ESU Men's Track & Field History  |  ESU Women's Track & Field History

EAST STROUDSBURG – Longtime East Stroudsburg University track & field coach Chris Merli will retire from his current position on Friday after 21 years with the program.

Merli has served as head coach of the women's track & field team for the past 12 seasons, while maintaining his role as assistant coach for the men's track & field and the men's and women's cross country programs during that time period. He will remain at ESU as a volunteer assistant for the next two seasons.

"About five years ago I told my assistant coach that when it reaches the point where our recruits were born in the year 2000, it might be time to go," Merli said. "I also have a lot of family members that I'm looking forward to spending more time with. It's been a great ride at ESU. I still enjoy working with the kids. It keeps me young, and I look forward to continuing as a volunteer for the next two years until the Class of 2020 graduates. I made a promise to them and I plan to follow through on that."

Merli, primarily responsible for coaching the sprints, hurdles and jumps, has guided countless PSAC and NCAA Division II standouts during his tenure at ESU. In the past 11 years alone, his student-athletes have combined for 59 PSAC titles and 28 DII championship appearances. Of those 28 NCAA selections, 12 went on to earn All-America accolades, including junior Aspen Gaita earning first team All-America status in the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon this past season.

Under Merli and men's track & field head coach Joe Koch, ESU track & field achieved remarkable success over the past 21 seasons. The Warriors had 137 PSAC champions, 119 DII championship selections and 53 DII All-America performances during that span. The men's and women's teams, meanwhile, have totaled 51 top-five finishes at the PSAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

"We rewrote almost all of our records in the sprints and hurdles during Merli's time at ESU," Koch said. "He made a huge impact as a coach, and from a personal standpoint it would be impossible to find a better person to work with. We've been side-by-side for all of these years, and there's no one else I would have rather coached alongside. He will certainly be missed."

Warrior sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers have combined for nine major PSAC awards under Merli, with Gaita and senior Christian Castro most-recently sweeping the PSAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year accolades in 2018.

Merli has received individual accolades as well, as he was named the USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Men's Track & Field Assistant Coach of the Year following both the 2009 and 2010 outdoor seasons. The Warriors sent their PSAC champion 4x100m relay to the NCAA Championships both years, claiming All-America honors in 2010, and Negus Graham was an All-American in the 400m both indoors and outdoors. Hurdler Rusty Smith was also a two-time indoor All-American under Merli in 2008 and 2009.

A tireless advocate for the program, Merli handled all of the teams' equipment and facility needs, and he was the main organizer for ESU's annual DeSchriver and All-American Invitationals.

"We're really going to miss Coach Merli, and we want to thank him for his many years of service to Warriors Athletics," ESU Director of Athletics Dr. Gary Gray said. "He has coached and mentored thousands of student-athletes over the years, and has always been fully dedicated to their success both athletically and in the classroom. We certainly wish him well in his much-deserved retirement."

---------

Merli made a lasting impact on an endless number of individuals during his tenure, and a small portion of individuals were asked to share their memories of him while at ESU. Those recollections are listed below.

"I wouldn't be able to talk about my four years at ESU without mentioning Coach Merli. He has an impact on everyone he comes in contact with, and I am so thankful for the time we spent together. He taught me how to reach the top of the collegiate ranks, how to prepare and how to execute like a champion. His impact on me was not only on the track, he helped me grow as a leader and a young man. Merli pushed me into a leadership role early in my days at ESU. This allowed me to grow into the leader I am today, in my professions as a high school track coach and a nurse. I pray to have the type of impact on people as he had on me. From all former athletes of Coach Merli, we were so lucky to have you as a coach. Enjoy retirement, Turkey!"  –  Damien Boham '15

"Over my four years at ESU, running track and working in the office, I was lucky enough to build a special relationship with Coach Merli. It seemed like he always knew what to say, and he gave the honest truth, even if it wasn't exactly what you wanted to hear! He wanted the best from the whole team, not just in track but in everything we did. He really made ESU feel like my home away from home and the team feel like family. I remember I was at work when I found out I got a nursing job at one of the best children's hospitals in the country, and how happy Merli was for me (he told the team and every recruit that came to visit about it). It was in that moment that I knew how lucky and thankful I was that ESU brought me such a great role model, mentor, boss and lifelong friend in Coach Merli." – Courtney Conway '18

"Merli took me from being an average high school jumper and a scrawny, immature freshman, to a nationally competitive and more mature man by the time I graduated in 2010. I admired his coaching style.  He pushed me to achieve results that were so off my radar that I never thought I would actually accomplish them. I'll never forget the laughs we had together, whether he was wearing a backwards cap and rapping while driving the van, or teasing my teammate Rusty. Merli lived a life that showed us that track and field wasn't everything, and he always knew what was truly important in life--your family, your friends, and your relationships with others. I treasure the time I had with Merli as a coach, a mentor, and now as a friend.  I know he says he's "retiring" but I hope the old man can actually take a little bit of a break and sit still for once! Merli, you will never know how grateful I am for you, and how many lives you have touched through your coaching at ESU.  I love you, Merls. Congratulations!" – Drew Miller '10

"Merli gave me my start in coaching, and I would ultimately work with him for six years. He taught me how to run an efficient team and how to recruit, not just the best students but the best for ESU. He's been like a father figure to me, he made a big impact on my life both personally and professionally. It was an honor to coach beside him and see the positive influence he left on so many student-athletes over the years." – Michele Frayne, former assistant coach at ESU

"I had a bit of a rough background growing up. I didn't trust a lot of people, and no one had much faith in my future. Merli allowed me to join his program, and he instilled a lot of trust in me right at the start of freshman year. He trusted me and I trusted him, and he led me to phenomenal success on the track on so many levels, within the PSAC, at the national stage and at the Penn Relays. Anything people say about Merli should automatically be multiplied by 10. He's the most genuine coach I've ever been around." – Steve Morgan '17

"Merli took a chance on me as a walk-on to the program. That chance grew into opportunities I never thought I would have: multiple conference championships and a chance to compete at the national level. I looked at Merli not just as a coach, but as a friend and a father-figure. He gave me not just track & field advice, but advice on how to be a better person, and I'll always be grateful for that." – Matt Gallup '09, M '10