Tuesday, July 12, 2005

                  Scott Hutchinson Named Men’s Track and Field
                         and Cross Country Coach at USM

     GORHAM, Maine  --  Scott Hutchinson, the women’s cross country and track 
coach at Salve Regina University for the past two years, has accepted the head 
coaching position of the men’s cross country and track and field program at the 
University of Southern Maine.  Al Bean, Director of Athletics at USM, made the 
announcement following an extensive search process.
     Hutchinson will assume his duties at USM starting August 15.  He succeeds 
Bruce Bickford, who left USM in March to pursue other professional 
opportunities.
     “Scott is recognized as an outstanding coach, role model and a person of 
great character,” commented Bean.  “He has a reputation for being a tireless 
worker, and he cares deeply about the student-athletes involved in his program.  
I’m confident that he will continue developing the USM men’s cross country and 
track programs to be among the most competitive in the region.”
     Prior to his two years at Salve Regina, Hutchinson was the men’s and 
women’s cross country and track and field coach at Babson College for 15 years 
(1988-2003).  While at Babson, he also served as the operations manager for the 
college’s recreation center and had an eight-year tenure as the athletic 
department’s equipment manager.
     A 1986 graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a 
bachelor’s degree in recreation management, Hutchinson began his coaching career 
at his alma mater, guiding the men's and women’s cross country teams during the 
1986 season.  As an undergraduate at UMPI, he was a three-time captain and 
three-time MVP of the Owls cross country team.  He was an NAIA All-New England 
runner in 1985 after finishing eighth at the regional championship meet and 
qualified for the NAIA national championship.  He was elected to the UMPI Hall 
of Fame in 2002.
     At Babson, Hutchinson coached the men's and women’s cross country teams for 
15 seasons (1988-2002).  He organized and established the outdoor track program 
as a varsity program at Babson in 2001 after a ten-year term as a club team.  He 
coached 13 men to all-conference honors (11 in cross country and 2 in track), 
including two-time NEWMAC 10,000-meter champion Brian Gagne.  Babson also served 
as the host institution for the 1998 NCAA Cross Country Regional Championships.  
The meet was held on a course designed and developed by Hutchinson.
     In two seasons at Salve Regina, Hutchinson led the women’s cross country 
team to a third place finish in 2003 and a second place result in 2004 at the 
Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship, and was named CCC women’s cross 
country Coach of the Year following the 2004 season.  His team was 19th at the 
2003 NCAA Regional Championship and 22nd last fall.
     Hutchinson is a member of the United States Track Coaches Association.
     The Huskies open their 2005 cross country season on September 10 when they 
travel to Amherst, Mass., to participate in the Amherst College Invitational.

-ble-