Courtesy of Lake Erie College Sports Information
PAINESVILLE, Ohio -- Lake Erie College Athletic Director Reid Guarnieri announced the hiring of Grant Lofdahl as the head coach of the Track & Field and Cross Country program on Monday (July 20).
“I am honored to be named Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach at Lake Erie College, and I thank Reid Guarnieri and the Lake Erie staff for this opportunity,” said Lofdahl. “I am extremely fired up to get started and proud to be part of the Storm!”
“We could not be more excited to welcome Grant to the Storm family and continue our national prominence in the sport,” said Guarnieri. “Our staff and student-athletes were so impressed with Grant’s level of professionalism and dedication and saw that his passion will lead to some very special things at Lake Erie.”
Lofdahl joins the Storm after most recently serving as the assistant coach at Lake Superior State University since 2013. He worked primarily with the 800-10,000 meter athletes and cross country teams but also helped with the strength and conditioning program and recruiting. Lofdahl was also very instrumental in fundraising, having organized a number of events to that end.
“I have enjoyed my time at LSSU tremendously and will miss my Laker family, but I am grateful and excited about this new opportunity at Lake Erie,” continued Lofdahl. “I look forward to building on the successes the Storm program has had in previous years, and to moving forward into a great 2015-16 season.”
“It was important that we find someone who had commanded an entire program in the past and had familiarity with the level of performance represented in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and soon in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC),” continued Guarnieri.
Prior to coaching at Lake Superior State, Lofdahl served as the Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach at Allendale High School in Michigan from 2007-2013. Lofdahl guided the girls’ cross country team to a 2009 MHSAA Division Three runner-up finish in 2009. He also mentored four consecutive MHSAA State Champions. Lofdahl first got into high school coaching at Wyoming Park High School in Michigan, serving as the Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track & Field Coach from 2002-2004. At Wyoming Park, Lofdahl coached four All-State performers who earned a total of seven All-State honors. Before entering the high school coaching ranks, he also served as an assistant coach under Jerry Baltes at perennial powerhouse Grand Valley State University.
Lofdahl also competed collegiately at Grand Valley State, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History. In cross country, he competed in four GLIAC Championships and one regional championship. In track, Lofdahl competed in the 5,000 meter run and represented Grand Valley State in the 10,000 meter run during all four years at the GLIAC Championships, helping the Lakers win their first GLIAC title in track & field.
“Grant has been bred for success having competed and coached at the highest level at Grand Valley State. He has also done a tremendous job growing the distance program at Lake Superior State,” said Guarnieri.
“I would like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way during my coaching career, especially my family, my former coach and mentor Jerry Baltes, Coach Jason Davis and everyone at Lake Superior State, and above all my athletes, who do the real work and put in the effort that can end up making a coach look good,” concluded Lofdahl.
The Storm track & field and cross country program is coming off another successful year in 2014-15, having been ranked nationally on the men’s side and sent national qualifiers in men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor events. One such qualifier, Joe Postwaite, captured the national title in the indoor triple jump.