Upcoming Event: Cross Country at Gans Creek Classic on September 26, 2025 at All Day
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All Day
Cross Country
at Gans Creek Classic
Photo by: Penn State Athletics
Meet the Staff: Angela Reckart
7/21/2021 2:15:00 PM | Cross Country, Track & Field
DURHAM, N.C. – As the 2021-22 cross country and track & field season approaches, several new faces have joined the Duke coaching staff. Throughout the rest of the summer, join us as we introduce the people behind the title.
New Head Coach of Men's and Women's Cross Country and Assistant Track & Field Coach (Distance) Angela Reckart joined the program after six seasons at Penn State, where she helped the Nittany Lions win the 2015 Women's Big Ten Cross Country Championship and four NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region titles among several honors.
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When did you first get involved in cross country/track & field?
Reckart: "I mean, I played all sports growing up; I played soccer and basketball. Probably the best part about it growing up was that I would be able to outsprint people in soccer, so I was like 'you know, maybe I should just start running'. I ran through high school, and I ran in college, in Division III."
When did you know you wanted to be a coach?
Reckart: "When I was in college, I studied exercise science, so I knew I wanted to be somewhat involved with athletics and I wasn't sure to what capacity. But, my junior year, I went on a mission trip with Athletes in Action and my eyes were opened to how much I love what I do and more about the relationships with the people on the team that I had. A coach knows the importance that athletics can have in someone's life, and I want to have the ability to impact someone's life like that through athletics and just build relationships. It kind of just opened my eyes to it and I never looked back."
What is your most proud or lasting moment as an athlete or coach?
Reckart: "It's easy to pick the ones where I was involved with some NCAA champions or some All-Americans and those are the easy ones I would think, but if you look deeper, I think there were a handful of instances that really were impactful to me because of the relationships, and you invest in the athletes on the team. I would probably say that when I was at Penn State, we upset Michigan to win the Big Ten title in 2015 in women's cross [country] and it came down to the fifth runner. It was an individual who had overcome a lot in the last year, so being able to work really closely with her and help her experience that kind of breakout season but helping her do that for the team and being able to experience that was incredibly meaningful. That's why we do what we do, because of those scenarios you get to be involved in and experience with them."
What initially attracted you to Duke?
Reckart: "I mean what doesn't attract you to Duke? I think you ask any coach in the NCAA and I think Duke is one of the schools on their radar and anyone would say they would love to have an opportunity to represent and work with the type of student-athletes here and be a part of this campus. I think a lot of it was knowing coach [Shawn] Wilbourn as a person and who he is and what he represents, because we are a family at this point. You work with these people, you spend a lot of time with them, so who you're working with is really important and making sure you're going to be happy outside of work. But more than that, knowing the vision he has for this program, I believe in it, I want to be a part of it and help him continue to elevate Duke cross country/track & field."
What is the first Duke experience you'd like to have?
Reckart: "Well, I went to the Duke-UNC [basketball] game at UNC, and I'd probably have to experience Duke-UNC at Duke."
What is something people may not know about you?
Reckart: "I am a big Philadelphia sports fan. Unfortunately, you can say [laughter]. I am a big Philadelphia fan and I've learned a lot of heartache over the years through that [laughter]."
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Reckart: "I think as we really sit down and work with the team and see where we are, we can make some more concrete goals. I think our goal is always to continue to invest in the team and help them develop. Show up to practice, let's get better, day in and day out. At the ACC and NCAA level, what that will look like will be to be determined, but we do have very lofty goals -- we want to be successful, we want to win, and we want to do it the right way. I think a good goal to start with would be investing in the athletes on the team, helping them develop and having fun is a goal of all it too. We want to win but we want to have fun and do it the right way."
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To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."
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#GoDuke
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New Head Coach of Men's and Women's Cross Country and Assistant Track & Field Coach (Distance) Angela Reckart joined the program after six seasons at Penn State, where she helped the Nittany Lions win the 2015 Women's Big Ten Cross Country Championship and four NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region titles among several honors.
Â
When did you first get involved in cross country/track & field?
Reckart: "I mean, I played all sports growing up; I played soccer and basketball. Probably the best part about it growing up was that I would be able to outsprint people in soccer, so I was like 'you know, maybe I should just start running'. I ran through high school, and I ran in college, in Division III."
When did you know you wanted to be a coach?
Reckart: "When I was in college, I studied exercise science, so I knew I wanted to be somewhat involved with athletics and I wasn't sure to what capacity. But, my junior year, I went on a mission trip with Athletes in Action and my eyes were opened to how much I love what I do and more about the relationships with the people on the team that I had. A coach knows the importance that athletics can have in someone's life, and I want to have the ability to impact someone's life like that through athletics and just build relationships. It kind of just opened my eyes to it and I never looked back."
What is your most proud or lasting moment as an athlete or coach?
Reckart: "It's easy to pick the ones where I was involved with some NCAA champions or some All-Americans and those are the easy ones I would think, but if you look deeper, I think there were a handful of instances that really were impactful to me because of the relationships, and you invest in the athletes on the team. I would probably say that when I was at Penn State, we upset Michigan to win the Big Ten title in 2015 in women's cross [country] and it came down to the fifth runner. It was an individual who had overcome a lot in the last year, so being able to work really closely with her and help her experience that kind of breakout season but helping her do that for the team and being able to experience that was incredibly meaningful. That's why we do what we do, because of those scenarios you get to be involved in and experience with them."
What initially attracted you to Duke?
Reckart: "I mean what doesn't attract you to Duke? I think you ask any coach in the NCAA and I think Duke is one of the schools on their radar and anyone would say they would love to have an opportunity to represent and work with the type of student-athletes here and be a part of this campus. I think a lot of it was knowing coach [Shawn] Wilbourn as a person and who he is and what he represents, because we are a family at this point. You work with these people, you spend a lot of time with them, so who you're working with is really important and making sure you're going to be happy outside of work. But more than that, knowing the vision he has for this program, I believe in it, I want to be a part of it and help him continue to elevate Duke cross country/track & field."
What is the first Duke experience you'd like to have?
Reckart: "Well, I went to the Duke-UNC [basketball] game at UNC, and I'd probably have to experience Duke-UNC at Duke."
What is something people may not know about you?
Reckart: "I am a big Philadelphia sports fan. Unfortunately, you can say [laughter]. I am a big Philadelphia fan and I've learned a lot of heartache over the years through that [laughter]."
What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Reckart: "I think as we really sit down and work with the team and see where we are, we can make some more concrete goals. I think our goal is always to continue to invest in the team and help them develop. Show up to practice, let's get better, day in and day out. At the ACC and NCAA level, what that will look like will be to be determined, but we do have very lofty goals -- we want to be successful, we want to win, and we want to do it the right way. I think a good goal to start with would be investing in the athletes on the team, helping them develop and having fun is a goal of all it too. We want to win but we want to have fun and do it the right way."
Â
To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."
Â
#GoDuke
Â
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