Tag: track and field

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Feature: Patrick Hager

Patrick Hager (left) with men's cross country team - Courtesy of Houghton Highlander Athletics
By Abigail Bates ('26)

Patrick Hager is in his 10th year of being the Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Houghton University. Under his leadership, the program has won conference championships in cross country for women in 2019 and the men in 2023, as well as broken numerous records.

Coach Hager first came to Houghton when he was searching for full-time coaching jobs after finishing his two year tenure at Messiah University as a graduate assistant coach. He was offered the position and immediately accepted in the fall of 2014.

He explained that he has learned a lot since working at the university, especially from the student-athletes he works with.

“They energize me,” he stated, “and honestly push me to be a better man. I do think I hold my position in high regard in terms of my ability to influence and be a positive figure in the lives of 40-60 student-athletes a year. This ‘burden’, of sorts, really pushes me to adjust any bad attitude, or negativity that might try and peak to the surface.” 

Sophomore Noelle Linenfelser (‘26), a member of the women’s cross country team, has been positively impacted by Coach Hager in both her running and as a person, during her time at Houghton.

“I see Coach Hager impacting other students every day,” Linenfelser expressed. “He invests time and thought into every one of his athletes, developing personal training plans that will fit each individual to be able to help them reach their fullest potential.”

Linenfelser explained that runners in cross country and track & field programs will often peak performance-wise in their second and third year, before potentially declining. Comparatively, it is amazing that there are so many athletes in the program at Houghton who continue to progress throughout their four years.

“I have no doubt that this is thanks to Coach Hager’s hard and very intentional work, and I am so grateful to have him as a coach,” Linenfelser stated.

Matthew Webb, the Director of Athletics, is optimistic about the continued success under Coach Hager’s leadership. He described the culture Hagar has built in cross country and track & field as one of discipline and excellence.

“Honestly,” Coach Hager disclosed, “I think our program is in as good of a place from a culture and performance standpoint as it’s ever been.”

Coach Hager wants to maintain this quality in the program, while continuing to reach for breakthroughs. In the future, he would like to have someone qualify for the NCAA Championships, and pave the way for future student-athletes to do the same. Even so, Coach Hager remarked that it means more to him to see success in athletics when there are solid relationships with those he is working with.

“Every summer,” Webb commented, “it seems as if Coach Hager is attending multiple weddings of his former athletes.”

One of Coach Hager’s favorite things about being a coach at Houghton are the wedding invitations. At the weddings, there always tends to be a handful of past and present student-athletes (or as many as 33, in the case of Miller-Domaracki’s wedding).

“Being [a part] of this,” Coach Hager stated, “I think encapsulates my goal for the program. To get so connected with each other through the vehicle of athletics that we can celebrate important life events together, years later.” ★

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Olympic Gold Medalist Trains in KPFH

Olympic Pole Vaulter and gold medalist, Jenn Suhr, began training in the Kerr-Pegula Field House (KPFH) on weekday afternoons. According to Athletic Director, Harold ‘Skip’ Lord, Rick Suhr, Suhr’s husband and coach, called the athletic department in late September asking about the KPFH as a possible place for his wife and him to train. After multiple contacts, the Suhrs offered to be present for the homecoming ceremonies at the KPFH, including the ribbon cutting ceremony. The couple wanted to support the new facility, as well as the sport as a whole.

Jenn Suhr Front PageAccording to Lord, Suhr’s ties to Houghton go back to her high school years. Originally a basketball player, Suhr did not participate in track and field until her senior year. She had been recruited by Lord to play for Houghton when he was the head women’s basketball coach, but instead played basketball games in a Roberts Wesleyan uniform on multiple occasions at the Neilsen Physical Education Center.

Shortly after, she  began setting national records in track and field, improving over time until she reached her current status. At  the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, Suhr won the gold medal in pole vault. Then in 2012 Olympics, which took place in London, England, she received the gold medal in pole vault. Suhr also holds the world indoor record for pole vault, as well as five indoor and four outdoor pole vault records.  In addition to being a two-time olympian, Surh also anticipates a third trip to the 2016 Olympic games.

Suhr and Mr. Suhr  live in Rochester, but come to the KPFH about twice a week to train. As there are numerous field house complexes in the Rochester area, such as at Brockport University, Roberts Wesleyan, RIT, and the University of Rochester, Suhr choosing to train at the KPFH compliments the facility in many ways.  Lord said, “This [the KPFH] is as nice as any one of them, if not nicer.”

