Joseph returns to Ohio State, named director of track and field, cross country programs

Jacob Benge
Thu, 16 Jun 2022 01:18:55 +0000
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Rosalind Joseph, the next director of cross country and track and field, speaks with media Wednesday afternoon. Credit: Jacob Benge | Sports Editor

Former Buckeye track and field jumper Rosalind Joseph will become the next director of the track and field and cross country programs, the Ohio State athletic department announced Tuesday.

Joseph, who was a two-time All-American and previously coached at Ohio State from 2008-18 as an assistant and associate head coach, spent the last four seasons as the director of track and field and cross country at Southern Illinois.

“This is a dream come true,” Joseph said in the release. “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.”

While at Southern Illinois, Joseph helped lead the Salukis to second-place finishes in the Missouri Valley Conference four times and coached 10 All-Americans.

Joseph held an assistant coaching position at Ohio State from 2008-12 before earning a promotion to associate head coach from 2013-18. Now, she returns to her alma mater to continue recent success under her former head coach Karen Dennis, who announced her retirement Monday.

“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,” Sport Administrator for track and field and cross country Jamie Wood said in the release.

Joseph’s first job as a college coach came at Auburn from 2006-08 where she held an assistant position.

Her experience as both a former student-athlete and leader of a dual-program in the cross country and track and field teams helped Joseph land back at Ohio State. Joseph still holds the program records with a 6.39–meter outdoor long jump and 13.37-meter indoor triple jump.

Joseph earned six Big Ten championships, three apiece in long jump and triple jump, during her athletic career. The Buckeyes inducted her into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.