June 8, 2024

 

To Athletic Director Joan McDermott and President John Marshall

 

From: On behalf of the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country (TFXC) Team and Parents

 

Subject: AD McDermott’s unprofessional treatment of coaching staff and athletes in recent handling of personnel changes 

 

Background:

On June 3, 2024 Head Track and Field Coach Brad Gamble sent an email to the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) track team informing the team that he was resigning from his coaching position effective immediately. 

 

On June 3, 2024 track and field athletes reached out to CMU President Marshall and Athletic Director, Joan McDermott in an attempt to obtain some insight into the decision and impact to the individual athletes since none of the team had previously received any information regarding the significant changes.

 

Athletes asked specific questions and held one on one meetings but no direct answers were provided.

 

On June 4, 2024 the Head Cross Country Coach, Shane Niksic, sent an email to the CMU cross country team announcing his immediate resignation. 

 

On June 5, 2024, Taya Baumgartner sent an email to the track and field and cross country teams inviting them to a zoom meeting with AD McDermott to discuss the process moving forward. Parents were invited to attend this meeting as well.

 

On June 6, 2024, the aforementioned zoom meeting was held and after a brief 5 minute explanation of the new plan, the chat was opened for questions. Instruction was provided to submit questions in the chat and they would be addressed. A high volume of questions were submitted with AD McDermott providing very few responses and incomplete answers to the few questions that were answered. Two separate athletes were cut off by AD McDermott as they were attempting to speak in the meeting and then Baumgartner and AD McDermott ended the meeting abruptly after 16 minutes. An example of the questions seeking to gain clarity was, “Can you explain the differences in the job descriptions between the ‘head coach’ and a ‘director of tracks and field’?”. Another topic discussed in this meeting was scholarships, and athletes were told we had 2 weeks to decide if we wanted to stay at CMU or leave but the process of hiring a new coach would not be started for 3 weeks. When attendees questioned this, faculty made up some ideas on the spot and then said they would need more time to answer us. We were told we could accept our scholarships and then still leave but then Baumgartner and AD McDermott went back on that statement as well. Colorado Mesa University has yet to provide any information, despite being asked, as to how this decision will make the team better. This meeting did not provide the clarity we were seeking and was extremely unprofessional.

 

On June 7, 2024, Coach Tim Reetz sent an email to the track and cross country teams alerting them of his interim position as Director of Cross Country and Track and Field. We would like to see Coach Tim Reetz offered the position of permanent Director of Cross Country and Track and Field if he chooses to stay. 

 

We were blindsided by the upheaval of our coaches and the track athletes and staff have been treated with disrespect and our questions, concerns, and feelings have been disregarded by the CMU athletic administration.

 

When President Marshall and AD McDermott were specifically asked about the coaching personnel changes they responded that they couldn’t discuss individual personnel changes but that the focus would be individual athletic performance and academic performance. Joan McDermott stated that she couldn’t go into specific details about the new structure but it would “be better”.

 

This unprecedented decision came as a shock to the track community given the recent successes of our program. Our coaching staff is loved and supported by not only our team but other teams within the RMAC and around the country.

 

During the school year, the lack of indoor training facilities created tension between AD McDermott and Coach Gamble. The tension resulted in some interpersonal conflicts highlighted below: 

 

Coach Gamble worked to get us a safe and adequate indoor facility and when Joan McDermott requested he not build an elevated runway inside, he respected her decision. Later he requested to repurpose an old pole vault runway which she approved. Facilities confirmed the safety of this runway after its construction, however when AD McDermott saw this runway in our indoor facility she got frustrated with Coach Gamble and attacked his character and integrity. 

 

Another area of tension seems to have been caused by athletes injuries over the course of our 8 month long season. Some athletes got stress fractures in their shins (a normal part of every TFXC team) and AD McDermott cited Coach Gamble as the responsible party. Then AD McDermott and training room staff decided it was necessary to have him sign a personal performance plan, which he signed in January. 

 

In addition to athlete injuries, AD McDermott cited a concern with the number of ineligible athletes on our team needing to take summer classes (10 out of 135). AD McDermott decided that Coach Gamble had not acted according to his personal performance plan, and she asked him to resign.  

