Jennifer "Jay" Hartshorn was announced as the next head coach of the track and field and cross country programs at Mount Holyoke College in June of 2022. Hartshorn is also a Lecturer in Physical Education at the College.

Hartshorn came to Mount Holyoke from Bates College, where she served as the head coach of the women's cross country and track and field programs for the last 17 years.

Hartshorn, a three-time NESCAC Coach of the Year, has led Bates track and field student-athletes to 49 indoor track and field all-america performances in 11 different events. In outdoor track and field, she has coached 11 student-athletes to 20 all-america performances in 11 different events, including a national championship. 

Hartshorn has also led her cross country programs to the NCAA Division III National Championship meet five times, including four of the last five years. In 2019, the Bobcats finished 14th at nationals, which was the best finish in team history. 

Prior to Bates, Hartshorn was the assistant coach for track and field at Syracuse University from 2001 to 2005. She coached the Orange cross country teams as the head coach and led Syracuse's distance runners in indoor and outdoor track and field.

From 1999 to 2001, Hartshorn was the assistant coach of cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field at Smith College, where she earned her master's degree in exercise and sports studies. 

A former standout student-athlete at Colby College, Hartshorn was an Academic All-American and national qualifier in cross country, a three-time All-American in indoor and outdoor track and field, and captain of Colby's indoor and outdoor track and field teams.

Lisa Ritchie returned to Mount Holyoke College in fall of 2022 to be the assistant cross country and track and field coach. She first worked at MHC as assistant cross country coach in 2010, which led her to complete her master’s degree in exercise and sport studies from Smith College in 2013. Originally from Atlanta, Ritchie also holds a master’s degree in education from Georgia State University. For the past several years, she has been a teacher and has coached cross country and track and field at the high-school level. She is also a certified personal trainer, functional strength coach, and is en route to certification as a strength and conditioning specialist. 

Kate Edwards joined the Mount Holyoke Lyons as a volunteer assistant coach in August of 2018.

Edwards graduated from Bryn Mawr College in the spring of 2018 with a degree in Russian and Classical Languages. While at Bryn Mawr, Edwards competed in four seasons of Cross Country and eight seasons of Track and Field. As a student-athlete, Edwards was recognized both for her academic and athletic achievement. She was named to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll nine consecutive times; she was also awarded USTFCCCA Academic Honors in Cross Country in the fall of 2016 and 2017.

Edwards’ athletic accomplishments include two First Team All-Seven Sisters Cross Country finishes and three Centennial Conference Championships scoring position finishes, as well as an All-Region Championship team finish in the 2017 NCAA Mideast Regional Championship. In the fall of 2017 she was named Centennial Conference Athlete of the Week for her win at Rowan University’s Bill Fritz Invitational. As a graduating senior she received Bryn Mawr’s Jenepher P. Shillingford Award for athletic excellence. She has had the privilege of racing against Division I and II schools and at such venues as the Armory Track and Penn Relays. However, Edwards considers her greatest achievement to be racing the 2016 Cross Country championship season with an undiagnosed stress fracture.

Edwards is a PhD student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Personal Records:

1500M: 4:58.61
3000M: 10:30.17
5000M: 18:05.53