"Another perfect fit."

That is how University of St. Francis director of athletics Dave Laketa described Drew Ludtke, who was named as the university's head women's cross country/track coach on Aug. 19, 2005.

"Our string of good luck continues with Drew's hiring," said Laketa, who introduced three new coaches in the 2004-05 year and nine over the previous four seasons. "The caliber of coaches that we have been able to attract has been phenomenal and only means great things for our student-athletes and programs.

"Drew falls right into that classification. We are excited that he has accepted our challenge of rebuilding our women's cross country and track programs, ones that we want to see compete at the conference, regional and national levels."

In fact, Ludtke's success in his first two seasons of rebuilding the women's programs helped speed up the university's plans to re-institute men's cross country and track programs to the Saints lineup. USF added those two sports to its offerings in the fall of 2007 and gave Ludtke the additional coaching reins.

In his first three seasons at USF, Ludtke has coached individuals who have advanced to the NAIA Championships in both women's cross country and track. A pair of freshmen, Valerie Allen and Meghan Bannatz, went to the 2006 NAIA Cross Country meet. Bannatz then repeated that accomplishment as both a sophomore in 2007 and a junior in 2008. Bannatz journeyed out to the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field meet to compete int he 10,000 meters as a frosh in 2007, while sophomore Jess Horn competed in the heptathlon at the outdoor championships in 2008. The list grew in the fall of 2008 as three men made their first trips to the NAIA Cross Country meet when sophomore Mike McElyea and freshmen Josh Brent and Ryan Scott qualified for the national meet.

On a team basis, Ludtke stamped USF as a cross country contender in 2008 when he directed his men's team to a second-place finish at the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships and led the women to a strong third-place finish. Not bad for programs that didn't exist when he was hired (USF men) and were down to fewer than five runners (women) in his first season.

Ludtke knows a little about rebuilding programs, having done so in both sports on the men's and women's side at Lake Superior State University in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

There, the 32-year-old took over programs that had 30 participants in 2002 and built them up to 74 student-athletes in the spring of 2005. At the same time, he developed 15 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) all-conference athletes, and 49 school records were established in the track program under his tutelage. One of those marks - a time of 14:36 in the 5,000-meter run - also serves as a GLIAC record.

Ludtke also guided nine athletes onto the NCAA performance list.

Prior to his return to Lake Superior State, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Education and Psychology and graduated cum laude in 1999, Ludtke served as both an assistant and head cross country coach and an assistant track coach for the men's and women's programs at University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, from 1999-2002. During that time, he also earned a Masters of Science in Kinesiology.

Each of Ludtke's first two men's cross country teams fared well at North Texas, claiming a Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Championship in 2000 and a runner-up finish in 2001. The women's track team also placed second in the league in 2002 with the men's program earning the outdoor conference crown later that year.

Of those championship teams, nine athletes went on to capture all-SBC honors.

"As a coach, Drew is excellent, but what really set him apart from the other 79 candidates for the position was his ability to coach the whole person," continued Laketa. "He is interested in developing each of his runners as a full person, not just as an athlete. That is what is most important."

Ludtke's list of accomplishments is evidence of that philosophy. He was chosen by the students at Lake Superior State to receive the Golden Anchor Service Award, which is presented to the top staff member at the school for his/her commitment to the students. One year earlier, Ludtke's track team was named the school's most outstanding organization for their service and involvement both inside and outside the school community.

Ludtke also gained praise as a teacher, earning teaching fellow of the year accolades twice while at University of North Texas.

A scholarship basketball player upon his arrival to Lake Superior State in 1995, Ludtke joined the track team one year later and also competed in cross country for two seasons. On the court, he was a member of the 1995-96 GLIAC championship team, while in track he placed as high as fifth in the league at the 1998 championships. He also ran for the nationally-ranked Laker cross-country team in 1998.

Ludtke closed out his career at Lake Superior State earning athlete-of-the-year runner-up honors in 1998-99. That same year, he was recognized as the top athlete devoted to campus/athletic development at the school and was awarded the Bud Cooper Award for that distinction. Included in his involvement was serving as the vice president of the student-athlete advisory committee.

One year earlier, he acted as president of the university's honors program.

Ludtke finished his track career at North Texas, where he earned his fourth letter in the sport and was a part of the Mean Green's conference championship team in 2000.

Ludtke, his wife, Jen, daughter Deena (3) and newborn son Tyler make their home in Joliet.

Jeff Chiapello enters his fourth season as an assistant to Drew Ludtke in the men's and women's cross country and track and field programs at USF in the fall of 2009.

Chiapello, who also serves as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at USF, was a standout middle to long distance runner as a prep at Minooka High School and a collegian at North Central College. He was part of a 4x800 meter relay team that held the Minooka school record for several years until it was broken in the spring of 2008. He still has times among the all-time Top Ten at Minooka and was part of 12 consecutive College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship cross country and track teams in his four years at North Central.

Chiapello works specifically with the cross country runners at USF and coaches the middle and long distance runners on both the men's and women's track teams.

Chiapello and his wife Mindy -- and the couple's dog and two cats -- reside in Joliet.

D.J. Battistella begins his first season with both the men's and women's cross country and track teams this year.

Battistella will work primarily with the sprinters and hurdlers this coming season in track with his main concentration on the 400-meter dash and the hurdle events. He will also oversee the Saints' weight training program as well as help in all aspects of the cross country program.

A 2009 graduate of Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., Battistella was a three-time team captain for the Lakers as well as a two-time Academic All-America selection.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Political Science/Public Administration with a minor in Communications/Marketing.

Battistella is single and resides in Joliet.