The Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) athletics department has announced the addition of men’s cross-country to its intercollegiate sports roster, beginning in fall 2022.
Lee Rietsma will serve as the upstart program’s head coach.
The team is expected to roster 10 to 12 runners.
The first signees include Pasco High School’s Seth Stringer and Palm Harbor University High School’s Max Moore.
Rietsma most recently has worked as the PHSC women’s cross-country assistant coach, under head coach Jacki Wachtel.
Rietsma, who lives in Land O’ Lakes, grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He competed all four years in the Michigan High School Cross Country State Championships and then competed four years of track and cross-country at Central Michigan University.
Rietsma still runs locally and throughout the country in 5K through marathon-length distances, including a runner-up finish in the Walt Disney World Space Mountain Marathon with a time of 2:44:46.
“We are excited to start a long-awaited men’s cross-country program at PHSC and even happier to name Lee Rietsma as head coach,” PHSC athletic director Steve Winterling said, in a release. “Lee brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as a coach and runner,” the athletic director added, which he noted will help Rietsma advance the program quickly.
With men’s cross-country, PHSC now has seven sports programs. The others are men’s baseball, men’s basketball, women’s cross-country, women’s soccer, women’s softball and women’s volleyball, respectively.
