Track Coach from Enfield Earns Prestigious Award

An Enfield native who was a standout track star has continued his success in the college coaching ranks, adding another award to his collection last week.

Assistant head coach Joe Van Gilder of the Southern Connecticut State University women's indoor track and field team was recognized with year-end honors from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) as the East Regional Women's Assistant Head Coach of the Year.

Voting for the award is done by head coaches throughout the region.

"It's an honor to be recognized by my peers," Van Gilder said in a phone interview Tuesday. "I have a good group of young ladies who work hard every day and are driven to be the best they can be."

Van Gilder, in his fourth year coaching the sprints and relays at Southern Connecticut, led his athletes to success at the national, regional and conference levels. Among his four qualifiers to the NCAA Championships is DII 200-meter leader Shatajah Wattely, who ran 23.83 and won the All-New England title in the event and ran a leg of the No. 3 4×400 relay.

The 2000 graduate of Fermi High School had a great career both outdoors and indoors with the Falcons, placing second in Class L in the 100 meters as a senior and third in the 200 meters as a junior. He also placed sixth in the State Open in the 55 meters indoors as a senior.

As a student-athlete at Southern Connecticut, Van Gilder was an All-New England and All-Conference selection in the 4x100 relay, as well as a IC4A qualifier.

The East Regional Award is his sixth overall, and marks the third straight year he has been honored. He was the 2014 and 2015 USTFCCCA Regional Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year, both indoors and outdoors.

Photo courtesy of Southern Connecticut State University Athletic Department