GETTYSBURG, Pa. – After serving as interim head coach for one season, Aubrey Shenk has been promoted to head cross country and track & field coach at Gettysburg College, Athletic Director David Wright has announced.

“I am honored and pleased to officially be chosen as head cross country/track and field coach,” said Shenk, a longtime assistant coach at Gettysburg in both sports. “I am grateful to the Gettysburg College administration, athletic director David Wright, and the current student-athletes for this opportunity to both continue my involvement with the sport I love and also to build and elevate the program to exceed the status to which has been traditionally held.”

“Aubrey has done a superb job with the Gettysburg College cross country and track & field programs,” said Wright. “His expertise, commitment, and work ethic are outstanding. I am delighted that Aubrey has been promoted and will remain at Gettysburg in his head-coaching position. The future of our programs is bright with Aubrey at the helm.”

During this past season Shenk coached the Bullets to a number of achievements, highlighted by an All-America performance by Clay Reynolds '11 at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, where he finished sixth in the mile. Shenk also coached Reynolds to an appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he placed 14th in the 800-meter run. Under Shenk, Gettysburg track & field teams earned 11 medals at the Centennial Conference indoor and outdoor championships in 2011 and posted 40 new individual entries to the school's indoor and outdoor all-time top-10 lists, including three school records.

In cross country this past fall, Gettysburg's women's team had a pair of runners capture All-Centennial Conference honors by placing among the top-14 at the conference championship. One of those runners – Kerry Campbell '13 – also earned all-region status.

“My immediate and long-term goals for the programs are to cultivate and facilitate the passion for the sports in the student-athletes, and to succeed at the highest level possible both as a team and individually,” said Shenk. “We are fortunate to have a solid foundation of committed returnees to begin that process. In addition, we have a talented group of incoming student-athletes in both sports that will complement our core groups and foster that development.”

No stranger at Gettysburg, Shenk had previously served the college as an assistant cross country coach since 1984 and an assistant track & field coach since 1994-95, coaching numerous national qualifiers and All-Americans in his tenure with the squads, including individual national qualifiers in three consecutive outdoor track & field seasons from 2003-05. He stepped into his role as interim head coach for both programs last June when Steve Shutt resigned.

Shenk also served as the head track & field coach at Camp Hill High School from 1986-88 and was a PIAA track & field official from 1989-93. A former licensed psychologist manager at the State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill, Shenk earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Juniata College and his master's in clinical-community psychology from Acadia University.