Just one day after announcing the retirement of the legendary Karen Dennis, Ohio State has a new leader of the track and field program. On Tuesday, the university named Rosalind Joseph the new director of men’s and women’s track and field and cross country.
Joseph, an alum of Ohio State, returns to Columbus following a four-year run at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale where she served as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. While there, the Saluki women’s teams captured four runner-up finishes at the Missouri Valley Conference indoor and outdoor track and field championships while the men finished as high as third. A total of 10 Salukis earned All-America honors, seven women and three men.
“I am thrilled to introduce Rosalind Joseph as our new Director of Track & Field and Cross Country,” OSU athletic director Gene Smith said. “She has head coaching experience overseeing a dual men’s and women’s program at Southern Illinois, and now she is coming back home to Ohio State. She won six individual Big Ten championships as a Buckeye, graduated from Ohio State, and then coached here under Karen Dennis and helped us win six Big Ten team titles.”
⏪📸 welcome back Rosalind! #GoBucks https://t.co/4vSvEtln3d pic.twitter.com/QYnQYtLMQA
— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) June 14, 2022
Prior to her time at SIU, Joseph spent a decade coaching the Buckeyes. She served as an assistant coach under Dennis from 200 to 2012 before being promoted to an associate head coach position in 2013 and coaching through the 2017-18 season. She was named Great Lakes Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year before leaving for Southern Illinois.
“We are excited to welcome Rosalind back home to Columbus as our new Director of Track & Field and Cross Country,” Jamie Wood, the sport administrator for track & field and cross country, said in a statement. “In the wake of such a historic coaching run by Karen Dennis there was no doubt in our minds that Coach Joseph puts us in the best position to continue building on the foundation of success established through Karen’s years.”
“WOW – this is a dream come true,” Joseph said. “It is not often one gets to return to their alma mater to lead. Ohio State is a place that has given me so much as a student-athlete and as a young professional, so to come full circle as director is almost unbelievable. Thank you to Mr. Gene Smith and his administration for entrusting me with this role. These are BIG shoes to fill in following Karen Dennis, but so would be the case for anyone in the country. I feel poised and prepared to come back to my second home and take on the task of continuing the tradition of greatness with this historic program.”
What better way to make as seamless of a transition after Dennis’ retirement than bringing in a former Buckeye that’s worked under her and is familiar with the culture and winning ways of the program.
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