Schlichter Named Assistant CC/Track Coach
7/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
July 5, 2007
Spartanburg, S.C. - Head men's and women's cross country and track & field coach Jimmy Stephens announces the hiring of Ed Schlichter as assistant cross country and track coach at USC Upstate.
"I'm extremely excited about building something special here at Upstate," said Schlichter. "We're looking to add depth and compete at a high level in an already strong Atlantic Sun Conference. We have a solid group of athletes for this first year and we will strive to compete with top teams in the conference."
Schlichter came to Upstate after serving as assistant coach for the cross country and track programs at UNC Charlotte for the last 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 49er's 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-ever cross country selection 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 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 Charlotte in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in communications.
"We took a huge step forward in building the new program at Upstate by hiring Ed," said Stephens. "His experience in coaching and as a competitor will be a tremendous asset to the Upstate Cross Country and Track & Field programs. I am very fortunate to have a coach with Ed's experience working with me to build a great program."
