For the second time in the 2007-2008 academic year, an SPU head coach, recognized by an athletic hall of fame, has stepped down.

In November 2007, men's head soccer coach Cliff McCrath was forced to resign.

Now, after 30 seasons of impacting the lives of young athletes, Doris Heritage is retiring as head coach of the cross country team.

"It was time," Heritage said as her reason for stepping down.

Although retiring as head coach, Heritage has agreed to stay on as assistant coach for the duration of the 2008 cross country season.

Erika Daligcon, who was previously Heritage's assistant coach and also a track and field coach, was asked to take over Heritage's position.

In turn, she invited Heritage to be an assistant coach.

"I trust whatever she [Heritage] chooses is probably the best for her," senior runner Brian Cronrath said of Heritage. "It has been nice having someone who has been at such a high level of the sport there to guide us."

Throughout the years, Heritage has created a rich legacy as a record-setter, an Olympic runner, a coach and a mentor.

Under the instruction of the then head coach Ken Foreman, Heritage became the premiere female runner of the 1960s. In the years after her graduation from SPU in 1964, she held all the world records in women's running events, from 440 yards to the 3k.

Heritage was named to the 1968 and 1972 Olympic teams, competing in both Mexico City and Munich--two of the nine U.S. world squads she ran for.

A decorated running career was capped off by her induction into both the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1990 and the United States Track Coaches Hall of Fame in 1999. She was only the second woman ever to be voted into the latter.

In 1977, Heritage took over the cross country head coach position at SPU. Her coaching career culminated in last year's second-place victory by the Falcons at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships.

"I think she [Heritage] is a fantastic coach, and I feel blessed to have gotten to know her so well in my four years here at SPU," senior cross country runner Kaitlin Rohde said.

Rohde said Heritage has been a very understanding and flexible coach, especially when it comes to the academic success of her athletes.

"Something that I've always been really thankful for is that Doris really wants us to focus on school more than running," Rohde said.

If athletes ever had conflicts with practice times in order to do internships or classes, Rohde said Heritage would always gladly meet them later at night in order to time them.

Although dedicated to the sport of cross country and the athletes she has coached, she said she is happy to be handing over her head coach stopwatch to Daligcon.

Heritage and Daligcon's relationship, according to Heritage, is multi-faceted. They have been coach and student, close friends, and co-workers.

Heritage appreciates her unique relationship with her student-athletes, as well. "It's meaningful to follow through with the athletes I've brought into the program," Heritage said.

"Track without Doris just isn't track," sophomore Jessica Pixler said.