Two weeks into the 2011 cross country season, Oswego State head coach Bobby Wilson resigned from his position and accepted a position at Central Michigan University, a little more than a year after signing with Oswego State.

Wilson was brought on in an attempt to “bring stability” to the Lakers’ track and cross country programs, but instead he has left a flurry of doubt and unanswered questions. The news broke just after the men and women’s cross country team finished 3rd and 4th respectively at the Oswego State Invitational.

Wilson signed with Oswego State during the summer of 2010, after he helped guide Bucknell University to Patriot League titles in women’s cross country, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field and men’s outdoor track and field as the assistant head coach.

During his time as head coach of the Lakers, Wilson guided the men’s and women’s cross country teams to 7th and 8th place finishes, respectively, out of 10 schools in the 2010-11 SUNYAC Championships. The men’s and women’s track teams also finished 7th and 8th respectively at the SUNYAC Championship out of eight teams. Despite past struggles, both teams started off the season strong before the news of Wilsons departure.

The turmoil of losing a head coach mid season can be daunting, but members of the cross country team are remaining optimistic about the situation.

“We as a team understand the reasons as to why he resigned as head coach. Fortunately, Coach Grimm is a phenomenal coach who can handle any task,” senior co-captain Loreley Gomez said. “I hope that the Athletic Department will find a candidate that fits with our program and will lead us to success during the indoor and outdoor seasons.”

Grimm also has a very capable support system that can help keep the team focused in this time of transition.

“{Volunteer coach} Don Masterson is back, and we have Malcolm {Huggins}, the assistant athletic director who is very talented,” senior Justin Marren said. “So we have a lot of people we can talk to about it.”

The move by Wilson caught many members of the team off-guard, but most are looking ahead to the rest of the season.

“The team can move on without him, it’s just a shock to see him leave so suddenly.” Sophomore runner Lauren Flemming said.

“We’ll be doing a lot to try and keep the cross country and track team together while we search for a new coach,” sophomore runner Christen Drambley said. “Until then coach Grimm is fully capable of coaching us for the rest of the season.”

Grimm is viewing the situation as an opportunity and also said she plans to stay with the team for a while.

“We need stability, and it’s good to have Coach Grimm here,” Marren said. “She’s very capable.”

Even with the loss of Wilson, the men’s and women’s cross country teams are off to a promising start, and will continue to build on their recent string of success at their next meet on Saturday at the Houghton Invitational.