Two added to Shenandoah track coaching staff

Shenandoah University track & field coach Andy Marrocco announced two additions to his staff Thursday.

Marrocco, heading into his 14th year heading up the Hornets track & field and cross country programs, has brought on Alfred “AJ” Blaisdell and Asia Hart as assistant coaches.

Blaisdell, a former assistant at both Bridgewater (Mass.) State and Minot (N.D.) State, will serve as the throws coach with Hart tutoring the sprinters, jumpers, and hurdlers.

Marrocco will continue to coach the mid-distance and distance runners in addition to his head coaching responsibilities.

Hart is a former DII standout at Queens University of Charlotte and comes to SU after one year at Drury (Missouri) University.

In four seasons at Bridgewater State, Blaisdell tutored two national qualifiers and five MASCAC champions.

At Minot State, he had three national qualifiers and one that earned All-America status.

He holds USTFCCCA certifications in throws and as a strength and conditioning specialist while also earning USATF Level 2 certifications in sprints, hurdles, relays and throws.

Following her graduation from Queen’s, Hart was an assistant coach at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. She helped the program to a combined 23 school records in both the indoor and outdoor seasons with 27 student-athletes qualifying for the conference championships.

As a student-athlete, she was a four-time USTFCCCA All-Region selection, she set nine school records, won nine SAC championships and was a provisional qualifier for the NCAA Division II national championships three times. In 2016, she was named as the South Atlantic Conference Track Athlete of the Year following their outdoor championships.

“I am very proud to add AJ and Asia to the staff,” Marrocco said. “They are both excellent coaches and recruiters.

“Their addition to the staff is going to allow each of us to give more one-on-one attention to our student-athletes and also increase our roster sizes. We want to win ODAC titles and we need to increase our depth to realize that goal.”

Both Blaisdell and Hart have started their full-time duties.