Evan Abelson was hired to serve as the William Smith Head Cross Country Coach in February of 2017. In his first two seasons with the Herons, he has directed steady improvement while welcoming two strong recruiting classes to campus.
In his first season at William Smith, Abelson guided the Herons to a second place finish at the Cross Country Only Conference Championships. Two weeks later, the Herons finished seventh at the Liberty League Championships. In Year 2, William Smith posted three second place team finishes and one third place effort during the regular season. Then at the NCAA Regional, the Herons produced their best finish in 17 years, 16th out of 44 teams. A 12-place improvement over the 2017 regional, Abelson's squad was led by Riley Poisson '22. The Canandaigua-native was the first Heron to place in the top-40 at regionals since 2012.
While William Smith has made great strides in the athletic arena, the Herons haven't let their academic banner slip in the least. Over the past two seasons, 19 runners have been named the Liberty League All-Academic Team, while the squad picked up its 25th and 26th consecutive All-Academic Team Award from USTFCCCA.
Abelson joined the Herons after spending the 2016-17 academic year as an assistant coach for both men's and women's cross country and track and field at SUNY Potsdam. The Bears' women's cross country team posted a pair of fourth place efforts for their best finishes in 2016. The men's cross country team finished in the top 10 in six of its seven races.
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A graduate of Hamilton College, Abelson earned a bachelor's degree in environmental studies. He was a four-year letter winner on the Continentals' cross country and track and field teams. Abelson served as cross country team captain during his junior and senior seasons, leading Hamilton to a spot in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship field as a senior. He earned All-Atlantic Region honors in cross country in 2015 and ran in the national championship meet that year.
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A native of Greenfield, Mass., Abelson began his responsibilities with family knowledge of HWS. His father, Justin, is a 1978 Hobart graduate who competed in cross country and track and field and his sister, Claire, is a William Smith student-athlete who will graduate in 2020.
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