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The University of Utah Athletics
Collet, Appell To Head Ute Track And Cross Country Programs
6/18/2001 12:00 AM | Track & Field
June 18, 2001
SALT LAKE CITY -
The University of Utah has filled its head coach openings in the track and cross country programs by hiring Lisa Collet and Brian Appell. Collet will direct the Utah women's track and field program, while Appell takes over the men's and women's cross country programs. He will also serve as assistant track coach for distance events. The duo replaces Mike Jones, who retired this spring after 22 years as director of Utah's track and cross country programs.
Collet, a former NCAA All-America heptathlete, has been the assistant track and field coach at Utah for the past two years. In that role, she coordinated recruiting, conditioning, training, academics and team travel. Appell comes to the U. from Weber State, where he has been an assistant coach for the past four years. At Weber, he oversaw the recruiting and coached the women distance runners and hurdlers. He also assisted head coach Chick Hislop in training the men distance runners.
During Collet's stint as a Ute assistant coach, every member of the Utah women's track team set personal bests. Three of her heptathletes scored 5,000 points in a meet, a figure met just once previously in Utah's track history. Heptathletes Shanae Nixon, Erianne Allen and Kristy Slade all topped 5,000 points and placed 3-4-5 at the 2001 Mountain West Conference Championships. Collet also coached high jumper April Jackson, who finished second at the conference championships.
Appell has coached 10 NCAA track and field All-Americans at Weber State, including three this year. Rebecca Bennion and Jeremy Tolman placed second in the women's and men's steeplechase at the 2001 NCAA Track and Field Championships and Joel Atwater took sixth in the 1,500 meters. Appell has coached two cross country All-Americans, most recently Bennion last fall. He also has extensive international coaching experience on the professional and Olympic level. He has coached professionally since 1990 and was a coach for the Mexican Olympic Team at the 1992 Barcelona Games. He coached six athletes from six different nations at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Both Collet and Appell were successful track athletes prior to taking up coaching. Collet began her collegiate career at California State-Hayward, where she was an All-American in the heptathon in 1992. She then transferred to Fresno State, where she qualified for the NCAA Championships three more times. She missed two NCAA Championships due to injury, but placed 12th in the nation in the heptathlon in 1994. Collet was Fresno State's team captain, its MVP for both indoor and outdoor track in 1994, and a five-time Scholar-Athlete (1993-97).
She graduated from Fresno State in 1997 with a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology. She received a master of arts degree in kinesiology in 2001, also from Fresno State. Collet, 28, is a native of San Jose, Calif.
Appell lettered for the Weber State cross country and track teams from 1979-82. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier in the steeplechase and made the all-Big Sky team in 1980. He was also a member of the United States Military Team at the World Military Championships and a four-time TAC National Championship qualifier in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.
Appell, 41, earned bachelor's degrees in English, Spanish and child and family studies from Weber State in 1997. He is close to completing a master's degree in education from Weber and carries a 3.98 GPA. The Fountain Valley, Calif., native is married to two-time Olympic marathoner Olga Appell. She competed in the 1992 Olympics as a Mexican national and was a member of the 1996 United States Olympic team. On a local front, she is the course record holder for the Deseret News 10k race. The couple have a 14-year-old daughter, Monique.
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