Bryant University

Mitchell Switzer begins his 12th season at Bryant University and his 11th as the Director of Cross Country/Track and Field and the head track and field coach in 2025-26. Switzer spent the 2014-15 season as the interim men's track and field head coach before being elevated on May 26, 2015.

Coaching Highlights

• Named 2024-25 Women's Coaching Staff of the Year at the America East Indoor Championships.
• Four student-athletes have qualified for NCAA Regionals in outdoor track and field. 
• Program has reset every record in program history.
• Coached first two women in DI program history to qualify for NCAAs in 2024-25.
• Helped women's indoor track and field team place second at the 2024-25 America East Championships. 
• Led women's outdoor track and field team to a first place finish at the New England Championships, a first in program history, in 2024. 

Switzer has taken the Bulldogs to another level in his 11 years, completely rewriting the school record book and setting a new standard for postseason success. In six seasons, Switzer has coached 81 All-NEC performers, 26 All-New England performers, one New England Champion, one All-ECAC runner, numerous New England and ECAC/IC4A qualifiers, and four NCAA qualifiers. 

2024-25:

• Cross Country began with a sweep of the Nassaney Invitational as Slaney and Trott both ran to first-place finishes.
• Slaney would go on to win the New England Championship, while Trott placed second.
• At the America East Championships, they both ran to second-place finishes. Chloe Whiting added a fourth-place finish to help the women finish fourth, their highest finish in DI program history.
• The women would run to their highest finish at the NCAA Regionals, placing 22nd. Trott finished 25th overall, the highest female finish in program history. She earned All-Region honors for her performance. Whiting finished 36th, giving the Bulldogs two runners inside the top 50 for the first time in program history.
• Slaney ran to a 30th-place finish, the highest finish for a male in program history.
• Whiting began her historic 2025 by breaking Eimear Black's 12-year record in the 5000 by over a minute.
• The America East Indoor Championships provided one of the greatest performances in program history. Bryant would win 13 medals and the women would finish second, the highest in program history. Coach Switzer and his staff would earn Women's Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
• Whiting won both the 3000 and 5000 on her way to America East Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer.
• Shelby DeGrenier would keep it rolling as she claimed a gold medal in the 800 at the ECAC Championships.
• During the outdoor season, Bryant started strong as the men and women swept the Black and Gold Invitational for the second-straight year.
• At the Penn Relays, the women's 4x400 relay team won its first wheel in program history, claiming the Eastern Division title.Bryant also broke both the men and women DMR records.
• Bryant would go on to win 16 medals and break eight school records as the America East Championships.
• Whiting was named America East Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer for the second straight meet after winning gold in the 5000 and silver in the 10,000.
• Slaney capped his career by breaking the meet record in the 10,000 and winning gold.
• Whiting and Trott would cap a historic season as both qualified for the NCAA Championships First Round. It marked the first time in program history a female had qualified and the first time multiple athletes qualified in the same year.
• Whiting would go on to a 20th-place finish at the 5000 in the first round.

2023-24:

• The cross country season was highlighted by Slaney's second-place finish at the America East Championships. It is the highest finish by a male at a conference championship in DI program history. 
• The women's team would close out the season with its highest finish ever at the NCAA Regionals, placing 25th.
• Trott got the indoor season going early, breaking Eimear Black's 11-year old school record in the 3000m.
• The Bulldogs would go on to win nine medals at the America East Indoor Championships. The women finished fourth, the highest finish in DI program history. The meet also included 42 PRs and 28 all-time top-10 finishes.
• Bryant won five gold medals at the NEICAAA Championships, with Slaney sweeping the 5000 and 3000.
• The outdoor season featured a first in program history as the men and women both won the Black and Gold Invitational. Trott broke another record held by Black, breaking her 11-year old school record in the 10k.
• Slaney also shined in pre-championship meets, becoming the first male runner in program history to run a sub-14:00 minute 5k.
• In another historic moment, the women's 4x400 relay team ran to a fifth-place finish at the Penn Relays.
• The women continued their excellent spring, posting their highest finish in program history as they placed third at the America East Championships.
• It was just the beginning as the Bulldogs won the New England Championship less than a week later. It marked the first victory for either program in school history. 

