USTFCCCA Female Coaches Mentorship Program Begins Second Year

“The main goal of this program is to empower women to help each other and retain more female coaches in the cross country and track & field profession.” ~ Rhonda Riley

The USTFCCCA Female Coaches Mentorship Program recently began its second year.

Started in 2018 by a trio of accomplished female coaches – Rhonda Riley, Angelina Ramos and Janine Kuestner – the program is designed to increase the representation, depth of knowledge and advancement of female coaches in the field of cross country and track & field coaching at every level, as well as create accessibility within the industry.

“We all agree that having mentors has really impacted our growth as coaches,” Riley told GoDuke.com. “We came up with a way to pair veteran coaches with younger coaches wanting a mentor and giving them structure in which to connect and help each other as coaches.”

Together, Kuester, Ramos and Riley whittled down an extensive list of applicants to the 25 women who will serve as mentors for the 2019-20 academic year.

Mentors and mentees are expected to be in monthly communication with each other, at the least, as they maneuver the coaching landscape. They will also tackle tough issues, like being the only female coach on an all-male staff, navigating the hiring process and how to establish an executive presence, among others.

“The main goal of this program is to empower women to help each other and retain more female coaches in the cross country and track & field profession,” Riley said. “There are many female coaches who want to give back and help the younger generation of coaches and this is a great opportunity for that to happen.”