CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Jason Saretsky, the William W. 'Bill' McCurdy Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Harvard, has added three assistant coaches in
Kaaron Conwright, Michella Roca and
Brian Shrader, an operations coordinator in Kathy Newberry and a meet manager in Stephen Walsh. Saretsky is excited for the contributions each can make to better the Crimson team.
"I'm incredibly grateful to Erin McDermott and the senior leadership at Harvard who have made these additions possible," stated Saretsky. "Over the years, we relied on volunteer coaches to support our student-athletes pursue academic and athletic excellence. It is an exciting time for our program to add and retain these talented individuals to our program."
Conwright will remain on staff with the Crimson, as he has served as an assistant coach since 2021, specializing in coaching the women's sprints and relays as well as the horizontal jumps. He will now transition to assisting the men's sprinters in addition to continuing with the women. Previously, he has also executed weight training programs and organizes nutritional seminars to promote dietary needs for student-athletes. Additionally, he served as an assistant sprint coach at HSInternational from 2008-21 and as the Head Track and Field Coach at Westridge Preparatory School from 2009-21. Performance highlights under Conwright's guidance include Michael Cherry, the 2020(21) USA and Olympic 400m Finalist (2nd & 4th) and 4x400m relay gold medalist and Cravon Gillespie, a 2020(21) USA and Olympic team member.
Michelle Roca – Assistant Coach
Roca will rejoin the Crimson as she works to complete her master's in public policy at Harvard, with an expected graduation of May 2024. Roca has served as an assistant coach of the men's track and field team since 2022, working with the sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers. She will now be working with both the women's and men's cross country team. She also is currently commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Space Force. She previously graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 2022, where she ran track and field and holds the school record in the 400m hurdles.
Originally from Flagstaff, Ariz., Shrader joins the Harvard coaching staff in 2023, following an 8-year career as a professional distance runner. He has represented Saucony in events ranging from the 3000m steeplechase to the marathon and competed at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Trials in the 5k and marathon, respectively. This past October, Shrader placed 11th at the Chicago marathon with a time of 2:09:46, qualifying him for the 2024 Olympic Trials. On the coaching side, Shrader gained experience as a co-founder and coach of North Shore Running, an online coaching service geared towards all ages and ability levels. Before his time at Saucony, Shrader received his B.S. in Finance from Northern Arizona University, where he was a 4-time NCAA All-American and a member of the 2013 National Runner-Up Cross Country team. He was also the 2014 National Champion in the US road 12k, achieving the American Record, which he still holds.
Kathy Newberry – Operations Coordinator
Newberry will make the switch from an assistant track and field and cross country coach to the operations coordinator for the Crimson after serving as an assistant coach since 2017. She has aided the coaching staff in the administration of practices and travel plans through her time with the Crimson and focuses on mentoring runners in the development of a positive, healthy and sustainable athletic mindset. Prior to her time with the Crimson, she served as a volunteer track and cross country coach at UNC Charlotte from 2014-17 and represented the New York Athletic Club as a professional runner from 2003-15, where she was a five-time US National Team member at the world cross country championships, a 2010 US National Team member at World Championships in Athletics for the marathon and a four-time Olympic Trials Finalist. Newberry also was the head women's cross country coach at William and Mary from 2005-2010.
Stephen Walsh – Meet Manager
Walsh will join the Crimson as the meet manager for the upcoming home competitions including the 2023 Ivy League Heptagonal Cross-Country Championships, which will be held in Franklin Park on Oct. 28, 2023. He is a senior business manager at Atlantic Emergency Associates in Atlantic City, N.J. who has extensive knowledge and experience in cross country and track and field. Walsh served as a championships consultant for the Big East Conference since 2017, where he works with the staff of the conference to successfully run the operations of the Indoor and Outdoor Big East Track and Field Championships. Walsh previously served as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at the College of William and Mary, after he held multiple positions at the school starting in 2010.