Jenn SuhrThe advantages of Suhr’s presence include increased visibility and publicity of the KPFH. Now that Houghton can now advertise hosting an Olympian on campus, Lord thinks filling up the building for both high school and collegiate indoor track and field events may be easier. “Prospective Houghton students still in high school, especially those we bring in for track meets, may be more drawn to the college because of this,” Lord stated. It is hoped high school track athletes visiting campus will be as impressed with the KPFH as Suhr is.  Lord added, “This is a very good field house for a NCAA division three school.”

Increased visibility for the KPFH is a primary goal for the Athletic Department. Though, as Lord remarked, Houghton is still “learning how to get the word out” and use the facilities to the maximum benefit of the students and institution. The hope is with the events and visibility of the KPFH, it will expose prospective students to Houghton, create a stream of revenue for the college, and stimulate both the local economy and the surrounding community.

Current students can look forward to the possibility that Suhr may enter  some inter-collegiate indoor track meets as an open, unattached competitor. Houghton pole vaulter, Judith Marklin, thinks it would be intimidating to compete with Suhr, but also would motivate her to be a better competitor, “I think that when you compete with people that are a lot better than you it really pushes you in so many different ways and seeing how she trains and just looking at her, herself, how much conditioning and strength training has to go into everything and how she really has to touch on all aspects.” She said, “ It’s not just focusing on pole vault technique, but everything. Seeing how to really focus on on all different aspects of your life , spiritually included, in order to become a good athlete, and then being able to compete against someone like that, you also have to step up your game and take into consideration all the different things you’re doing.”

Marklin also thinks competing with Suhr would also help people to get to know Suhr as person, not just an athlete, “I think a lot of times we like to put people that have achieved that amount of excellence on pedestals and not really see them as humans, but I think in competition you really get to see people’s strengths and weaknesses, so I think it’d be a good opportunity to see that in some ways we are just like Jenn.”

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New KPFH and NPEC Operating Hours Inconvenient for Students, Faculty, and Staff

With the opening of the new Kerr-Pegula Field House (KPFH), complete with workout facilities accessible to students and faculty, it was anticipated traffic at the Nielsen Physical Education Center (NPEC) would be significantly reduced. However, many within the Houghton community are still unhappy.

ABurdoGym HoursCMYKThe new hours of operation of both the KPFH and the NPEC have become an inconvenience for students and faculty alike. The problem, for many, is caused by the later opening times of both fitness centers not opening its doors until 8 a.m. The result of the changed times are the students and faculty, who typically exercised in the early morning, having difficulty finding time to workout or are unable to workout altogether.

Melissa Bell, a sophomore and thrower for Houghton’s track and field team, has had difficulty juggling studies and preseason workouts with the KPFH hours. Bell said, in general, the KPFH weight room isn’t open long enough. “It is only open for four hours out of the day,” she said. “It gets really crowded in the afternoon, when I usually go to lift.”

“Athletes need to get into the facilities, and everyone has busy schedules. Early morning hours would be helpful.” She said, “ I don’t like getting up early, but if either building were open at 6 a.m., I would go do 6 a.m. lifts to have more time for other things during the day and avoid the rush.”

Faculty and staff members are also frustrated with this situation. Brian Webb, the college’s sustainability coordinator and intercultural student programs cordinator , expressed his frustrations about the new operating hours. Webb, a husband and father of young children, works 3 jobs and is currently enrolled in graduate school at Harvard Extension School. For him, this means that the only time he can exercise is in the early morning. He said this is true for many faculty and staff. Webb stated any other time would mean “missing out on time spent with my wife and children.” He also stated  “the free access to fitness facilities were a great benefit of working at Houghton College, but now this is of almost no value.”

Athletic director, Harold “Skip” Lord said there are obvious “safety, liability and financial issues involved” in the decision to cut the early morning hours in the Neilson and the KPFH. In response, Webb suggested Houghton consider having exercisers sign a waiver if they wish to work out in the morning, or perhaps the implementation of a “buddy-system.” He stated during the early morning hours there were “never proctors previously, and there were no major problems.”

There may soon be action taken to accommodate the concerns raised by members of the community. According to Lord, the athletic department has been taking input from the community, as requested in the initial all-campus e-mail. He stated, “There have been enough requests for morning hours that we have been looking for ways to fund coverage.” Lord also said  he planned to discuss possible solutions with the Vice President of Student Life, Rob Pool.