INSIDE
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
BY AJ HARRISON
@BADGER_TRACK
SCHEDULE
COMING UP
Sept. 5
Badger Opener 7 p.m.
Sept. 14
Sycamore
10 a.m.
Invitational
Sept. 14
Warhawk
11:45 a.m.
Invitational
Sept. 27
Coast-To-Coast
Battle
UW grad Comfort to give
coaching the college try
Former UW standout to assist in cross country
aitlin
Comfort
has
known for a while that
once her Wisconsin running career ended, she wanted
to take a crack at coaching
cross country.
"About two years ago, I told
coach Jim (Stintzi) that coaching here was something that I
was interested in doing in the
future," Comfort said. "I wanted to stick around and have
C
62
//
VARSITY August 29, 2013
the opportunity to pick his
brain."
Comfort will get her chance
to break into the coaching
ranks this fall, as she will serve
as a volunteer assistant coach
for the women's cross country squad. Comfort will assist
women's cross country head
coach Jim Stintzi along with
new assistant cross country
coach Gavin Kennedy.
5 p.m.
"I really love everything that coaching involves," Comfort said. "I think I will
enjoy the recruiting aspect. Being a communications major, I learned how to really interact and to relate with people."
As a Badger, Comfort won Big Ten track
titles in 2013 as a senior in the indoor
5000 meters and the outdoor 10,000
meters. A four-time all-region honoree
in cross country she finished runner-up
at the 2011 Big Ten Cross Country Championship.
Besides helping out the Badgers this
fall, Comfort will continue to train as she
runs professionally for Oiselle, a women's apparel company that is based out of
Seattle. She will be able to run for Oiselle
while training and coaching in Madison.
"I think I will bring something new
to the program this year," Comfort said.
"I think with all of my experiences and
being on the team with some of the girls
that I will be able to help Coach Stintzi
and learn some things from him."
UW RANKED SIXTH IN GREAT LAKES
● The Badgers checked in at sixth in the
Great Lakes Region in the U.S. Track &
Field and Cross Country Coaches Association regional preseason poll. UW
finished eighth at the 2012 regional
held at Zimmer Champoinship Course
and return five of their seven runners
from last year's squad, including allregion harrier Gabrielle Anzalone.