05-02-08 Shaw named Cross Country Head Coach

The Marygrove College Mustangs welcomed Lee Shaw, left, to their athletic staff on Wednesday. Shaw, a graduate of Eastern Michigan University in Physical Education & Health, was named head coach of the Marygrove Mustang Cross Country program. Shaw, 33, will be taking on the task of building the men and women cross country teams from the bottom-up. Shaw admits being hired at this time of year puts him in a difficult spot recruiting for the 2008-09 season; however challenges are no stranger to him.

Most recently, Shaw started cross country at Plymouth High School and built it into a very successful and highly touted program. In only five short years at Plymouth, Shaw has taken a program with only three participants and turned it into a state team qualifier the last three years. He has also coached two individual state champions, including one to a MHSAA championships record while at Plymouth.

“Coming to Marygrove gives me an opportunity to start another program. I know what it takes to bring successful student-athletes into the intercollegiate athletic and academic arena”, Shaw said on Wednesday. Shaw is confident in his ability to recruit successful student-athletes due to his most recent volunteer position for Sienna Heights University. At Sienna Heights, Shaw’s main task was to recruit qualified student-athletes.

Shaw also comes to Marygrove College with a long list of personal accomplishments within the sport of Cross Country. He has been in the sport since the age of 7 and has been coaching since 1999. Shaw was an All-American scholarship athlete while competing at Sienna Heights University including fifteen times All-Conference.