Penn State '11
2nd Year
TFRRS Performance List
UPDATED BIO FOLLOWING 2017 CROSS COUNTRY SEASON
Ryan Foster was appointed the head coach for men’s and women’s cross country and the assistant coach for track & field in June 2016. He will work with Anne Carlson, who is the head track & field coach and director of cross country operations.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Ryan as our new cross country coach,” related Director of Athletics Bruce Baumgartner at the time of his hiring. “He brings an outstanding background to our staff. We are committed to making sure the Edinboro cross country program remains among the best in the PSAC and Division II. We believe Ryan possesses the qualities both athletically and academically to maintain that tradition.”
Foster, was a multiple-time All-American and Big Ten champion while competing at Penn State. In his first season as head coach, he guided the men's cross country team to third place finishes at the PSAC Championships and NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional, earning a berth in the NCAA Division II National Championships. Edinboro would finish 28th at Nationals.
Foster's first Ednboro men's cross country team featured PSAC Freshman of the Year Bryan Geehrer. Geehrer finished second at the PSAC Championships, one of three runners to earn first team All-PSAC honors. Two other runners earned second team accolades. Edinboro also had five runners earn All-Atlantic Region recognition.
A rebuilding women's cross country team finished seventh at the PSAC Championships and was tied for tenth at the Atlantic Regional. Emma Sullivan earned first team All-PSAC honors and two other women ran to second team honors. Sullivan was also an All-Atlantic Region performer.
Foster's initial Edinboro editions also excelledi n the classroom as both the men's and women's teams earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors.
A native of Hobart, Tasmania in Australia, Foster takes over the Fighting Scots program after most recently serving as a Project Officer – Disability Sports in the Department of Community Sport and Recreation in Tasmania. He had just returned to Tasmania in March of 2016 after serving as an assistant coach in cross country and track at his alma mater, Penn State.
After completing his career as a member of the Nittany Lion cross country and track & field teams in 2011, he began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Penn State in August 2011. After spending two seasons as a volunteer assistant, he was named an assistant coach in August 2013, holding the position until August 2015.
In addition to serving as an assistant coach in cross country at Penn State, Foster oversaw the 800m and mile runners in track & field, along with working with the 5,000m, 10,000m and steeple chase competitors.
A 2011 graduate of Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a minor in Business, Foster enjoyed one of the most successful running careers in program history. He finished his tenure as a three-time All-American, including a pair of NCAA bronze-medal efforts - as well as four Big Ten titles.
He was a multiple-time NCAA qualifier, finishing third in the 800 at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2010, and taking third place in the mile run at the NCAA Indoor Championships the following year. He was also a member of the Nittany Lions' NCAA-qualifying team in cross country in 2010.
Foster won the Big Ten indoor title in the 800-meter run during his sophomore campaign in 2009. He would go on to win three straight indoor conference half mile crowns, while also picking up an outdoor victory in the same event in 2009.
Foster owns several of the top times ever in Penn State track & field. He posted personal-best efforts of 1:46.78 in the 800, the fourth-best performance in school history, and 2:19.60 for the 1000-meters, which stands as the fourth-fastest effort in the record books. In 2011, Foster led the Nittany Lions to their first Penn Relays Championship of America since 1987, anchoring the Sprint Medley Relay squad to a finishing time of 3:17.10, which remains a Penn State record.
He remains one of just four Nittany Lion harriers to break 4:00 in the mile, running 3:58.49. He was the first Tasmanian to break the 4:00-barrier indoors, and also holds Australian national records in the indoor 800-meters (1:47.48) and 1000-meters (2:19.60).
Before joining the Penn State coaching staff, Foster worked in the State College area with the Kevin Dare Foundation before serving as the Chief of Staff for Partners Financial Group (PFG).
During his time with the Dare Foundation, Foster organized and participated in the world-record setting 1,000-mile relay, in an effort to promote the Foundation's scholarship fund, "Life ... Back on Track."
The fundraising effort helps athletes with debilitating injuries/illness, through financial scholarships, achieve their academic goals in memory of the life of former Penn State pole vaulter Kevin Dare. The 10-man team, which was comprised of mostly Nittany Lion alumni, completed the 1000-mile trek from Minneapolis, Minn., to Nittany Lion Track in 95 hours, three minutes, and one second.
Foster’s running background also includes establishing two Australian records, in the 800m indoors and 1,000m indoors. In addition, he participated in the IAAF World Indoor Athletics Championships, finishing 19th in the 1500-meter run.
Foster resides in Edinboro with his wife Kara.
