La Roche College is pleased to introduce Michelle Corkum as the new head coach of the women's cross country program. Michelle joins the La Roche College staff after a standout running career at Allegheny College.

"I am very appreciative and excited for the opportunity to be the head coach of the La Roche women's cross country program. I want to share my running knowledge with others and hopefully cultivate young runners into life-long athletes."

While at Allegheny College, Michelle twice qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships and was also a 10,000 meter qualifier at the National Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She was named an All-North Coast Athletic Conference performer in 2006 and 2007 and helped her track and field team to two conference championships.

In addition to her coaching duties, Michelle keeps active in the local Pittsburgh Area racing circuit. She recently placed first in the Pittsburgh Race for the Cure 5K and North Park's Spring Thaw 15 miler. She also narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympic Trials in the marathon with a time of 2:48:40 at the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon.

"Michelle is going to be a great addition to our staff. She has had, and continues to have, an impressive long distance running career. We're very excited for our women's cross country program to have Michelle as their new head coach. We are all looking forward to Michelle establishing stability and developing a competitive program".

La Roche women's cross country will open their season at the Westmoreland County Community College Invitational in Youngwood, PA on September 8, 2012.