 2012-13 |
9th / 9th |
10th / 4th |
8th / 2nd |
| 2013-14 |
3rd / 5th |
6th / 4th |
7th / 5th |
| 2014-15 |
2nd / 3rd |
3rd / 6th |
7th / 5th |
| 2015-16 |
4th/4th |
5th/7th |
3rd/7th |
| 2016-17 |
3rd/1st |
4th/7th |
4th/6th |
| 2017-18 |
3rd/3rd |
4th/7th |
3rd/6th |
| 2018-19 |
2nd/2nd |
2nd/7th |
1st/3rd |
| 2019-20 |
4th/3rd |
6th/5th |
Canceled COVID-19 |
| 2020-21 |
Canceled COVID-19 |
Canceled COVID-19 |
4th/1st |
| 2021-22 |
6th/3rd |
5th/4th |
6th/1st |
| 2022-23 |
6th/5th |
3rd/5th |
3rd/1st |
| TOTALS (11 YEARS) |
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