 

The Athletic Directors job description states; “Maintain open and communicative channels with the university, RMAC institutions, students, news media, faculty”. Given this description, AD McDermott has not complied with her job description. AD McDermott failed to inform student athletes when she was promoted from interim athletic director to full time. In addition, the following communication failures are noted. Lack of details regarding future direction, lack of effort to get to know any athletes on the team, and evasion on answers to questions regarding coach evaluations (these evaluations are found on the CMU website). Additionally,we would like more insight into a quote AD McDermott made several times on the zoom call that CMU Track and Field budget was tied for third overall in the RMAC but left out crucial information about how we are in a four-way tie for the third highest budget.  

 

While AD McDermott knew in January there was a possibility of forcing Coach Gamble to resign, she did not take any action to get a job ready to be posted. She also took no steps to meet with TFXC athletes and discuss our thoughts about our coaches. In June 2024, AD McDermott raised the possibility that our opinions on future coach hiring would be considered, however since she has failed to consider our support for our past coaches and has not recognized any of our concerns about the track and cross country programs futures, we do not trust she will hold true to this pledge. 

 

Note the track and cross country athletes want to go on the record to formally express our concerns.

 

We are requesting 4 things: 

 

1. A search to hire a new permanent AD, becomes a priority of President John Marshall, and athletes are involved in this process. When a replacement is found, McDermott should be relieved of all duties within CMU.

 

2. We are requesting that Joan McDermott issue a formal apology to all CMU track and field and cross country athletes, coaches, and parents for treating student athletes with disrespect. For creating a hostile environment and breaking trust between administration and athletes. For causing emotional and financial burdens on student athletes and their parents. For ending athletes and coaches careers. For not showing care towards the sport of track and field, not taking the time to learn about our sport, and not knowing the athletes.

 

3. Going forward, we request the following: 

That athletes are treated professionally. That the new AD listens to the coaches and collaborates with them, instead of ignoring and working against them. That there are clear guidelines set in place for what the coaches are allowed to do. That athletes are consulted about their opinions on coaching staff before changes are made. And that instead of waiting for coaches to reach out, an athletic director is expected to take the steps and the time to come to a practice and meet the team.

 

4. We are requesting a reevaluation of whether the resignations of Coaches Gamble and Niksic were in the best interest of student athletes or if it these actions were taken due to issues between them and AD McDermott and between the them and training room staff.  

 

In his 7 years here, Brad Gamble worked to get CMU an outdoor track built, host an RMAC championship, and achieved the highest RMAC finish on record for both teams. He also coached the first ever female national champions in CMU NCAA History after they won the 4x4 national title in 2021. Coach Niksic helped the team recover through one of the toughest situations a coach could face. The day before our RMAC championship in 2023 we were told of the loss of a beloved teammate Ricky. After the unimaginable feelings that come with the loss of a teammate and friend, Coach Niksic, with no help from administration, led the athletes on this team to cope in a healthy way. Eventually through Coach Niksic, light was found in a situation that was disastrous. Coach Niksic helped coach the first cross country team qualify for nationals since 2016 for the women and 2017 for the men. Nearly every outdoor track record (excluding 3) in Maverick track and field history have been broken by multiple athletes numerous times under Coach Gamble or Niksic’s lead. More importantly Coach Gamble and Niksic built a family. Regardless of an athlete's performance state they were cared for and valued. Many other Division II TFXC teams have experienced athletes quitting due to mental health issues brought on by coaches who did not care about their athletes as a person but only as an athlete. This is something CMU TFXC has not experienced as an issue with Gamble or Niksic. Majority of collegiate athletes bounce around from program to program looking for a coach who will care about their well being and when athletes come to Colorado Mesa University, they found these traits within each and everyone of our coaches. Following Coach Gamble and Coach Niksic’s termination, there are currently 16 athletes (majority RMAC point scorers and national level participants) in the transfer portal and likely more to follow. With the devastating impact of this change, CMU TFXC will never be the same as it was with these coaches. 

 

Note that none of the TFXC current or past coaches participated in the drafting of this complaint.