WCC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year: Marty Kinsey / Photo by Gerry Serrano
Marty Kinsey Named WCC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
This is the first time a Women's Cross Country head coach has won for the Gaels. And it’s only the second time SMC Cross Country has won this award in over two decades.
Saint Mary's Women's Cross Country Coach, Marty Kinsey, has won the . This is the first time a women's cross country head coach has won for the Gaels and only the second time SMC cross country has won this award since 1998, when Randy Rau led the men’s team.
At the West Coast Conference Cross Country Championships, the Gaels had three women place in the top 13 for the first time since 1990. The Gaels finished third and racked up a team score of 89, the best finish for the women in 32 years. Kinsey also had two of his runners, Rayna Stanziano ’24 and Kaylee Barnes ’26, named All-WCC runners, along with Molly Dreher ’24, who was named All-WCC Honorable Mention.
In the NCAA West Region Championships, the women had their highest finish in program history at 17th place. Three women placed in the top 82 out of 253 competitors. In previous years, the team only ever had one racer finish in the top 100.
Not only did Kinsey guide the Gaels to making history, he also helped Stanziano place three more times in the SMC record book. She finished with times of 20:07.2 (3rd), 20:34.8 (7th), and 20:46.7 (9th). Barnes finished with a time of 20:43.3, which landed her 8th and earned her a spot in Saint Mary’s annals with the fastest sophomore time in SMC program history.
READ MORE:
The Power of Community: Marty Kinsey ’01—Alumnus, Coach, and Donor—Gives Back
Molly Dreher to Be Recognized at ESPYS as a Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award Honoree
Finding Her Footing: Biology Major, Competitive Runner, and Aspiring Doctor Mariam Samara
See all the latest news from Saint Mary’s at the SMC NewsCenter.
Story updated Dec. 4, 2023 at 4:50 p.m.