Lady Pens Track & Field History
Competitive women’s track and field began in the spring of 1985. The Penguins earned
their first track and field championship in school history winning the 1996 Mid-Continent
Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship. In 1997, the women added an outdoor Mid-
Con Track and Field crown to their trophy case. In 2004 in the Horizon League, the Penguins won
both the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Guins won the outdoor titles in
2005 and 2006. YSU had two NCAA National outdoor meet qualifiers in Laura Thomas in 1999
and Mona Jackson in 1994.
The team is coached by Brian Gorby. Coach Gorby was an All-American while student at YSU, and has never left. In In his 19 seasons as head coach, Gorby has led the women's program to 12 conference championships and the men to six league titles. He also directed the men's squad to the Mid-Continent Conference Triple Crown in the 1996-97 season as the team won the league title in cross country and both the indoor and outdoor track titles. On the individual level, he has produced one All-American, 14 national qualifiers, seven junior national qualifiers and 40 NCAA Regional qualifiers. He has also won 17 Coach-of-the-Year Awards.
In the past 12 year, only 3 times have the Lady Pens finished outside of the first two positions in the Horizon League. During that same time, they school houses 9 Horizon League championship trophies. There has also been 16 regional and 6 national qualifiers.
