Coaching Staff
Keith Roberts Jr.
Head Coach
(419) 448-2011
krobert3@heidelberg.edu
Bringing a wealth of enthusiasm and dedication to the Heidelberg University men’s and women’s cross country and track and field teams over the last two years has been Keith Roberts Jr. The 2009-10 year marks the second year at the helm of both the cross country and track and field programs for Roberts, but it is his third season at the Berg. Roberts was named the head coach on Feb. 26, 2009 after serving in an interim role since July 2008. But he was no stranger to the Berg has he was an assistant coach during the 2007-08 academic year.
In just his first year overseeing the cross country programs, Roberts guided the men’s cross country team to its sixth NCAA Championships, including its third straight, as well as a third-place finish at the Ohio Athletic Conference Championships. He coached junior Devin Butcher to the individual title, marking just the fourth time, and first since 2002, that a ’Berg runner has won the event. After consistently ranking among the nation’s elite, Heidelberg finished the year standing 19th.
On the women’s track in 2008-09, Roberts crowned Heidelberg’s second women’s indoor national champion, Judy Bataille in the 55-meter dash, while guiding three All-Americans. At both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships, Roberts qualified the most athletes ever in the history of the women’s program. On the outdoor track, six athletes represented the Berg, the most ever in a single year. The women had its best finish ever at the All-Ohio Championships, while placing in the top-half of the OAC. For the women, on both tracks, seven individuals and two relays were tabbed all-league performers.
Roberts continued to help the men add to its storied history, placing second at both the indoor and outdoor OAC Championships, while also taking home a top-three finish at the All-Ohio Championships. Three individuals, and the 4x400-meter relay, qualified for nationals on either the indoor or outdoor track. Julius Higginbotham swept both the OAC Indoor Championships’ Bud Yoest Field Athlete of the Meet and Don Frail Sprinter of the Meet honors. For the year, the men combined their tracks for 15 individual All-OAC honors and four relays all-league selections.
In his first year at Heidelberg, Roberts worked primarily with the sprinters and hurdlers on both the men’s and women’s teams. Between the indoor and outdoor track, Roberts helped to bring home 12 individual Ohio Athletic Conference honors, as well as seven relay All-OAC accolades. Bataille won her first indoor 55-meter National Championship and All-American honors, while the men’s indoor 4x400-meter relay team just missed All-American honors at the national championships.
Prior to arriving at Heidelberg, Roberts was head coach for the Logan County Elite Track Club in Bellefontaine, Ohio. He also was an assistant coach for Bellefontaine High School and the Summit Academy in Herman, Pa. for the 2006 season and from 2005-2006 assisted at the University of Pittsburgh.
Roberts attended Kent State University and was a member of the track and field team. He won the Mid-American Conference Championship in the indoor 60-meter hurdles, and currently holds the indoor 55-meter hurdles record. Roberts also placed 11th in the nation in Division I in the indoor 60-meter hurdles in 2003, and was named a Freshman Verizon All-American in the outdoor 110-meter hurdles.
A native of Bellefontaine, Ohio, Roberts attended Bellefontaine High School, and graduated in the fall of 2005 from Kent with a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communication, and received his master’s degree in education from Heidelberg in 2009.
Tessa Sibley
Assistant Coach
(419) 448-2968
tsibley@heidelberg.edu
In 2009-10 Tessa Sibley will embark on her third year as an assistant coach for the Heidelberg cross country and track and field teams. She received her USATF Level 1 certification at the University of Louisville in the summer of 2008.
In two years assisting the women’s program, Sibley has helped to lead the first indoor national qualifiers ever, as well as the first outdoor qualifiers since 2006. Two national champions have been crowned during her time, along with four All-American accolades. Her sprinters and jumpers have accumulated 10 individual all-league honors, along with four relays. For her efforts with the women’s program, Sibley was tabbed the Great Lakes Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA in 2009.
On the men’s side, Sibley has helped to train three national qualifiers and two relays. Along the way, a Heidelberg sprinter has picked up the OAC Indoor Sprinter of the Meet honors, as well as a combined eight individual, and two relay, all-league accolades.
Sibley attended Kent State University where she was a captain of the track and field team and a member of the 2003 Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship team. She competed at the 2003 NCAA Division I Regional Championships in the 4x100 relay and ranks in the Top Five on Kent’s All-Time Performance List in the 60-meter dash.
A native of Gallipolis, Ohio, Sibley attended Gallia Academy High School and was a runner-up at the OHSAA state meet in the 100-meter dash and a state champion in the 4x200 relay. She graduated cum laude from Kent State with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication and received academic honors such as the Mid-American Conference Presidential Award, National Dean’s List, Who’s Who Among College Students and Chi Alpha Sigma. Sibley will utilize her experience in the honors program in her role as the Academic Coordinator for the track and field teams at the Berg.
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Ray Armstrong Jr.
Assistant Coach
(419) 448-2179
rarmstro@heidelberg.edu
Looking to step in and make a difference with the Heidelberg Cross country and Track and field programs is first year assistant Ray Armstrong Jr. Armstrong hopes to bring a new direction for the middle distance.
Armstrong graduated from Kent State University in May of 2008 with a Bachelor’s of science in sports management and a minor in athletic coaching. While at Kent State Armstrong was a part of the outdoor Mid-American Conference Championship team in 2004 and set a school record in the 4x800-meter relay. Armstrong ranked second all-time indoor in the 600-meter run (1:20) and 800-meter run (1:50.91) at Kent State and set personal records in the outdoor 800-meter run (1:50.51), the 1500-meter run (3:51) and the 8K (25:26).
Armstrong is a native of Elyria, Ohio and attended Elyria High School, where he ran on the State Champion 4x800 meter relay in 2002. Before coming to Heidelberg Armstrong was an assistant coach for two seasons at Elyria High School. He is currently pursuing a master’s in education at the Berg.
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Jason Headman
Jason Headman will embark on his first year as an assistant for the Heidelberg cross country and track and field teams in 2009-10. He will work directly with the distance runners. In 2008, Headman assisted at the University of Akron.
Headman brings a wealth of success to the program after a stellar career at Akron. He helped lead the track and field team to the 2008 and 2009 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championship and served as a captain for the 2008-09 season. Headman holds Akron school records for the indoor 5,000-meter run (14:41) and outdoor 10,000 meter run. He was the outdoor track champion in the 2009 All-Ohio 10K (30:10) and earned All-Mid American Conference honors in indoor and outdoor track four times during his career.
As a member of Akron’s cross country team, Headman was a two-time first team All-MAC selection and ran a personal record time of 24:40 in the 8K. He holds the best individual cross country finish at the MAC meet in school history (fourth place) and earned All-Ohio honors in 2005 and 2006. Headman was also a team captain in 2007.
A native of Ashtabula, Ohio, Headman attended Ashtabula Edgewood High School where he ran on the 2003 cross country state championship team. He graduated with a degree in physical education at Akron and has worked the Northeast Ohio Running Camp for the past five years. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education at Heidelberg.