University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Williams Announces Goodson As Head Cross Country Coach
7/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
July 20, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Head Track and Field Coach Wayne Williams announced the hiring of former Lady Eagle Cassandra Goodson as the Head Cross Country Coach today. Goodson also will serve as an Assistant Track and Field Coach.
"I felt like Cassandra would be a good replacement for Coach Osteen," Williams said. "She is familiar with the program as a former student-athlete and she's perfect to be the Cross Country coach because she participated in it. She knows what we look for in our track athletes and will be a great addition to our coaching staff. We're happy to have her."
"I've always wanted to coach and I'm very excited," Goodson said. "I hope to continue the success of the cross country program. I'm honored that Coach Williams asked me to be a part of the coaching staff."
Before being hired as a coach, Goodson spent the past year competing professionally in several races in California.
Goodson was a two-year letterwinner with the cross country and track and field programs with the Golden Eagles. She owns two indoor records in the running events, the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:16:55 and the 5,000 meters with a time of 17:52.65. She also holds the school record in the outdoor 5,000 meters with a time of 17:31.81 and the 10,000 meters with a time of 37:01.65. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology.
Goodson helped the Southern Miss team to a second-place finish in 2005 with two fifth-place finishes in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Prior to coming to Southern Miss, Goodson competed in track and field and cross country for two seasons at Diablo Valley College in Concord, Calif., where she was the most valuable member of her cross country team. She was the NorCal 10,000-meter champion and finished fifth in the state in the same event. She was a four-year letterwinner at Chaminade College Prep, where she was an all-conference selection for four years.
The Chatsworth, Calif., native her bachelor's degree in psychology from Southern Miss in 2005.
