Four years ago, as the Lady Tiger track and field program sought improved results in the distance events, it was evident that a primary focus would have to be placed on acquiring a top-notch coach to develop the distance squad. When the time came to choose that coach, it would have been difficult to find a superior candidate to Jonas Holdeman, who is now in his fourth year as the women's head cross country coach and assistant track coach overseeing the women's distance runners. Holdeman brings over 10 years of youth, collegiate and post-collegiate coaching experience to the Lady Tiger cross country and track programs. In addition to serving as an Olympic Development Program (ODP) coach in Knoxville, Tenn., in the early 1990s, he has coached numerous successful post-collegiate distance runners and triathletes. He then spent the two years prior to his arrival in Memphis as the head track & field and cross country coach of the men's and women's sports club programs at the University of North Carolina. A member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and U.S. Women's Track & Field Coaches Association (USWTCA), Holdeman is a USA Track & Field (USATF) Level III certified coach in the endurance events. He also holds Level II certification in sprints and hurdles. Holdeman began the rebuilding process of the Memphis women's distance program with a recruiting class in 2003 that brought in eight new freshmen signees. He continued to build the women's distance corps with the addition of runners in the form of transfers and walk-ons, before another strong signing class in 2005. Coming from throughout the United States and Canada, Holdeman has now assembled a group of talented athletes who have built a solid foundation for the women's distance program. Only three years into his revitalization project, Holdeman has established a strong squad of distance runners, who have begun to make a tremendous impact over the past two seasons. During the 2004-05 indoor, outdoor and cross country seasons, Holdeman saw his Lady Tiger distance corps put up many of the best results in U of M history. Daniele Riendeau set three school records in the indoor 1-Mile and 3000m and outdoor 1500m and garnered the first scoring performance for a women's distance runner at a C-USA meet during Holdeman's tenure at Memphis when she placed sixth in the 1500m. The 2005 cross country squad also made major strides, moving up to sixth at the conference meet, while Riendeau and Emily Malinowski, who placed sixth and 16th, respectively, recorded the two highest-ever finishes for U of M women at the C-USA Cross Country Championships. As a whole, the Lady Tiger distance coach saw nearly every member of his team set a personal record in each race of the 2005 cross country season. While the 2005 season was likely the most successful in U of M women's distance history, the previous season was undoubtedly a stepping stone leading up to those accomplishments. In 2004, Holdeman's cross country squad registered what was then the top women's team result in Memphis' history in Conference USA, with Riendeau claiming the first ever top 20 individual finish for a U of M woman at a C-USA meet. That season, Holdeman saw his runners set at least five personal records in each meet as the U of M team showed great improvements over past years and from meet to meet throughtout the campaign. Beyond his coaching endeavors, Holdeman himself actively trains and competes, particularly in marathons and distance events. He won the inaugural St. Jude Memphis Marathon in 2002 and has since won two additional St. Jude Marathon titles, while in 2000 he recorded a Top-100 finish in the Boston Marathon. In 2004, Holdeman was named to the Board of Directors of the Arthur Lydiard Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the world-renowned coach's legacy. Holdeman graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Shakespeare Studies in 1986 and received his MBA in strategic management and marketing from UT in 1996. Coach Holdeman is married to the former Elizabeth Walker of Ripley, Tenn. They have one daughter, Avery. |
Memphis Tigers
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