Ossiff Returns as Women’s XC and Track & Field Coach

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DETROIT –  Marygrove College Athletic Director Steve Bloomfield announced Monday (Sept. 29) the hiring of Cary Ossiff as head coach of the women’s cross country and track & field programs. The announcement brings back a familiar face to the Marygrove athletics landscape as Ossiff takes the helm of a program he previously served under as an assistant in 2010.

The new coaching hire is one of two for the Detroit-based College’s cross country and track & field programs after Bloomfield made the move to split the duties between a pair of coaches, rather than one coach over all areas in years past. Ossiff will lead the women’s side, while Tiberia Patterson will take the reins of the men’s cross country and track & field programs.

“We had a great interview process that featured plenty of high level applicants,” said Bloomfield. “Cary’s experience, knowledge, and most importantly, detail, made his hiring an easy choice for our leadership staff. He brings a great amount of recruiting and training experience from his previous stops at the collegiate and high school levels. We are happy to have Cary on board as part of our staff and are confident in his ability to grow this program immediately.”

With the hire, Ossiff transitions into his first head coaching gig at the collegiate level after numerous stints as an assistant at competitive, well-respected programs. Most recently, Ossiff spent three years (2011-13) as a graduate assistant coach in the NCAA Division III ranks at Defiance College. While at Defiance, Ossiff worked with hurdlers, sprinters, throwers and multi-event athletes. The student-athletes Ossiff worked with produced an impressive 15 school records, 12 NCAA Division III national qualifiers, 11 conference championships, four D-III All-Americans, one national runner-up, and one D-III National Champion (Hammer Throw).

Maintaining a busy schedule, Ossiff also earned his Master’s Degree in education with a concentration in coaching from Defiance in May 2013.

Ossiff made a brief stop at Marygrove in Fall 2010 as an assistant for the men’s and women’s cross country and track & field programs. Between Marygrove and Defiance, Ossiff spent one year as a strength & conditioning coach for Toledo University Rockets football – a team that finished with a 7-1 record in their conference that season.

Showcasing his ability to spot and train high school talent, Ossiff managed a recruiting database of over 300 student-athletes while at Defiance, and coached multiple state qualifiers during his coaching stints at Dearborn Heights Annapolis High School and Salem High School.

Ossiff has already been active with current student-athletes on his Marygrove roster and has begun the recruiting process for the 2015-16 athletics season.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to lead a program at such a great institution,” said Ossiff. “We have a small, but extremely talented group in-house that will train hard to compete at the highest level possible this season. As for recruiting, I know we have a great opportunity for growth at Marygrove. We will have a full squad next season with the mindset and intent of competing for championships right away.”