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The Voyageurs cross-country and indoor track teams will have a new, albeit familiar, face at the helm when they resume competition this fall.
After 20 years of leading the Voyageurs squads, Dick Moss is stepping aside and handing over the reins over to his lead assistant, Darren Jermyn.
An assistant coach under Moss since 2000, the duo have methodically built the Voyageurs into mainstays on the provincial leaderboard. Under Moss’ tutelage, the Voyageurs women made 11
appearances at the U SPORTS XC Championships, finishing as a top 10 team in the country twice.
Individually, Moss’ best performing student-athlete was Leila Angrand who, in her fourth year, was a two-time OUA First Team All-Star (cross-country and track), a two-time U SPORTS second team all-star, an OUA champion in the 3000m, an OUA bronze medalist in the 1500m and a U SPORTS silver medalist in the 3000m.
Moss also oversaw the resurgence of the men’s program in 2015, a squad with which Jermyn took lead coaching duties. Under their guise, the men’s squad improved from 12th in the OUA in their inaugural campaign to sixth place finish most recently in 2019; an improvement of over 200 points in scoring. The men also qualified for nationals in 2018 and 2019, just four years after their return.
With Jermyn taking the helm, the upward trajectory of the program looks to continue. On top of taking the lead for the aforementioned men’s program, Jermyn has also been the lead coach for the middle distances with the indoor track team which has seen steady improvements culminating with Megan Crocker’s trip to the U SPORTS Championships in 2019; the first for a Voyageur in over a decade.
Jermyn is excited about the opportunity and what lies ahead.
“I have been extremely fortunate to have been mentored by a true coaching legend in Canadian distance running,” said Jermyn. “Dick has built a program that is centred around the needs of its student-athletes and provides a support system that ensures both academic and athletic success. My goal is to build upon what Dick has developed and continue with the work needed to see both our women’s and men’s teams achieve a Top 10 ranking in the nation.”
For the Voyageurs’ athletic director, Peter Hellstrom, the choice was a natural one.
“I am extremely happy that Darren is stepping in and taking over the program that Dick has rebuilt over the past 20 years,” he said. “With Darren having been on Dick’s staff for the past 20 years, I think this transition is going to be seamless. Our student-athletes are entering a new era with someone who is a familiar face and has strong development skills. I want to thank Dick for everything he has done for our student-athletes over his tenure and wish him all of the best.”
