Peter Ormsby enters his second season as an assistant coach with the UCF cross country and track teams. In addition to acting as recruiting coordinator, he also assists with the coaching of the men[apos]s and women[apos]s cross country team and the distance runners on the track team, aids in the management of home meets and serves as the Golden Knights[apos] performance consultant.
Ormsby became a member of the Golden Knights[apos] staff after serving as a member of the Florida State cross country and track staff for the past four years. He began working with the Seminoles in August 2001 as a volunteer assistant before becoming an administrative assistant coach in the fall of 2004.
During his time with FSU, the women[apos]s cross country team qualified for its first NCAA Championship in 2002 and made a subsequent trip in 2003. The men[apos]s squad advanced to the NCAA Championship in both 2003 and 2004, when they were ranked as high as 11th nationally. Individually, the Seminoles had 15 all-region honorees and seven All-Americans.
Meanwhile, Ormsby assisted in the development of the the men[apos]s track team that won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) indoor championship three times and the outdoor championship twice, before placing eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championship in 2004. Individual athletes from both the men[apos]s and women[apos]s squads earned a combined 12 ACC honors, 10 ACC event crowns, eight NCAA regional qualifications and three All-American awards.
In addition to his coaching experience, Ormsby has also written articles and made presentations based upon his interest in sports psychology and endurance running. He holds Level I and Level II coaching certifications from USA Track and Field and is also a member of the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology and USA Triathlon.
Prior to his coaching career, Ormsby was a four-year letterwinner in cross country at Elon, where he received Second-Team All-South Atlantic Conference recognition in 1994 and conference all-academic status all four years. He helped the Elon team win the SAC title in both 1994 and 1996.
Ormsby has a bachelor[apos]s degree in sports medicine and psychology from Elon and a master[apos]s in human performance and sports studies from Tennessee. He received his doctorate in educational psychology and leadership studies from Florida State in April.
Ormsby and his wife Tracy, a school teacher, have a son Ean (9) and a daughter Sara (4).
5/24/06