Patterson Tabbed as Men’s XC and Track & Field Coach

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DETROIT – In his second of two moves Monday (Sept. 29), Marygrove athletic director Steve Bloomfield announced the hiring of Tiberia Patterson as head coach of the men’s cross country and track & field programs. A former accomplished student-athlete and a locally-known coach, Patterson joins the Marygrove staff for his first stint as a head coach at the collegiate level.

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. Patterson will lead the men’s side, while Cary Ossiff will be in charge of the women’s cross country and track & field programs.

“Tiberia is a high energy guy with a ton of passion for the development of student-athletes on-and-off the track,” said Bloomfield. “He made an immediate impression on us during the interview process and we look forward to watching him work with our current student-athletes. He has the experience and knowledge – both as a coach and student-athlete – and the vision necessary to build a program at the NAIA level.”

Patterson, a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, was a 1994 NCAA Division I All-American in the 60-meter hurdles and a two-time Mid-American Conference (MAC) Champion in 1993 and 1994. The former standout student-athlete was also named the Eagles’ team captain during the ’93 and ’94 seasons and was an Eastern Michigan and MAC record-holder in the 60-meter hurdles.

After his collegiate running days were done, Patterson moved on to become an assistant coach at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn. from 1994-95. While at Lehigh, Patterson was responsible for coaching male and female sprinters and hurdlers, and assisted in the overall recruiting process for the program, travel, and meet management.

Patterson transitioned from Lehigh to begin his individual and team speed training career for athletes of various sports. The long-time speed trainer has continued that role throughout the years and has made stops at locally-known 2SP (Madison Heights, Mich.) and SWAT Elite Sports (Howell, Mich.).

The former Eastern Michigan star returned to his alma mater in 2010 as an interim assistant coach with responsibilities in coaching hurdlers and sprinters, as well as the overall recruitment of student-athletes. Patterson was also a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Michigan from 2007-2011 where he counseled and trained the Wolverines’ men’s hurdlers, organized and directed summer technique camps, assisted in home meet staging, and assisted in scheduling and conducting student-athlete recruit visits.

“This is an incredible opportunity for me,” said Patterson. “We have a great group of returners that will compete strongly this year. I expect the men’s cross country and track & field program to grow rapidly and become a force in on Marygrove’s campus, and in our conference, for years to come.”