LEXINGTON, Va. --- Washington and Lee Director of Athletics Jan Hathorn has announced the appointment of Michael Dager as head women's cross country and assistant women's track & field coach effective July 1.

"It is a pleasure to welcome Mike Dager to W&L as our next head coach of women's cross country," said Hathorn.  "With his demonstrated years of experience and proven record of success, Mike was a natural choice for this position. I am confident his skills and leadership are what we need to help our student-athletes achieve excellence and keep W&L in the conversation when it comes to winning at the highest levels. We welcome Mike to our department, campus and community and we look forward to many years of serving W&L and our students together."

Dager comes to W&L from Gwynedd Mercy University, where he has served as the head men's and women's track & field coach since 2007 and the head men's and women's cross country coach since 2009.  He also had additional responsibilities as the facilities coordinator.

"I want to thank Jan Hathorn and the search committee for providing me this opportunity," said Dager.  "It is an honor to work at such an excellent academic institution.  I could not be more excited to begin working with the women's endurance athletes at Washington and Lee."

As cross country coach, Dager led his men's and women's teams to six team conference titles and six individual conference crowns combined over his five seasons.  He also coached his athletes to 29 First Team All-Colonial States citations and nine all-region accolades, while mentoring Brett Kubiak to All-America finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships in 2013 & 2014.  Additionally, four of his athletes have combined to win a total of six USTFCCCA Individual Academic All-America Awards.

During Dager's time with the track & field program, one relay team and three individuals combined for seven All-America citations.  As facilities coordinator, he was responsible for scheduling and maintenance of the Griffins' outdoor athletic facilities.

Dager is currently serving a four-year term on the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championship Committee as a member of the Cross Country National Championship sub-committee.  His term continues through the 2017 season.

Prior to arriving at Gwynedd Mercy, Dager spent three years (1998-01) as an assistant men's and women's cross country coach at Elizabethtown College, followed by five years (2002-07) as the Blue Jays' head women's cross country and assistant women's track & field coach.  He led EC to one conference title and two NCAA National Championship berths while coaching two National Championship individual qualifiers and one All-American.  In track & field, he helped mentor multiple National Championship qualifiers.

Dager's experiences also include teaching in the Susquehanna Township and Souderton Area School Districts as a health & physical education teacher.  He is a 1996 graduate of West Chester University with a bachelor of science in health and physical education.  Dager also earned a master's degree in classroom management from Wilkes University in 2003.  He is certified in adult CPR, adult first aid and adult AED.

--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University sports information department. ---
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