Lagno Stepping Down; Arlington Named Interim Cross Country/Track & Field Head Coach

12/3/2018 9:32:00 AM | By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

Paul Lagno will step down as Daemen's head men's and women's cross country/track and field coach effective Dec. 14

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College head men's and women's cross country/track and field coach Paul Lagno will step down from his position effective Dec. 14 to pursue other professional opportunities, director of athletics Traci Murphy announced today. Judy Arlington, who has been on Lagno's staff since 2016, will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2018-19 academic year, and assistant track and field coach Maggie Fuentes will take on greater responsibility within the program.

"While this comes as difficult news for our cross country and track and field athletes, we certainly can understand and appreciate coach Lagno's desire to take his career in a new direction," said Murphy. "We are thankful for everything he has done over the last four years to grow Daemen's cross country and track and field programs, and we wish him luck in his new endeavors."

A native of Millbrook, N.Y., Lagno was named Daemen's head coach on July 10, 2015 after holding previous coaching positions at Northwood University (Fla.) and Florida State University. He took the reins of both the cross country and track and field programs in time for the Wildcats' first year as a full-fledged member of NCAA Division II.

He promptly presided over the rise of the women's cross country team which contended for both East Coast Conference and East Region titles. In 2015 and 2016, the Wildcats finished as the ECC runners-up, and later placed fourth at the regional championship meet, one spot back of a team bid to the national championship meet. In four seasons with the women's cross country program, Lagno led the Wildcats into the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional rankings in 16 of a possible 28 weeks, rising as high as No. 3 during both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Lagno also guided the men's cross country team to a trio of top-four finishes at the conference level, and this past season saw his team included in the USTFCCCA regional rankings for the first time since joining Division II.

In track and field, Lagno has guided the steady growth of Daemen's program, one still considered to be in its youth as it recently opened just the seventh indoor season in team history. Next spring, the Wildcats will begin their ninth outdoor season. In three full seasons with the program, Lagno has led the teams to a combined nine top-five finishes at the ECC indoor and outdoor championship meets, including a runner-up finish by the women's team during the outdoor season last spring.

Under his guidance, Daemen was awarded bids to host the 2017 NCAA Division II East Region Cross Country Championships as well as the 2018 ECC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. They were the first-ever cross country and track and field meets hosted by Daemen, and both brought a regional spotlight to the College.

Arguably, the crowning achievement of Lagno's tenure was coaching Mackenzie Donahue to national championship bids in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field, the only track athlete in Daemen history to do so.

Upon Lagno's departure, the program will turn to the steady leadership of Arlington who brings years of coaching experience, as well as her own successes in running to the position.

"I am happy that we're able to provide our athletes with the continuity that will come from coach Arlington's appointment," said Murphy. "Nobody ever wants to lose a head coach, but this program in particular was positioned well by already having an experienced coach on staff, someone who has been a head coach before. I am looking forward to working a little closer with Judy, and seeing how she can build on the momentum that coach Lagno started."

As an assistant coach, Arlington primarily worked with the cross country teams as well as the track and field team's middle and long distance runners. As interim head coach, her role will expand as she provides oversight for each student-athlete, from runners and jumpers, to throwers and pole-vaulters.

Before coming to Daemen, Arlington served as the head men's and women's cross country coach at Medaille College from 2011-15. She was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year following the 2011 season.

A recent inductee of the Western New York Running Hall of Fame, Arlington earned eight All-America honors for running during her collegiate career at the State University of New York at Cortland where she competed in cross country, track and field, and also swimming. She set school records at both the 5K and 10k distances, the second of which still stands, and she led the Red Dragons to two NCAA Division III national championships in cross country.

In addition to her assistant coaching duties at Daemen, Arlington was a key member on the planning committees for the 2017 NCAA Division II East Region Cross Country Championships and the 2018 ECC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She has also been a driving force behind the development and implementation of the Daemen College Summer Track Series.

Fuentes has been on the Daemen coaching staff since 2014, working primarily with student-athletes who compete in throwing events such as shot put, javelin, discus and weight throw. In her time on the staff, Daemen athletes have earned a combined 18 all-conference awards for throwing events during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.

As part of her increased responsibilities, Fuentes will oversee conditioning activities for all track and field student-athletes, act as the liaison between other part-time assistant coaches and Arlington, assist with sport-specific and department-wide fundraising efforts, and provide general assistance to Arlington with the management of the track and field program.

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