Completed Event: Cross Country versus USATF U20 Cross Country Championships on December 6, 2025 , , NTS
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Final
Cross Country
vs USATF U20 Cross Country Championships
Wilbourn Announces Additions to Cross Country/Track & Field Staffs
6/21/2021 6:00:00 PM | Cross Country, Track & Field
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Shawn Wilbourn has announced the hiring of Angela Reckart as the men's and women's cross country head coach/track & field assistant coach (distance) and Adam Cooke as cross country and track & field assistant coach (distance).
Both Reckart and Cooke will begin their appointments on July 1.
"I'm very happy to welcome Angela to our program and to my staff," said Wilbourn. "She brings quality and experience and is a very capable coach and recruiter. I was especially interested in her proven ability to successfully handle middle distance as well as the longer distances. I know she will be a great role model for our athletes, both on and off the track - showing them how to not only be successful student-athletes but also successful people."
Reckart joins the Blue Devils after spending the past six season at Penn State, where she served as the associate head coach of cross country and an assistant coach of track & field (distance). In her tenure, the Nittany Lions won the 2015 Women's Big Ten Cross Country Championship and four NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region titles. Her distance runners also played critical roles in both the 2017 Big Ten Women's Indoor Championship title and the 2017 Big Ten Men's Outdoor Championship title. The Nittany Lions finished top 20 nationally in five consecutive seasons under Reckart.
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the men's and women's cross country team and officially be a part of the Duke Cross Country/Track & Field family," said Reckart. "I know Shawn very well and I believe in the vision that he has for this program. I look forward to being a part of this fantastic staff, getting to work with amazing student-athletes and helping to continue to elevate Duke Cross Country/Track & Field at the ACC and NCAA level."
Reckart oversaw the development of three women's cross country All-Americans in Elizabeth Chikotas (2016), Jillian Hunsberger (2016) and Tessa Barrett (2015) as well as several track All-Americans, including Danae Rivers (2018) and Tori Gerlach (2017). Reckart worked with both Rivers and Isaiah Harris (2018) who both became NCAA Champions in the 800m. Behind coaching from Reckart, student-athletes from her teams also broke the women's 3k and men's and women's 5k school records.
Prior to coaching at Penn State, Reckart spent three seasons as an assistant coach of cross country and track & field at North Carolina. Reckart helped lead both the men's and women's cross country teams to their first top 25 rankings in 2014, the women to the 2014 ACC Cross Country Championship and the men to a finish of 12th at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Reckart is a graduate of the College of New Jersey in 2008, where she was a member of the track & field team and posted All-America honors seven times, including as a member of a 4x400-meter relay that won two national titles.
Cooke joins the Blue Devils after spending the past three years as an assistant coach of cross country and track & field at California Baptist. Cooke helped the lead the Lancers cross country program over a stretch that saw the program win four Western Athletic Conference (WAC) titles, with three straight in women's cross country and one for the men.
"Adam is going to have a great opportunity to show that he is one of the best young distance coaches in the business," said Wilbourn. "He comes highly recommended and I'm excited to see what he can accomplish coaching and recruiting in the ACC."
Over the last three seasons, the Lancers have had nine individual conference champions (four in cross country, five in track) and 55 all-conference finishers (28 in cross country, 27 in track), while the women's cross country team recorded the first perfect 15-point score in WAC history in 2019. Under Cooke, the Lancers have also produced four WAC Cross Country Runners of the Year and four WAC Freshmen of the Year in the last three seasons.
"My wife and I are thrilled to be joining the Duke Family," said Cooke. "Coach Wilbourn has an exciting vision for the program that I can't wait to help implement. I would like to thank incoming Director of Athletics Nina King, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Troy Austin and Shawn Wilbourn for this incredible opportunity. I'm looking forward to helping our student-athletes pursue excellence at one of the top academic and athletic institutions in the country."
Prior to his tenure at California Baptist, Cooke spent three years in a similar role at North Florida, helping the men's program win its first conference championship since transitioning to Division I, with the 2016 Atlantic Sun Cross Country Championship. The women's cross country team also took home the 2017 Atlantic Sun Championship under Cooke.
