Women's Cross Country Southern Conference

VMI Names Cross Country Coach

LEXINGTON, Va. -- VMI Director of Track & Field/ Cross Country Mike Bozeman
announced Tuesday the hiring of Paul Spangler, who will serve as cross
country coach and assistant track & field coach.

Spangler, 27, spent the last four years as an assistant track and cross
country coach at Florida State University. He served as the Seminoles'
interim head cross country and distance coach during the 1999-2000 season.

During his reign at FSU, he helped the men's cross country team improve from
an eighth place (out of nine teams) finish at the Atlantic Coast Conference
Championships in his first season to a fifth place finish in 2001. The ACC,
regarded as one of the nation's toughest conferences sent its top four teams
to the NCAA Championships. In 2001, the men's and women's teams missed
qualifying for the NCAA Championships by a combined 13 points. He coached
13 All-South Region performers, three All-ACC runners and three NCAA
individual qualifiers on the cross country side.

While assisting with the track & field teams, he helped FSU win the 2000
Women's ACC Outdoor Championship and the 2002 Men's ACC Outdoor
Championship. In 2002, two men and two women represented the Seminoles at
the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Spangler coached 10 All-ACC track & field
athletes.

Spangler is a 1998 graduate of the University of Alabama, where he ran track
and cross country for the Crimson Tide. He qualified for the NCAA
Championships in 1996 and 1997. In his senior year, he was named to the
All-Southeastern Conference team. He is still currently in the school's top
10 for the 5,000 and 10,000-meter runs.

"This is a great opportunity for myself at VMI," said Spangler. "The
potential for success for the program and challenge that if offers attracted
me to the job."

Paul comes to us with an excellent background, both as an athlete and a
coach," said Bozeman. " We feel fortunate to have him on our staff."

The Keydets begin their cross country seasons on Sept. 7 at the Virginia
Tech Invitational.