Winckler Hires Karen Harvey to Assistant Track Post
July 2, 2002 | Women's Cross Country
July 2, 2002
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Head Women's Track and Field Coach Gary Winckler announced the hiring of Karen Harvey to his staff Tuesday afternoon. Harvey comes to Illinois after two seasons with the University of Michigan where she served as a women's volunteer assistant cross country and track and field coach. Harvey will serve as an assistant track and field coach and cross country coach for the Illinois women.
"We are excited about having Karen Harvey join our staff," Gary Winckler said. "I think she is going to be just a great addition. She brings a youth and enthusiasm to the program that I think is well needed and she's a hard worker. She had a great career as an athlete at Michigan and as a post-collegiate athlete when she set the Canadian national record in the steeplechase. She just brings a lot of dimensions to the program that I think will complement John (Baumann) and myself well. We are looking forward to her starting later this month."
During her two seasons at Michigan, Harvey helped guide the Wolverine cross country program to back-to-back second-place finishes at the Big Ten Championships and a 14th-place showing at the 2000 NCAA Cross Country National Championships. In 2000, Harvey tutored Katie Jazwinski to All-America accolades after she finished 16th at the national meet. Last season, Harvey helped sophomore Lindsey Gallo to a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten Championships and first-team All-Big Ten honors.
On the track, Harvey helped coach the Wolverines to a pair of Big Ten titles during the 2002 season. Michigan won the Big Ten Indoor title with 72 of the team's 116 points coming from the distance events. From 600 meters and up, the Wolverines had at least one scoring performance in each event including conference champions in the Mile and 600 meters. Michigan also won the conference title in the Distance Medley Relay.
At the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, the Wolverine distance corps amassed 45 points and boasted conference Champions in the 800m and 5,000 meters.
Before her two seasons with Michigan, Harvey enjoyed an impressive professional career that included a No. 1 world ranking in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in 1998. A nine-time member of Canadian National Teams, (three world cross country teams) Harvey is the former Canadian record holder in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 10:14.27 and finished fifth at the 1998 Goodwill games in the event. In 2000, Harvey was the top Canadian 1,500-meter runner after clocking a time of 4:16 at the Boston Indoor Games.
An All-American for the Wolverines in cross country and on the track, Harvey competed from 1991-95, placing 21st at the 1992 NCAA Cross Country National Championships, while also earning first team All-Big Ten honors in 1992 and 95. In track, Harvey finished eighth in the mile at the 1994 NCAA Indoor Championships and fifth in the 3,000 meters in 1995.
A 1996 graduate of the University of Michigan, Harvey received her B.A. in anthropology. She was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree while winning the 1995 Scholar Athlete of the Year award.
Born Aug. 9, 1972 in Brantford, Ontario, Harvey is married to four-time NCAA Champion and 2000 Olympian Kevin Sullivan.