2022-23:

• Bryant started the season with a bang as the women won the Nassney Invitational and the men finished second. William Bittrich posted a second-place finish in the event.
• Freshman began her dominant career in the Fall of 2022, helping the women post a program-best 8th-place finish at the New England Championships. She finished 28th out of 120 runners, while Ryan Slaney placed 14th on the men's side.
• Competing in the America East Championships for the first time, Slaney ran to a 10th-place finish.
• It was a historic regional meet for Bryant as the men finished 25th (best in school history) and the women placed 26th (best in 10 years). Slaney led the way with a 75th-place finish, the best finish for a male in program history.
• The Bulldogs shined at the indoor New England Championships, winning four gold medals and posting 17 All-New England performances.
• Bryant would go on to win three events and eight medals at its first indoor America East Championships. Garrity continued her stellar career, setting a meet and school record on her way to a gold in the 500.
• Warden claimed Bryant's first outdoor gold medal at the America East Championships, winning the pole vault. John Bruder and Kasey Thomas would then sweep the shot put event, while Michael Marshall won gold in the high jump.
• Marshall would go on to qualify for the NCAA Championships First Round in the high jump thanks to his height of 2.07m.

2021-22:

• Men's Cross Country finished 13th at the New England Championships, its highest finish in program history at the time. The men also finished 30th at the NCAA Regionals, another watermark moment for the program.
• Sarah Freeman ran to All-NEC honors with a 13th-place finish at the NEC Championships.
• Bryant's indoor championship success was highlighted by Lois Warden, Emma Garrity, William Remkiewicz and Andrew Canale. Warden won gold in the pole vault, Garrity took home gold in the 500 and Remkiewicz and Canale went 1-2 in the 400.
• Five student-athletes earned All-East honors and the Bulldogs broke seven school records at the ECAC/IC4A meet. Garrity led the way with another record-breaking performance in the 500, taking third.
• At the NEC Outdoor Championships, the Bulldogs took home eight medals, including two golds. Garrity and Warden shined once again as Garrity won the 400 and Warden swept the pole vault at the indoor and outdoor championships.
• The Bulldogs hosted the New England Championships and had seven student-athletes earn All-New England honors.

2020-21:

• Both men's and women's cross country had their best league results since 2015, with the women finishing sixth and the men fourth.
• Julia Ayres, Sarah Freeman, and Jason Dolan earned All-NEC honors. 
• Both squads earned academic honors.
• Both teams were named USTFCCCA All-Academic as well, and the men also earned the NEC team sportsmanship award.
• There was no indoor season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the outdoor season proved to be the most successful in program history.
• Both men's and women's teams had their best ever results at the NEC Championships, with the men finishing fifth and the women sixth.
• Both teams also finished with their highest ever point totals in the championship meet.
• The Bulldogs won gold in four events at the NEC's, with Jasmine Hope winning long jump, Jason Dolan winning the 1500 meters, and Will Remkiewicz winning the 800 meters.
• Overall, the two teams combined for seven ALL-NEC performances and three all-rookie performances at the meet.
• The men and women both had a number of competitors at the New England regional competition, with Nikki Xiarhos (200m), Kasey Thomas and Brett Cloutier (shot put), Nick Alessandro (javelin), and the women's 4x100m relay team all earning All-New England honors.
• At the ECAC/I4CA meet, the teams' 12th place finish was their highest ever.
• Will Remkiewicz (400m) and Jason Dolan (800m) each finished second, while the mens' 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams finished 3rd and 8th, respectively.
• Dolan also qualified for the NCAA championships in the 800 meters, becoming the first athlete in program history to be an NCAA qualifier.
• Overall, the two teams combined to break 12 school records and were each awarded USTFCCCA All-Academic honors. The women also won the NEC Sportsmaship award.

2019-20:

• In XC, both the men and women finished sixth overall during the conference championship led by Julia Ayres who finished 13th overall and earned a spot on the All-Conference squad.
• Bryant also put three rookies, two men and one woman, on the All-Rookie team in Abby Hamilton, Jonathan Iamarone, and Evan Coyne. 
• The men rounded out the cross country season with its highest finish to date at the regional meet finishing 33^rd overall in the team standings.
• The Bulldogs set eight new school records and had six qualifying marks for the ECAC/IC4A Championship during the indoor season.
• Both the men and the women posted its best finish ever at the NEC Indoor Championship meet which was highlighted by a gold medal from senior Emily Cluck who defended her title in the 400m.
• Cluck also made history by shattering the championship meet record with a time of 54.72 and she was honored by earning First Team All-NEC.
• Sophomore Shileigh Martinez also took home a medal for the women’s squad with a bronze in pole vault while sophomore Jason Dolan earned a bronze in the 800m for the men.
• Freshman Emma Garrity broke Bryant’s school record in the 500m at the indoor championship with a time of 1:16.71 to earn a spot on the NEC’s All-Rookie team.
• Sophomore Nicole Xiarhos won a silver medal at the NEICAAA Championship in the 200m while the men’s 4x400 team earned All-New England at the same meet.
• Dolan also earned All-East honors at IC4A’s in the men’s 1000m while Cluck qualified for the final heat in the 400m at ECACs.

