Last September, when Head Coach Duane Gomez announced that he would be retiring after the 2019-20 academic year, it was clear that Kenyon's cross country and track and field teams were in for some restructuring. As Gomez stepped away after 37 years with the Lords and Ladies, Ciara Kissane and J.J. Hunter stepped in to grab the reins.

Kissane, hired as coach of the cross country programs, came to Kenyon via Lake Forest College in Illinois and was, previously, a competitive runner at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, another NCAA Division III institution. As she settles into her new surroundings, Kissane says that she's "all about the process," of working and improving as runners. "We have to enjoy what we do on a daily basis for distance running in order to be great."

Another thing that Kissane preaches to her runners is finding consistency in their training routines.

"If you can wake up and know that purpose and why you're doing what you're doing, that's when you're going to be successful," she said.

Kissane's first changes to the program have revolved around adding more structure to her runners' training routines. This has included placing more of an emphasis on individual strength training.

"As distance runners, sometimes we get stuck in the mindset that we just need to be running, but we're forgetting about all the other important things that we need to be doing," she said, noting that she has begun to tailor these strength workouts toward each individual runner.

This sort of personalization has been one of the early hallmarks of Kissane's tenure at Kenyon, as she has been hosting bi-weekly meetings with both on and off-campus student-athletes in an effort to get to know them better and help them in achieve their goals. The results have already paid some dividends, as Kissane commented that she "can see the strength improving" already. "As we move ahead here, I think we're going to start to see that translate in terms of performance," she added.

On the track and field side, Hunter takes over head coaching duties. He is an accomplished runner in his own right and has extensive coaching experience, most recently at the University of Pennsylvania. After Gomez retired, Hunter knew the opportunity to succeed him at Kenyon was one he could not turn down.

"I think I found a niche there working with that type of athlete at Penn and I enjoyed it," said Hunter, referring to student-athletes who have ambitious academic goals. "I felt like I could recruit a similar type of student-athlete here."

The more that he looked into Kenyon, the more the job seemed like the right fit for him.

"I knew of the College and I knew of its excellent academic reputation," he said, "but I didn't realize a lot of things were in place for us to be successful, primarily the unbelievable setting, the awesome facilities, and really, the leadership."

Now that he is on the hill, Hunter is looking to help shape Kenyon's program in his vision.

"I want to build a group of folks that are committed to their academics and committed to trying to find out how great they can be in athletics," Hunter said, "I think it's just a matter of recruiting well and setting a culture and kind of building it year-by-year."

While Coach Gomez oversaw both cross country and track and field programs during his tenure, the position was divided prior to the hiring of Kissane and Hunter. While that moves certainly allows more attention to be placed on each program, Kissane and Hunter have been working together as they guide their teams through the transition period.

"We're just trying to unite both programs and [make sure] that our standards and expectations are the same throughout the entire year," said Kissane.

Hunter feels like he and Kissane's partnership has been a successful one. "We have a similar philosophy to building teams and competition," he said, "We've definitely been on the same page with how we want to go forward."

One thing that has not changed this year is the presence of Tim VanDoorn, who is in his third year as an assistant coach for both Kenyon's cross country and track teams. VanDoorn feels like the coaching transition has been smooth.

"J.J. and Ciara have been outstanding," he said, "they've helped me develop more and more, not just as a coach or a professional, but as a human being."

VanDoorn has also felt invigorated by the program's new blood.

"We're putting more of an emphasis on what our values are as a program," he said, adding that, "It's definitely very energizing for not only just me but for our student-athletes as well."

In addition to navigating the changeover, Kissane and Hunter are treading through the difficult scenarios brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I would never say it's a good thing to not compete, because I love to compete," Hunter said. However, "you have to look for the silver lining and the silver lining would be that we are getting a little more time to kind of get our feet on the ground."

Kissane agreed, saying, "When I took over the team, I told them that, for us, this is a great opportunity to look internally, in terms of team culture and getting everyone on the same page with the coaching transition."

Both Kissane and Hunter have lofty goals--athletic and academic--for the future. But, like with everything else, they are emphasizing the process that it will take to get them there.

"We're not going to get to those ultimate goals right away," Hunter said, "right now, it's important just to take positive steps in that direction."