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A familiar name to the Stanford Track and Field/Cross Country has returned to Stanford University. Andrew Gerard, who helped mold the Cardinal into a national power during his first tenure from 1993-96, returned to Stanford in August of 2003 to serve as Head Men's Cross Country Coach, and Assistant Track and Field Coach. Gerard will coach the men's middle distances and distances in track and field.
Gerard was an assistant cross country and track and field coach at Stanford for four years during which time he coached such standouts as Brad and Brent Hauser, Greg Jimmerson, Nathan Nutter, Monal Chokshi, Mary Cobb, Kortney Dunscombe and Sarna Renfro. In the fall of 1996, both the men's and women's cross country teams won NCAA titles, earning Gerard a share of National Coach of the Year honors with former Cardinal coach Vin Lananna. Prior to his first stint at Stanford, Gerard was an assistant coach at Dartmouth College where he began his coaching career.
In his first year back on The Farm, Gerard led Stanford to the 2003 NCAA Men's Cross Country title, the 2003 NCAA West Regional title, and the 2003 Pac-10 Championship title. At the NCAA Championships, the Cardinal placed four runners in the top six, six runners in the top 13 and finished with a team score of 24 points, 150 points better than the second place team. The team score was the second lowest score in NCAA history and the margin of victory was the largest ever at the NCAA Championships. Gerard was named the 2003 NCAA Cross Country Coach of the Year.
During his seven years (1997-03) at William & Mary, Gerard turned the Tribe cross country and track & field teams into one of the school's most successful athletic programs. In recognition of those successes, Gerard was named Colonial Athletic Association Cross Country Coach of the Year five times and was the 2000 Southeast Region Coach of the Year. In 2003, William & Mary captured the Colonial Athletic track and field title, earning Gerard his first selection as conference Coach of the Year. In cross country, William & Mary finished in the Top-16 at the NCAA Championships every year, including top ten finishes in 1997 and 2000. The 2000 squad also won the Southeast Regional Cross Country title. Along the way, William & Mary won four league titles, including a 2001 title which saw the Tribe score a conference record low 17 points.
Individually, more than 20 athletes gained All-America honors in cross country and track and field during Gerard's tenure. Gerard has produced several of the nation's finest distance runners, including Matt Lane who finished his William & Mary career with eleven All-America honors, seven school records, and the fourth fastest American collegiate 5000 meter time in history (13:25.38). Lane was the top American finisher (fourth) in the 5000 meters at the 2001 World University Games and was fourth at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 5000 meters. Lane was named the 2001 USTCA Athlete of the Year. Anders Christiansen placed second at the 1997 NCAA Championships in the 800 meters, running a 1:46.66. Lane and Christiansen were members of the United States National teams while undergraduates, with Christiansen traveling twice to Europe with the U.S. Middle Distance Development squad. At the 2003 NCAA Track and Field Championships, Ed Moran and Sean Graham finished fifth and sixth in the 5000 meters. In all, Gerard coached nearly 50 All-CAA, 25 All-Region and 20 All-America selections in cross country and track at William & Mary, including a dozen school records.
Along with the numerous athletic successes on the track and cross country course, Gerard's teams have also excelled in the classroom. William & Mary cross country and track and field athletes have been named to numerous Academic All-America teams including two selections to the most recent Verizon University Division team. In addition, during his seven-year tenure, nearly 20 athletes received Academic All-America distinction from the two sports governing bodies, the USTCA and USCCCA. The Tribe cross country squad earned Academic All-America team recognition in 1997 and from 1999-2003. The 2003 William & Mary track and field team was recognized as one of the top-five NCAA Division I academic teams. Capping the success in the classroom have been numerous CAA Conference Scholar-Athlete selections and a handful of Phi Beta Kappa honorees.
A 1990 Cum Laude graduate of Colgate University with a degree in Biology and an emphasis on human physiology, Gerard was a four-year letterman with the Red Raider cross country and track and field squads. In 1992, Gerard was ranked in the top-50 in the United States in the steeplechase.
Gerard and his wife, the former Ashley Elder, were married in July and reside in Mountain View.