UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State track & field and cross country head coach John Gondak has announced a trio of additions to the program's coaching staff ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Penn State alumni Ryan Foster and Kara Foster will return to their alma mater after three seasons at the University of Tennessee. It will mark the second stint on the program's coaching staff for the duo.
"Penn State is thrilled to have Kara and Ryan Foster return to the program," Gondak said. "Both had storied careers running in the Blue and White, earning All-American honors, school records and helping both the Men's and Women's team advance to the NCAA Championships in cross country. They will bring a great energy back to Happy Valley, as I know they want to see the program be extremely successful, and help mentor our student-athletes on both their academic and athletic pursuits."
Ryan Foster graduated from Penn State in 2011 after one of the most storied middle-distance careers in program history. He finished his athletic tenure in the Blue and White with three All-America finishes, including a pair of NCAA bronze-medal efforts - as well as four Big Ten titles.
The Tazmania, Australia native then returned to campus to begin his coaching career, spending two seasons as Penn State's volunteer assistant coach and one season as the team's director of operations. He then served as Penn State's assistant coach for the 2014-15 season.
Kara Foster (maiden name Millhouse) will join the program as Director of Operations. She enjoyed an equally impressive career at Penn State prior to her graduation in 2012, claiming three Big Ten Championships and competing in two NCAA Cross Country Championships. She currently stands as the program record holder in the outdoor 10k.
Like her husband, she joined the Penn State staff as a volunteer assistant upon graduation.
The pair has spent the past five seasons on the same coaching staff, beginning at Edinboro University (2016-18) where Ryan served as the head cross country coach and Kara served as assistant coach. They then went to Tennessee, where Ryan served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the track & field and cross country programs and Kara worked with the distance runners as a volunteer assistant.
Brie Berkowitz joins the Penn State staff after nine seasons as an assistant coach at East Carolina. She will oversee the Penn State pole vault, long jump and triple jump programs.
Berkowitz was a part of two conference championship teams at ECU, helping the Pirate women to the 2014 Conference USA indoor and outdoor titles.
In 2018, she mentored freshman Sommer Knight who became the first female pole vaulter in program history to clear 13 feet. Knight also set the indoor (3.99m) and outdoor (4.20m) school records while qualifying for the NCAA East Preliminary and capturing a pair of third-place finishes at the American Athletic Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Additionally, Knight qualified for the USA Junior National Championships where she set a lifetime-best mark of 4.20 meters (13-09.25 feet) for a fourth-place finish. In 2020, Knight earned all-league accolades at the AAC Indoor Championships following a third-place result.
Prior to ECU, Berkowitz worked at the University of Miami as the travel and events coordinator in the Hurricane athletic department. She also had stints working for the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers in their respective sales departments.
A two-time team captain for ECU's track and field team, she competed in the 400-meter hurdles and the pole vault. Berkowitz still holds the ECU record of 1:01.59 set in 2007 at the Florida Relays in the 100-meter shuttle relays.
