It didn’t take long for Evan Abelson to find his coaching legs.
After one season as an assistant, the Greenfield native and former Greenfield High School cross country standout will have a collegiate program of his own to guide. Abelson was tabbed as the new women’s cross country coach at NCAA Division III William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y., earlier this week, making the move after one season as an assistant coach at SUNY-Potsdam.
Abelson said his interest in continuing with the sport started a few years back, when running at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., before his 2016 graduation.
“I think it started my junior year of college,” he explained. “I kind of realized my coach had had such an impact on my life and I wanted to have a similar impact. The easiest way for me to do that was to work in the same profession. I love running and I love influencing others in the same capacity so it’s been a lot of fun to continue working in the field.”
Abelson will finish up his coaching duties at SUNY-Potsdam next week before starting at William Smith on March 7. The spring season with the Herons will be an acclimation period in anticipation of his first full season beginning in August.
“A lot of the early parts of the job will be getting boots on the ground for recruiting,” he explained. “I’m fairly familiar with the area. Hamilton is fairly close. At liberal arts schools like that, kids come from all over. It’s about selling the area. I think the area is beautiful and kind of sells itself.”
Abelson applied for the job at William Smith about a month ago and interviewed two weeks before landing the gig. The Herons don’t currently have a track & field program, meaning he’ll be able to focus solely on cross country.
“I was looking for a school that was similar to Hamilton — a private, liberal arts school,” Abelson offered. “That’s where I wanted to continue my career and having a program that only has cross country is a perfect way to start my (head) coaching career. I can be more focused on the task at hand, cut my teeth doing something very specific.”
In addition to the area and feel of the campus, William Smith offered several other intriguing connections for Abelson. His father, Justin, is a 1978 Hobart graduate who competed in cross country and track and field and his sister, Claire, is a William Smith cross country student-athlete who will graduate in 2020. Hobart and William Smith operate as coordinate colleges, sharing classes and buildings while operating as separate institutions.
“I already told (Claire) that she’s going to have to call me Coach,” said Abelson with a laugh. “The good thing about cross country is that there’s really no way to give preferential treatment. She’ll do the same workouts as everyone else.”
The Herons, which compete in the Liberty League (D-III), took third place at last year’s ECAC Championships before nabbing 29th at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships in Glassboro, N.J.
“I’m pleased to welcome Evan to our Heron coaching staff and to Hobart and William Smith Colleges,” said William Smith athletic director Deb Steward. “Evan’s passion for coaching and running were evident in our search process. His knowledge of the science of training distance runners for peak performance will aid in our team’s success. In addition, Evan’s personal experience at a Division III liberal arts college will be a great asset in recruiting student-athletes to HWS.”
With one season of coaching under his belt, Abelson said his style will continue to evolve.
“I think one of the biggest things you learn is that the actual coaching aspect is such a small percentage of what you’re responsible for,” he explained. “There’s a lot of behind the scenes, making connections, that type of thing that will take up more of your time.
“Besides evolving, I would say that my coaching style is about creating a positive environment that will yield good results,” he continued. “If the athletes are caught up on sleep and ahead on course work, that will only help their ability to focus and get the best results they can get.”
Abelson, a 2012 Greenfield High School grad, earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Hamilton College. He was a four-year letter winner on the Continentals’ cross country and track and field teams, serving as cross country team captain during his junior and senior seasons. Abelson led Hamilton to a spot in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship field as a senior, earning All-Atlantic Region honors in cross country in 2015 while also running in the national championship meet that year.