Epperson Completes Staff with Kelly Hart Hire

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Picking his replacement to work alongside in his new role, Colorado State head cross country and distance coach Andrew Epperson has tabbed Kelly Hart as a new assistant coach, announced Friday.

"I am extremely excited to welcome and begin working with Coach Hart," Epperson said. "Her passion for the sport is remarkable and anyone that meets her for the first time will notice the positive impact she will make on a program. She has experience at the highest level of competition as both a student athlete and a coach, that will provide valuable perspective for our student athletes. Her work ethic is unrivaled, and I am confident that Coach Hart will continue the positive trajectory that our men's and women's distance programs are on."

Hart spent this past season on staff at Tulsa for her first post-collegiate position. The two-time All-American at Notre Dame joined the Hurricane in August of 2021 and immediately helped Tulsa with championship results. The Hurricane men and women swept the American Athletic Conference in cross country titles, while Hart and Co. were named the AAC XC Coaching Staff of the Year. In her one season, Hart learned under the tutelage of Steve Gulley who has been at the helm of Tulsa's track and field and cross country program for 21 seasons. Also on staff, aiding in Hart's development was Taylor Gulley and Brian Biekert. The foursome made for one of the most extensive distance coaching staffs in the country.

While in Tulsa, Hart was the event coach for the women's 800-meter group, however she assisted in all other middle to long distances. She was pinned as the head of recruiting for the women's distance and middle-distance groups along with overseeing the weight training regimen.

The success in cross translated to the track season with two indoor conference champions in the 3,000 and 5,000 plus three outdoor conference champions in the 5000, 10000 and 3000 steeplechase. In all, the women's distance crew tallied 11 All-AAC indoor awards and 14 All-AAC outdoor awards. As a team, the women finished third at indoors, tying for the highest conference finish in program history.

Due to COVID and redshirt seasons, Hart had a six-year career at Notre Dame. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Education, Schooling and Society in 2019, however she continued to take non-degree-seeking graduate level classes until she exhausted her athletic eligibility in spring of 2021. During her time with the Irish, she earned two USTFCCCA All-America honors for the distance medley relay and was a five-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer in the 800.

Outside of athletics, Hart excelled in the community and scholastically. She was awarded the Byron V. Kanaley Award for exemplary leadership – the most prestigious award bestowed on a Notre Dame
student-athlete. Additionally, she served as the community service coordinator and earned Notre Dame Community Champion award for her outstanding service. Hart exemplified leadership as the Student Athlete Athletic Council team representative in addition to being the cross country team captain. In the classroom, she was a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree.

Hart, of Arlington, Va., attended Yorktown High School, located 20 minutes from Washington D.C. The four-year letterman was named the Female Track Athlete of the Year by Better Sports Club of Arlington. Her accolades in her final two years consisted of the 2014 Arlington Country XC title, a conference champion in the 800 and the 1000. Again, she excelled in school, earning the Central Intelligence Agency Award for an Outstanding Young Scientist.

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Epperson Completes Staff with Kelly Hart Hire

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