Contact Coach Schlichter Ed Schlichter is in his second year as an assistant coach of track and field and cross country at USC Upstate. Involved in all aspects of the program, Schlichter is the Spartans' recruiting coordinator and distance guru. The 2008 cross country team produced a host of Upstate firsts, including the school's first Eye Opener medalist in Emily Tangwar and the first men's A-Sun award winner, as James Jackson was named to the All-Freshman team. Jemali Sang earned women's All-Freshman honors and both teams improved at the A-Sun Cross Country Championships. The men's team jumped two slots to eighth and the women moved four spots to seventh. In his first year, he helped coach Emily Tangwar to a second-place finish at the Atlantic Sun Conference Cross Country Championships, helping her earn Freshman of the Year honors. He also directed the men's cross country team to a 10th-place finish at the A-Sun Championships in the 12-team meet. In the winter, Schlichter helped tutor Tangwar on her way to Most Outstanding Freshman and Most Outstanding Runner at the Atlantic Sun Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. Tangwar became the first athlete in school history to be crowned A-Sun Champion, doing so in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters and the mile run. Schlichter came to Upstate after serving as assistant coach for the cross country and track programs at Charlotte for two years. As assistant coach with the 49ers, he helped lead the men's and women's track squads to the 2006 Atlantic 10 Indoor and Outdoor Track championship. The women's team repeated as indoor and outdoor champions in 2007. Prior to his stint as an assistant coach at Charlotte, Schlichter was a distance runner for the 49ers' cross country and track teams from 2000-05. He had a standout career with the 49ers and ranks among the top 10 all-time in several distance categories at the school. He was a seven-time All-Conference selection, earning five awards in track and two in cross country. He was named the Conference USA Male Athlete of the Year for cross country in 2004, the first in school history. He also earned team Most Valuable Player honors in 2004 for both cross country and track. He helped lead Charlotte to the conference championship in indoor track in 2001 and the league title in cross country in 2002, the first conference championship for both programs in school history. Schlichter has remained active in running events since completing his eligibility at Charlotte. He ran in the USATF Houston Aramaco half marathon in 2006 and finished as the 29th fastest American with a time of 1:07.08. Running at the USATF 20k Championships in New Haven, Conn., Schlichter finished as the 16th fastest American with a time of 1:03.42. He has also competed in the 2007 Boston Marathon and the 2006 Chicago Marathon. A native of Chambersburg, Pa., Schlichter was a standout on the cross country team at Chambersburg High School. As a senior he finished seventh at the PIAA 3A state cross country championships in 1999 and represented Pennsylvania at the Mid-East Championships. He graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in communications.