Chris Kibler Earns NEWMAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year Honors

Chris Kibler joined the Mount Holyoke staff as the Lyons Head Cross Country and Assistant Track & Field coach in August of 2017. He was named the head coach of the Track & Field Team in the Fall of 2018. 

Kibler helped the Mount Holyoke College cross country team reach new heights during the 2019 season, which was proven when the Lyons had its best finish in program history at the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championships, taking seventh overall. Kibler also coached Hannah Rieders and Madeline Rieders to All-Region honors, as they were the first student-athletes since Christine Klepacki in 2005 to earn All-Region status by finishing in the Top 35 among the New England's top talent. Kibler, who was also named the NEWMAC Cross Country Coach of the Year, guided Hannah Rieders, Madeline Rieders and first-year Lauren Selkin to All-Conference accolades, with Selkin going on to be named the NEWMAC Cross Country Rookie of the Year.

During the 2018 campaign, Kibler helped navigate the Lyons to a number of outstanding finishes, placing top-10 in six meets, while finishing 17th in the seventh race of the season. Highlighting the schedule was a third-place finish at the James Earley Invitational at Westfield State. The Lyons went on to earn fourth at the Seven Sisters Championship, aided by a 12th-place and All-Tournament Team finish by sophmore Simone Jacob. Following a sixth-place spot at the NEWMAC Championships, MHC posted 17th overall at the NCAA New England Regional Championship. In a field of 57 teams, the Lyons recorded their best finish in over a decade as five of the team's seven runners were in the top-150 in a field that featured over 400 runners. Academically, the Lyons continued to perform strong as seven student-athletes were named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Team.

In his first season at the helm, Kibler guided the cross country team to four top-10 finishes over six meets during the fall season. Highlighting the year was a seventh place finish at the Seven Sisters Championship (6k), followed by a 10th-place finish at NEWMAC's. MHC also took 39th overall at the NCAA New England Regional Championship. Academically, the Lyons shined as nine student-athletes were named to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Team, which was second-most among the conference schools, and just two honorees behind MIT.

Kibler came to Mount Holyoke after serving as the head cross country and track & field coach at Keystone College. He oversaw all aspects of coaching and team operations, including developing effective, individualized training plans and organizing all aspects of recruiting. Kibler also served as the strength and conditioning coach at Keystone during this time, designing functional training plans for all sports, as well as conducting assessments for athletes.

Prior to his time at Keystone, Kibler served as a volunteer assistant coach at Division I Wake Forest University. During his tenure in the spring of 2016 he helped lead and monitor practice and post-workout drills, as well as organizing all aspects of recruiting.

Kibler served four years as the associate head coach of cross country and track & field at his alma mater, Fitchburg State from 2012 till 2016. During that time, he created personalized training for each athlete, organized recruiting efforts, while also leading and supervising practice and strength workouts. In addition to his coaching role, Kibler has served as an adjunct professor in the exercise and sports science department at Fitchburg State since 2015.

From 2014 through 2016, Kibler also utilized his strength and conditioning skills at Power Source Training Center, where he led, supervised, and assessed athletes of all ages and created individualized strength and speed development cycles.

Kibler served as an intern in the Athletic Communications Office at American International College in 2014, and worked as an intern in strength and conditioning at the College of the Holy Cross in the spring of 2012.

A former All-American in the mile at Fitchburg State, Kibler continues to hold a number of Falcons' records, including in the 1500-meter, the mile, two-mile, 3k, 5k, DMR and the 4x800-meter relay. A seven-time Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) champion, he was the recipient of the Paul K. Waring '38 Athlete of the Year Award in 2014.

Additionally, Kibler was the 2012 MASCAC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, the Fitchburg State Athletic Leadership Award recipient and a four-time MASCAC All-Academic selection.

In addition to being a certified strength and conditioning specialist, Kibler is also Level 1 certified by USA Track and Field. He is also a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, as well as the American College of Sports Medicine.

Kibler graduated Magna Cum Laude from Fitchburg State in 2012, earning his Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sports Science. He was awarded his M.B.A. in management from FSU in 2015, while also earning his certificate in massage therapy from the New Hampshire Institute of Therapeutic Arts in 2013.

Coach Kibler's Personal Bests:

800m - 1:53.6
1 mile - 4:07.2
3000m - 8:28.9
5000m - 14:27.2