Dr. Duane Vandenbusche,
Head Coach

Duane Vandenbusche's resume continues to grow. During the 2005 cross country season, Vandenbusche added another men's NCAA Division II championship. This was the men's 7th title, the most in NCAA II history, and the women's team has won three NCAA titles.

A native of Detroit, MI where he attended Rock High School, Vandenbusche is no stranger to athletics. As a high school student, he participated in football, basketball, baseball and track. Vandenbusche received his Bachelor's degree from Northern Michigan University in 1959. He then went on to receive his Masters (1960) and Doctorate (1964) degrees from Oklahoma State University. All of Dr. Vandenbusche's degrees are in history.

Vandenbusche has been a history professor at WSC since 1962. He also serves as a state and local historian and author of several books on Western Slope history. He joined the Western State Athletic program in 1971 as the head track and men's cross county coach. Vandenbusche started the women's cross country team in 1982. Overall, he has coached the men for 35 years and the women for 24 years.

Jennifer Michel,
Assistant Coach

Jennifer Michel has been coaching at Western State College for five years.  The past two years she was an assistant coach with the Track and Field program under Head Coach Ryan Baily, mainly working with the middle-distance runners and hurdlers.  Michel now serves as assistant Cross Country coach, and alo assists the Track and Field team. In addition to her coaching duties, Michel is a Financial Aid Counselor at Western State and serves as the Recruiting Coordinator for the Track and Field program.  She helped the Mountaineers land a program-record 47 recruits following the 2005-06 school year.

As an athlete, Michel was an eight-time All-American for the Mountaineers in both Track and Field and Cross Country.  She won NCAA Division II National Championships in the 3,000 Steeplechase, 3,000 and Indoor Mile and still holds the National Championship record in the Steeplechase.  Michel, a prep product out of Wheat Ridge, CO, is a 2001 graduate of Western State with a degree in History and Secondary Education.

Jennifer is married to Bryan Wickenhauser, an Adventure Racer on Team Soloman/Crested Butte. 

Ryan Bak,
Assistant Coach

This is Ryan's first year as assistant coach. He is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where he was Ph Beta Kappa in Economics and Political Science. While ar Trinity, Ryan was a 3 time NCAA III national champion and 10 time All-American in distance running. After graduation, Ryan ran for Reebok and competed in the 5,000 meters at the USA Olymic Track and Field Trials. He was also a featured athlete in the documentary film, "Five Thousand Meters: Nothing Comes Easy"

Nick Hirsch,
Assistant Coach

Nick Hirsch is a former Cross Country and All-American Track runner for Western State. He placed 3rd in the 2006 Divison II 3000 Steeplechase.