Cornell University Athletics

Duesing spent more than 25 years with Cornell track, including 21 years as the head coach of the women's program and nine of those seasons also directing the men's. His tenure as head coach set a precedent for Ivy League and national success for Cornell women's cross country and track. Duesing's 21 years at the helm of the Big Red women's programs were marked by 26 Heptagonal team championships (including one with men's cross country). In all, he was part of 30 Heps championship teams as an assistant and head coach. He was named the USTFCCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year a total of 10 times (six times outdoors, four times indoors). In cross country, depth and consistent improvement meant four championships and, also unprecedented in the league, three consecutive top four finishes at the NCAA cross country championships from 1991-93. Duesing coached 58 All-Americans in cross country and track and field (45 at Cornell), 209 Heptagonal Champions, three Penn Relays Champions, one NCAA champion and had five individuals place in the top 10 at the NCAA Cross Country championships. Two of his student-athletes, Morgan Uceny (1500 meters) and Jamie Greubel (bronze medal, bobsled), have been U.S. Olympians and several others have competed in world championships in both cross country and track and field. Five of Duesing's student-athletes have won NCAA postgraduate scholarships, six have earned Phi Beta Kappa recognition and 10 have been named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, most recently, Emily Bartlett '09. Ginny Ryan '95 was a finalist for the Walter Byers Scholarship, was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and earned a full scholarship to medical school, while two other athletes, Samantha Olyha '14 and Emily Shearer '14, earned Marshall Scholarships. Jennifer Cobb was a top 10 finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year in 1992. In 1998, Duesing was appointed to the prestigious NCAA Track and Field Committee for a four-year term. He was also honored by his peers in serving as the team leader and head coach for the USA women's cross country team that competed in South Africa at the IAAF XXIV World Cross Country Championships in March 1996. In 1989, Duesing was the head coach of the USA women's cross country team, which won a bronze medal at the IAAF XVII World Championships in Stavanger, Norway. He has also been a coach at the U.S. Olympic Festival.