2018-19:

• The Bulldogs set eight new school records including a historic performance from the men's distance medley relay squad.
• The DMR team of Jason Dolan, Jordan Dagrin, Brian Salit, and Andrew Canale shattered the school record at the indoor IC4As and became the first DMR team from Bryant that qualified for the final heat.
• The relay team finished the meet with an eighth-place overall finish.
• Across the indoor and outdoor seasons, Bryant brought home five medals from the NEC Championship which was highlighted by Emily Cluck who earned the lone gold medal of the year in the 400m at the indoor NEC Championship.
• In cross country, the Black and Gold hosted the NEC Championship in Smithfield during a Nor'easter storm.
• The Bulldogs placed two on the All-Conference list for cracking the top 14 in Matt McGovern and Noah Tellier.
• Switzer also oversaw two freshmen on the women's side, Julia Ayres and Sarah Freeman, earn NEC All-Rookie honors. 

2017-18:

• Bryant shattered 11 school records and earned seven medals at the NEC Championship across the indoor and outdoor seasons.
• Switzer also helped the cross country team to a fourth-place finish for the women and fifth-place finish for the men, highlighted by an All-NEC performer in Melissa Lodge for finishing sixth overall. 

2016-17:

• The Black and Gold track and field teams set 20 school records and took home 20 All-NEC honors, including two individual golds and a relay gold.
• Switzer oversaw the cross country program that featured two All-NEC performers, two All-Rookie performers and one All-ECAC honoree.
• Melissa Lodge enjoyed one of the most successful years in program history in 2016-17, earning All-NEC and All-ECAC honors in cross country before becoming a three-time gold medalist during the track and field season.
• Switzer watched on as Jonee Harrison made history, becoming the first female thrower to medal at both the indoor (silver) and outdoor (bronze) championships in program history. 

2015-16:

• The Bulldogs earned six medals at the NEC Championships, four were named All-New England and 18 school records were broken.
• Adam Malone became the highest finishing male in program history, earning a pair of silver medals in the triple jump.
• The men's 4x800 outdoor relay team also enjoyed a historic moment as they became the first quartet in school history to run a sub-8:00 time on their way to a silver medal. 

2014-15:

• In his first year, Switzer helped the Bulldogs to unprecedented heights as the Black and Gold set 17 school records, had seven players take home medals at the NEC Championships, had eight earn All-NEC honors and sent eight to the ECAC/IC4A Championships.
• The Bulldogs also saw their top-10 lists completely rewritten.
• During the indoor season, 10 women and 15 men qualified for the New England Championships, while six qualified for the ECAC/IC4A Championships.
• During the outdoor season, 25 more athletes qualified for New Englands and two more competed in the ECAC/IC4A Championships.
• Individually, Kristen Hayes, MiaLynne Park, Annmarie Tuxbury and Milan Duka all thrived in Switzer's first year.
• Hayes emerged as one of the top 400m hurdlers in the region, shattering the Bryant school record while claiming her second-straight gold medal at the NEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
• She also became the first finalist in school history at the ECAC/IC4A Championships and was the New England Champion in the 400 hurdles.
• Switzer also guided Park to a bronze medal in the 400 during both the indoor and outdoor seasons and Tuxbury to a pair of silver medals in the 10k and steeplechase.
• Duka earned a bronze medal in the mile during the indoor season.

Switzer's student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom during his tenure. In his three years, the Bulldogs have earned NEC Commissioner's Honor Roll distinction 50 times and NEC Academic Honor Roll distinction 195 times. The Black and Gold have also been recognized as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team in mens and womens cross country and mens and womens track and field in each of the last three years. 

A 2013 graduate of the University of Vermont, Switzer enjoyed a standout career for the Catamounts before joining the coaching staff for the 2013-14 year. A member of the 2014 America East Women's Coaching Staff of the Year, he developed training plans and developmental athlete lifting programs. Switzer helped the Catamounts record program-best finishes of second (women) and fifth (men) at the AE Championships and saw his athletes set 14 school records, 11 earn All-ECAC/All-IC4A and one qualify for the NCAA East Regional.

A native of Phoenix, N.Y., Switzer was a NCAA Division I national qualifier in the 400 hurdles during 2012, setting the UVM school record in the process. He was also a member of the 4x400 school record relay team during the indoor and outdoor seasons.

Switzer also qualified for the IC4As as a junior and a senior, earned All-New England honors and was a two-time All-America East selection in the 400 hurdles. He also competed in the European Track Circuit in 2013.

Switzer is USATFCCCA Jumps Specialist certified, a USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning Coach certified, is USATF Level 1 certified and has spoken and presented at the VTXCA annual coaches clinic.