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Cross Country Coaching Staff

Ryan PurringtonHead Coach - Ryan Purrington
Email - ryan.purrington@colby-sawyer.edu
Phone - (603) 526-3605

Ryan Purrington will enter his second season as the next cross country and track & field head coach in 2024-25 after being hired in March of 2023. 

In 2023-24, Purrington helped the Chargers win a GNAC Championship for the women's cross country team and a GNAC Runner-Up in indoor track & field. Ryan also helped student-athletes achieve 16 school records, 13 individual conference titles and four individual conference major award winners.

Purrington arrives to New London following being the Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Director of Track & Field at Virginia Wesleyan University since May of 2022. In his one year at VWU, Ryan grew the combined cross country roster to 22 student-athletes and led both teams to their best showings at the NCAA Regional since 2016.

Prior to Virginia Wesleyan University, Purrington was at Randolph College for four years, where Ryan grew through the ranks starting as an assistant coach and ending his four years as the director of cross country and track & field. In his tenure at Randolph College, Purrington coached 42 new school records, a NCAA national qualifier in indoor and outdoor, three all-region honors, a pair of  conference champions, and the highest cross country conference and regional championship finishes in program history.

Purrington graduated from Randolph College with a bachelors of arts in history with a minor in sports and exercise science in 2014, while also getting his masters of arts in teaching in 2015. 
 

AlAssistant Coach - Al Sayce '16
Email - steven.sayce@colby-sawyer.edu

Al Sayce '16 is an assistant for the Cross Country and Track & Field coach who has been working as a coach since 2016. Al is a Colby-Sawyer alumnus who has been part of the Track and Field program since 2012. After graduating in 2016 Al came back on as a part time assistance coach to fill the position of Jumps coach. The next year he took on the responsibility of Sprints as well as Jumps and has been coaching both since 2017. During this time Al has brought both sprinters and jumpers alike to conference championship meets and many post season qualifications.

Al graduated Colby-Sawyer with a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a focus in Teaching in the Outdoors and a Coaching Certificate.

Al is a former student-athlete who competed for Colby-Sawyer between 2012 and 2016. During his time on the team he was a great contributor to the team with numerous New England and ECAC qualifications, as well as scoring many points during conference championship meets. During his senior year, Al was named captain of the sprints and jumps group on the men's side and was instrumental in leading his fellow athletes to success.