Bio

The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) Department of Athletics is pleased to announce the hiring of Stacie Wentz as its next head coach of the USJ men's and women's cross country programs, it was officially announced on May 22, 2023 by Director of Athletics Amanda Devitt. Wentz, who has coached at the Division I, II and III levels, becomes the eighth head coach to lead the Blue Jays in program history.

"We are excited to welcome Stacie to our staff and for her to lead our men's and women's cross country teams," said Devitt. "She has a proven track record of building successful programs and will be a great leader for our student-athletes."

Wentz takes over the reins of the USJ cross country programs after most recently spending the past six years as the head men's and women's cross country and track and field coach at neighboring Division I University of Hartford. At Hartford, Wentz coached one United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American, one USTFCCCA Academic All-American, four NCAA qualifiers and seven America East Champions. In addition, 36 school records were broken during her tenure with the Hawks.

Wentz's programs were equally impressive in the classroom, as both the men's and women's teams were awarded the USTFCCCA NCAA DI Scholar Team Award in every season that Wentz was at the helm. In addition, Hartford's men's cross country team posted the fifth-highest GPA in the nation in 2019-20, before posting the seventh-best GPA in 2020-21.

"I'm really excited to get started here at the University of Saint Joseph," said Wentz. "I think we have a great group of student-athletes returning and a solid incoming class that can strive to win conference championships. I'm excited to be a part of their journey and working with them to achieve new personal records."

Prior to joining Hartford, Wentz served as the head cross country and track and field coach at Division II Assumption College. During her four seasons with the Greyhounds, the women's cross country team improved from the No. 23-ranked team in the USTFCCCA East Region to the second-best team, while the men jumped from No. 13 to No. 10 in the East Region. In 2016, Wentz guided the women's team to the program's first NCAA Division II National Championship appearance. In addition, she also coached the school's first male NCAA Cross Country National Championship individual qualifier in both 2013 and 2014.

On the track, the Greyhounds saw 15 student-athletes post NCAA provisional qualifying marks and three student-athletes qualify for the NCAA National Championship. In addition, 40 student-athletes earned USTFCCCA All-Region recognition, and the program earned its first All-American selection. Not only did the Greyhounds perform on the track during Wentz's tenure; they also performed in the classroom. They earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition in each of her four years on the cross country side, while her 2014 women's track and field squad posted the second-highest GPA in the nation.

Wentz began her coaching career at Johns Hopkins University, serving as the assistant men's and women's cross country and track and field coach from 2009-2013. In 2012, the Blue Jays recorded a banner season, as the women won the NCAA Division III National Championship, becoming the first women's team in school history to win a national title, while the men's team recorded a program-record 20th-place finish at the national championship meet. The 2012 women's team also was named the USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Scholar Team of the Year. During her time at Johns Hopkins, Wentz coached seven cross country All-Americans.

Prior to beginning her coaching career, Wentz was a collegiate runner at Salisbury University (Md.). During her career, she was a two-time National Cross Country Association All-American.

In addition to her coaching and running career, Wentz has worked for US Lacrosse as the program manager of the National Team program. She was also an assistant director of the Shaquille O'Neal CHAMPS/Life Skills Program at Louisiana State University, and a governance intern for the NCAA. Wentz is a former member of the NCAA Division III National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and NCAA Research Committee.

A native of Dallastown, Pa., Wentz graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor of science degree in physical education and a minor in business administration in 2001. She went on to earn her master of science degree in sport management from West Virginia in 2003 with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Additionally, she earned a NCAA postgraduate scholarship for careers in athletics.