Whitney Lee Position: Head Coach Experience: 5th year

A quote that is often used in the arena of sport comes from Winston Churchill. He once said, "Never give in. Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never." That same philosophy is what Head Coach Whitney Lee encourages the Eagle Cross-Country teams to adhere to in every facet of their lives. There is a certain discipline required to be a runner, let alone be a competitive runner, and Coach Lee has taken that same discipline to heart in his efforts as a coach. Lee has the good fortune of coaching the Eagle Cross-Country teams and is entering his sixth (full) season as Head Coach of both the women and men. He took the reins as coach during the 2001 season just before the South Atlantic Conference Championship meet and has enjoyed success ever since.

Lee earned South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2006 for the second time in his career and coached All-SAC runners Aubrey Morris and Vanessa Gibson to great success.

Prior to becoming Head Coach, Lee served as Graduate Assistant Coach of the Eagles during the 1997-2001 seasons. This opportunity came after running for Carson-Newman during the 1994-1996 seasons. Coach Lee has also coached on the high school level, as he was a volunteer coach at his alma mater, North Gaston High in Dallas, NC in 1992 and 1993. Within the realm of coaching, Lee is currently pursuing Level 1 Certification as Coach in the USA Track & Field Coaching Education Program.

The individual achievements of the runners that have represented Carson-Newman during Lee's time as head coach result in a total of twenty-two (28) All-Conference performances (19 women; 9 men) and thirteen (16) All-Region performances (13 women; 3 men). Among the accolades garnered by the Eagle harriers as a team, the most notable are the South Atlantic Conference and Southeast Region Championships won by the women's team in 2002. These accomplishments led to Coach Lee being named Women's Coach of the Year for both the SAC and Region. The feat of Region Champions was the first for the women's team and first for either team of the Eagle Cross-Country program since joining the NCAA Division II ranks. This accomplishment resulted in their third straight trip (as a team) to the National Championship meet.

In 2003, Coach Lee accompanied Jennifer Sauceman to the National Championship meet, as she qualified individually, finishing 5th at the Region meet that season. In 2004, Coach Lee then got to see Margaux Cowan-Banker compete in the National Championship meet after she won the Region meet that season. The men's team has been successful also; with them finishing in the top ten at the Region meet each year under Lee's guidance.

The 2001 and 2002 teams found themselves in the top three at the Conference meet. The 2005 season was a special one as the Lady Eagles won the SAC championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament once again. Ryan Althaus qualified as an individual for the NCAA Championships. Coach Lee was once again recognized as the SAC Coach of the Year.

Another aspect of being part of the Eagle Cross-Country teams is the opportunity to excel in the academic arena. During his time at Carson-Newman, Coach Lee has had teams that have earned honors as All-Academic Teams/Individuals as determined by the Division II Cross-Country Coaches Association. Teams must have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 through the season of competition, and individuals must have a 3.25 and finish in the top 30% of eligible competitors at the Region meet. The women's team has earned this honor four years (2001-04) under Coach Lee, and the men have done so one time (2004). There have been twelve (12) individual honors given to the women runners and six (6) to the men during Lee's stint. One student-athlete, Bryce Kirksey, was named as an Academic All-American by CoSIDA, which is made up of Sports Information Directors of NCAA members.

Apart from his responsibilities at Carson-Newman, Coach Lee teaches high school math at Morristown-Hamblen West High in Morristown, Tenn. He had previously taught at Seymour High for four (4) years and at Gatlinburg-Pittman High for half a year. Also, from 1995-2004, Lee spent his summers working at Camp WinShape near Rome, GA as counselor, head counselor, and program director. During his time there as program director, Lee oversaw the accreditation process of the camp with the American Camping Association, which is an organization that certifies camps according to certain standards and codes. Some other things that Lee finds as great opportunities within Jefferson City are staying involved in campus life through Intramurals, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Eagle athletics, and volunteering some time tutoring middle/high school math students and working with Boy Scout organizations.