Wlodarczyk to retire after 24 years at Chapman

ORANGE, Calif. – After 24 years of leading the Chapman University cross country and track & field programs, Anna Wlodarczyk has announced her plans to retire from coaching this summer. The SCIAC Track & Field Championships will be her final meet, concluding a 34-year coaching career that spanned two different continents.

"We cannot thank Anna enough for her tireless commitment to our track & field and cross country programs over the last 24 years," said Director of Athletics Terry Boesel. "We will be sad to see her go after all these years. She has had a tremendous impact on our student-athletes, has been essential in growing our sport sponsorship and we wish her nothing but the best in her retirement."

Wlodarczyk first came to Chapman in 1993 – just two years after moving to the United States from Poland. She has overseen the addition of a men's track & field program that coincided with Chapman's move into the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

"I was so humbled and really appreciated that (former Director of Athletics) Dave Currey and (former Associate Athletic Director) Penny Brush hired me," said Wlodarczyk. "I am enthusiastic about sports and my profession. I was so happy that I got this job at Chapman University. It's a great environment and everybody has trusted me."

In her 24th year, she is the third-longest tenured active head coach at Chapman. Under her leadership, the women's track & field program has broken 36 records in 16 different events. With the current season being just the third season since its revival, the men's track & field team has yet to break a record but did have an All-SCIAC performer last year in Mitchell Bouldin.

In cross country, Sara Wanous broke the women's 6k record in 2013. The men's 8k record was also broken on four different occasions and Chris Reid became Chapman's first qualifier for the Division III Cross Country Championship in 2015.

Her life in the world of track & field has spanned 57 years from the time she first began competing at age nine. She became the best long jumper in Poland and represented her country in two different Olympic Games, taking fourth in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. While still in Poland, she competed and earned a Master's and Ph.D from the Academy of Physical Education in Warsaw, Poland. She began coaching in 1973 at the Academy of Physical Education.

After a long career as one of the top long jumpers in the world, Wlodarczyk came to the US in 1991 to coach at Azusa Pacific and Citrus College. While there, she also worked with budding Olympians from around the world in preparation for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. She spent the 1992-93 season at Pasadena City College before learning of the job opening at Chapman.

She began competing in the Master's track & field national and international championships at age 40 and continued competing until she was 60. Along the way, she consistently won medals in every age group, won multiple world championships and set age group world records in the heptathlon and triple jump.

Despite speaking five different languages, Wlodarczyk was not confident in her ability to communicate with the student-athletes at Chapman at the beginning of her coaching career. However, her background as one of the best jumpers in the world allowed her to coach by example. It was this coaching style that not only helped her student-athletes achieve their goals but also helped her in continuing to compete on the international level.

"From the first day I came to Chapman, I apologized almost every day that I could not tell them exactly what to do. Form, like in jumping or throwing, is important. I had this challenge for 24 years on how to communicate with them. The big thing that helped was that I could run with them."

She fondly remembers her first days at Chapman, taking the tour of campus and seeing the dirt track at Orange High School where she would do most of her workouts with the track team. She remembers the newly renovated natural grass field that is now Wilson Field.

Her first cross country teams in 1993 left a lasting impression on her that sparked her enthusiasm for Division III. She remembers a talented discus thrower that was so enthusiastic about cross country that she helped nearly double the team size in her second year. A baseball player that continued to run in the fall and show enthusiasm for cross country despite the fact that he often finished last.

In her retirement, she plans to pursue a passion that first pushed her into the world of track – travelling. In her youth, the international track events were the only way for Polish people to get through the Iron Curtain. It was her way to see the world. She will continue travelling around the world and may consider a return to competition.

With dual citizenship, she plans to stay in the US when she is not travelling but foresees eventually moving back to Poland permanently.

"Over the last year, every day is something last. It is emotional to me," added Wlodarczyk. "It's kind of sad but I am always enthusiastic about what is next. I am happy to have been a part of this program. I came to Chapman and everyone has been so nice. I never heard a bad word. I have really enjoyed being a coach these 24 years at Chapman."

by Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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