Cooke is a 2015 graduate of Georgia Tech, where he was also a volunteer assistant coach.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."
#GoDuke
Both Reckart and Cooke will begin their appointments on July 1.
"I'm very happy to welcome Angela to our program and to my staff," said Wilbourn. "She brings quality and experience and is a very capable coach and recruiter. I was especially interested in her proven ability to successfully handle middle distance as well as the longer distances. I know she will be a great role model for our athletes, both on and off the track - showing them how to not only be successful student-athletes but also successful people."
Reckart joins the Blue Devils after spending the past six season at Penn State, where she served as the associate head coach of cross country and an assistant coach of track & field (distance). In her tenure, the Nittany Lions won the 2015 Women's Big Ten Cross Country Championship and four NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region titles. Her distance runners also played critical roles in both the 2017 Big Ten Women's Indoor Championship title and the 2017 Big Ten Men's Outdoor Championship title. The Nittany Lions finished top 20 nationally in five consecutive seasons under Reckart.
"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the men's and women's cross country team and officially be a part of the Duke Cross Country/Track & Field family," said Reckart. "I know Shawn very well and I believe in the vision that he has for this program. I look forward to being a part of this fantastic staff, getting to work with amazing student-athletes and helping to continue to elevate Duke Cross Country/Track & Field at the ACC and NCAA level."
Reckart oversaw the development of three women's cross country All-Americans in Elizabeth Chikotas (2016), Jillian Hunsberger (2016) and Tessa Barrett (2015) as well as several track All-Americans, including Danae Rivers (2018) and Tori Gerlach (2017). Reckart worked with both Rivers and Isaiah Harris (2018) who both became NCAA Champions in the 800m. Behind coaching from Reckart, student-athletes from her teams also broke the women's 3k and men's and women's 5k school records.
Prior to coaching at Penn State, Reckart spent three seasons as an assistant coach of cross country and track & field at North Carolina. Reckart helped lead both the men's and women's cross country teams to their first top 25 rankings in 2014, the women to the 2014 ACC Cross Country Championship and the men to a finish of 12th at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Reckart is a graduate of the College of New Jersey in 2008, where she was a member of the track & field team and posted All-America honors seven times, including as a member of a 4x400-meter relay that won two national titles.
Cooke joins the Blue Devils after spending the past three years as an assistant coach of cross country and track & field at California Baptist. Cooke helped the lead the Lancers cross country program over a stretch that saw the program win four Western Athletic Conference (WAC) titles, with three straight in women's cross country and one for the men.
"Adam is going to have a great opportunity to show that he is one of the best young distance coaches in the business," said Wilbourn. "He comes highly recommended and I'm excited to see what he can accomplish coaching and recruiting in the ACC."
Over the last three seasons, the Lancers have had nine individual conference champions (four in cross country, five in track) and 55 all-conference finishers (28 in cross country, 27 in track), while the women's cross country team recorded the first perfect 15-point score in WAC history in 2019. Under Cooke, the Lancers have also produced four WAC Cross Country Runners of the Year and four WAC Freshmen of the Year in the last three seasons.
"My wife and I are thrilled to be joining the Duke Family," said Cooke. "Coach Wilbourn has an exciting vision for the program that I can't wait to help implement. I would like to thank incoming Director of Athletics Nina King, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Troy Austin and Shawn Wilbourn for this incredible opportunity. I'm looking forward to helping our student-athletes pursue excellence at one of the top academic and athletic institutions in the country."
Prior to his tenure at California Baptist, Cooke spent three years in a similar role at North Florida, helping the men's program win its first conference championship since transitioning to Division I, with the 2016 Atlantic Sun Cross Country Championship. The women's cross country team also took home the 2017 Atlantic Sun Championship under Cooke.
Cooke is a 2015 graduate of Georgia Tech, where he was also a volunteer assistant coach.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."
#GoDuke
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