HOBOKEN, N.J. (November 10, 2020)  – It's time for the next installment of "Meet The Duck Tuesday." This week, we caught up with Head Men's and Women's Track & Field and Cross County coach, Lance Harden.

Heading into his third season on Castle Point, Harden has already piloted the Ducks to three conference championships with a total of 40 individual or relay conference championships. A four-time coach of the year between the Empire 8 and Middle Atlantic Conferences, the Apex, North Carolina native has also helped the Ducks to regional success, with five All-Atlantic Region champions and 20 All-Region honorees. 

Under Harden and his staff's tutelage, the Ducks have totaled 12 NCAA qualifiers and seven All-Americans, including graduate student Gina Dello Russo, who earned two United States Track and Field and Cross Coaches Association All-America honors at the 2020 Division III Indoor Championships to bring her career total to 10.

Prior to arriving in Hoboken, Harden spent four seasons at Emory University where he managed all aspects of the men's distance program, including training, recruiting and administration. Under Harden's watch, Emory Cross Country reached the NCAA Championship in four straight seasons, while winning a pair of South/Southeast Regional titles. With Harden in tow, Emory set 10 school records, had four University Athletic Association (UAA) individual champions, six NCAA Track Championship qualifiers and three All-Americans.

Prior to his time in Atlanta, Harden spent three seasons as an assistant with Williams College, where he was charged with organizing training for the Ephs' student-athlete contingent of more than 80 competitors. He had his first professional coaching opportunity at his alma mater, Davidson College, where he spent one season as a volunteer assistant coach, serving in a mentorship role for student-athletes to discuss race strategy, injury maintenance and mental preparation.

As an undergraduate, Harden helped guide the Wildcats to their first NCAA Division I Southeast Regional ranking and the program's best team finishes at conference and regional meets. He was the Southern Conference's Outdoor Track & Field 10,000-meter champion and was an eight-time All-Southern Conference honoree, collecting two all-conference nods in cross country and three each in indoor and outdoor track & field. 

Additionally, Harden set school records in 8K Cross Country, 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs in indoor track and was a part of a record-setting 4 x 1,500-meter relay team in outdoor track.

Harden graduated from Davidson in 2009 with a bachelor's in philosophy.

• First year at Stevens: 2018
• Favorite thing about working at Stevens: The view! How serene it is on campus despite being in the middle of Hoboken and staring at Manhattan. The people are pretty great, too.
• Best student-athlete at Stevens during your time here: Gina Dello Russo
• Proudest moment during your time at Stevens: Every conference track & field meet since I've been here has been exhilarating and fulfilling. Seeing the men's and women's track & field teams sweep the indoor & outdoor Empire 8 titles in 2019, which were the first-ever conference titles for the men. This year, having the men come back from a significant deficit on the final day to win the MAC title in our first year there.
• A fun fact about you that most people do not know: I'm named after Lance Alworth, the Hall of Fame wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers.
• What is the most interesting fact about you? I grew up in a ranger house in a state park.
• What accomplishment are you most proud of? Winning the "Exercise, Sleep, Nutrition & Humor" award at the NC School of Science & Mathematics. In seriousness, graduating from NCSSM and Davidson College.
• First job: Gopher at Environmental Technical Group and Enthalpy Analytical
• Five favorite songs: "Got to Give It Up," by Marvin Gaye; "Get Up Offa That Thing," by James Brown; "Alaska," by Maggie Rogers; "Tracks of My Tears," by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles; "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," by The Rolling Stones (I prefer the Otis Redding version)
• First concert: Bob Dylan; it was terrible, he never looked at nor acknowledged the crowd
• Favorite entertainer: Dave Chappelle or Muhammad Ali
• Favorite movie or television show: The Wire
• Favorite book: The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
• Favorite food: Pasta
• Favorite snack: Anything with chocolate
• Favorite radio station: WNCW 88.7 Spindale, "Your eclectic music station, broadcasting live from Isothermal Community College."
• Favorite number and why: 18
• Favorite college or professional sports team: Davidson Wildcats basketball
• Favorite place on campus: Babbio Patio
• Favorite pizza place in Hoboken: Mario's
• What's the one food you could never bring yourself to eat? Olives
• Who would play you in a movie? Most have said Kevin Bacon, others have said Channing Tatum (I don't see it) or Matt Damon (definitely for teenage years).
• What did you want to be when you were a child? Knowledgeable
• Who was/is your mentor: My dad
• Favorite quote: "Esse quam videri" (to be rather than to seem), State motto of North Carolina
• Favorite family tradition: Going to Goldhead State Park for Thanksgiving
• Favorite board game: Trivial Pursuit
• Using one word, how would you describe your family? Outside
• How do you spend an off day? Running new trails and watching the NFL
• Favorite teacher and why? Paul Studtmann (Davidson) because he admitted that no one truly understands Sartre, so we'd figure it out together.
• What is something popular that annoys you? Reliance on smartphones, social media
• Favorite place to travel to: North Carolina (year-round) & New England in summertime
• Best advice you ever received: In general, other people are doing the best that they can.
• If you could have any superpower, what would you choose and why? Teleportation to spend more time doing and less time getting there
• Who would be at your perfect 'Table for Four'? Jesus of Nazareth, Siddhartha Gautama, Muhammad, Confucius
• What is your most prized possession? Good health
• Who is your oldest friend? Where did you meet? Eliza, Mrs. Heuer's first grade class
• Who is your hero? Why? My mom. She raised two kids and always put us first while working full-time as one of the first female park rangers and superintendents in North Carolina.

• Dog or cat? Dog
• In or out? Out
• Hot or cold? Hot
• Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla
• Introvert or extrovert? Both
• Coffee or Tea? Coffee
• Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes
• Cardio or weights? Running
• Bacon or Sausage? Sausage
• Sunrise or sunset? Sunrise
• Cake or Pie? Cake
• Online shopping or shopping in a store? Neither
• Breakfast, lunch or dinner? Never missed a meal in my life
• Beach or pool? Mountain lake
• Pen or Pencil? Pen
• Driver or passenger? Driver
• Glass half empty or half full? Half full
• Card game or board game? Sheepshead (card game)
• Ninjas or Pirates? Pirates
• Fruits or vegetables? Fruits
• Would you rather be rich or famous? Neither
• Library or museums? Museums
• Summer or Winter? Summer
• Hamburgers or hot dogs? Cheeseburgers
• Who would win in a fight? Superman or Batman? Batman 

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