It is a familiar place. The red track that surrounds the football field holds many memories, some old and some very new. Only a few years separate her time as a student-athlete at Worcester State to her current job as head coach of the women’s track and field team. For Andrea Ouellette, this is a place that she calls home.
Ouellette shined for the Lancers women’s track and field team from 2008- 2010. Her path to a career in track and field wasn’t a conventional one. She started her high school years in one sport, but a quick lesson in PE class changed her athletic future quickly.
“In high school, I was a cheerleader,” Ouellette said. “We had to do a track and field lesson in gym class and it turns out I was pretty good at it. The football coach was my gym teacher asked what sport I am doing. He asked me to do track, but I dismissed it. The next day I was called down to my guidance counselor’s office. The football coach, track coach and my guidance counselor all pushed me to do it so I finally agreed. After that, I stuck with it.”
Her start in track was an easy one since Ouellette also competed as a gymnast. Her track coach quickly knew that jumps and hurdles were the events she could excel at the most. During her senior year of high school, she competed at the Massachusetts Division 2 Championships for Central Catholic High School. She set a personal record in indoor with a 9.74 time in the 55 meter hurdles. For outdoor, she set another personal mark with a 34’ 5.5” leap in the triple jump.
After high school graduation, it was time for college. The tight-knit community feel of Worcester State drew her to the school of a little over 4,000 students. She wanted to connect with her professor and knew the class size would benefit her academically. A chance phone call from then women’s track and field coach helped make her decision easier.
“During the summer before my freshman year of college, Mat Lemaire, who was just hired, called and said I got your name on a recruiting list and wondered if you wanted to continue in it,” Ouellette said. “I listened to what he had to say. I wasn’t ready to give up track just yet.”
As a student-athlete, Ouellette was a three-time Division III New England honoree in the triple jump (twice indoors) while she also earned All-ECAC Division III accolades during the 2008-09 indoor season. She also was a three-time MASCAC Champion in the triple jump and earned MASCAC/Alliance honors in the 55-100-400 meter hurdles and the long jump.
During her junior year, she broke the school-record in the triple jump and provisionally qualify for the NCAA Division III Outdoor meet as she helped lead the squad to their first-ever MASCAC Indoor and Outdoor Championship.
Ouellette was able to graduate early with her degree in business. She took a year off from track and field to get settled into her career. It didn’t take long though for an opportunity to return to her team opened up.
“Coach Lemaire and I had a great relationship while I was a student-athlete and after,” Ouellette said. “He was my reference and knew I had an interest in coaching. He knew the assistant position would work for me since I already knew the system. At first I was skeptical since I had never coached before. After that first season, I fell in love with it. Seeing what your athletes can do and how you can help them get where they want to be.”
Serving a year under Coach Lemaire then James Lemeiux, Ouellette served as an assistant coach with jumps for four seasons. In 2015, she received the opportunity of a lifetime as she was named the head coach of the women’s program. She credits men’s coach Al Halper and assistant Matt Swett for helping her transition into the head coaching position.
In her first season, Stephanie McFadries, qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in the javelin and 12 student-athletes qualified for the Division III New England Championships, including high jumper Francesca Casasanta and triple jumper Dalena Le.
Despite being only a few years out of college and slightly older than her student-athletes may be, Ouellette has found connecting with them to be a seamless process.
“There seems to be a lack of female coaching presence in track and field,” Ouellette said. “I find that being a young coach and female helps me relate to my team on a different level. Not long ago, I was in their shoes, juggling everything from school to home life. I am not so far removed that I can still relate to them and still give them guidance. When I first started coaching, I was very young and it was a transition to not being their peer but their coach.”
From her time as a student-athlete in the MASCAC to now watching her own team of student-athletes compete, Ouellette has only seen the conference get stronger. She believes that is a testament the student-athletes and coaches throughout the league.
“As the years go by, the conference only gets stronger,” Ouellette said. “The level of competitors ebbs and flows, but the MASCAC only seems to be getting better from even when I was a student-athlete. It goes to show that DIII athletes are nothing to shake a stick at. Our conference sends people to the NCAA Championships every season for the last few years and they are competitive. I can only see the league getting stronger."
Release written by Emily Loux | MASCAC Director of Media Relations