Morocco RPCV Joe Piane Named National Cross Country Coach of the Year



Piane began his coaching career in Morocco while in the Peace Corps. He immediately succeeded with cross country, sending three runners to the 1972 World Championships in Cambridge, England. After returning to the United States in 1972, Piane took his first collegiate position as the head coach at Western Illinois for two years, in which time he earned a master's degree in physical education.

Morocco RPCV Joe Piane Named National Cross Country Coach of the Year

Piane Named National Cross Country Coach of the Year

Skipper of the fifth-ranked men's squad honored by the US Track & Field Coaches Association.

Nov. 18, 2001

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Notre Dame track and cross country coach Joe Piane has been named the National Cross Country Coach of the Year for 2001 by the United States Track and Field Coaches Association.

The award was announced Saturday night in Greenville, S.C., at a banquet preceding the 2001 NCAA Cross Country Championships to be run Monday at Furman.

Piane's 2001 Irish men's squad currently is ranked fifth nationally coming off victories at both the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Great Lakes Region meet Nov. 10 at Indiana State.

Piane last weekend was named the 2001 MONDO Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year. He has helped the Irish to six meet titles in 2001, including the BIG EAST and the Great Lakes Regional championships. The Irish have been ranked fifth in the MONDO Men's Cross Country Top 25 for most of the fall, marking the highest position the team has ever been ranked during the regular season.

The longest tenured coach at Notre Dame with 26 full seasons behind him, Piane has developed one of the most talented and deep cross country rosters in the nation this season. The Irish earned team titles at the Valparaiso Invitational and Central Collegiate Championships with its "B" team, and defeated two ranked teams en route to the 2001 BIG EAST Championship. Piane and volunteer assistant coach Matt Althoff earned the BIG EAST Cross Country Staff of the Year award after the conference meet.

Most recently, Notre Dame took first place at the Great Lakes Regional Championship, finishing ahead of fourth-ranked Wisconsin and placing four runners among the top 25 finishers in the race.

Piane has now earned five regional cross country coach of the year awards including this season's honor and was named the NCAA Division I Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1987. Piane's team competes in the 2001 NCAA Championship in Greenville, S.C., on Monday. The Irish have finished in the 15 at the final meet in eight out of the last nine years.

When this story was posted in October 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

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He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

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September 12, 2006: This Month's Top Stories John Coyne writes: The Lion in the Garden 12 Sep John McCain says: We passed up an opportunity after 911 12 Sep Jody Olsen speaks at Headquarters about 911 11 Sep Bill Moyers Returns to Investigative Reporting 8 Sep Boating Accident kills two PCVs in Mali 7 Sep Director Vasquez bids Farewell to Washington 7 Sep James Rupert writes: Pact reached with pro-Taliban forces 6 Sep Carol Bellamy to speak at Global Risk Conference 5 Sep New trial ordered for Jerry Mark in murder case 2 Sep Ken Hill to step down as NPCA Chairman 1 Sep Clintons, Gearans dine at resort 1 Sep 'Chris Matthews' Turns 5 31 Aug Taylor Hackford thinks Chuck Berry is a pain in the ass 31 Aug John Kefalas alleges dirty tactics in house race 30 Aug DRI receives Charity Navigator's highest ratings 29 Aug Kris Holloway writes "Monique and the Mango Rains'' 28 Aug Richard Celeste writes: Watch Out For Voting Day Bugs 28 Aug Donna Shalala boosted UM's image 27 Aug Leonard Robinson devoted his life to the underserved 24 Aug Phil Hardberger will run for re-election in 2007 24 Aug Snakes on the Plain - the black mamba 23 Aug Eunice Kennedy Shriver still going strong 20 Aug

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Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director Read our story about Ron Tschetter's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was carried on C-Span. It was very different from the Vasquez hearings in 2001, very cut and dried with low attendance by the public. Among the highlights, Tschetter intends to make recruitment of baby boomers a priority, there are 20 countries under consideration for future programs, Senator Dodd intends to re-introduce his third goal Peace Corps legislation this session, Tschetter is a great admirer of Senator Coleman's quest for accountability, Dodd thinks management at PC may not put volunteers first, Dodd wants Tschetter to look into problems in medical selection, and Tschetter is not a blogger and knows little about the internet or guidelines for volunteer blogs. Read our recap of the hearings as well as Senator Coleman's statement and Tschetter's statement.

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Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq Timetable In a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense.

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Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

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The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

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Support the US-Peruvian Trade Pact Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, the Peace Corps President, has been lobbying both Democratic and Republican legislators to support the US-Peruvian trade pact before July 28, when his term ends and a US congressional recess begins. If President Bush fails to get approval before Congress goes on recess, it will be a case study proving that the United States does not reward its friends. Please call your representatives.

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PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

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History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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