Leander Toney Jr. enters his first season as the assistant cross country and track and field coach at Cheyney University in the fall of 2016.
Interim Director of Athletics, Suzanne Kilian welcomed Coach Toney to the staff at Cheyney, “I believe Coach Toney will add to the wealth of knowledge and experience of what is needed to successfully compete in Division II and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.”
Toney, who graduated in 2011 from Indiana (PA), (IUP), as one of the most decorated high jumpers in PSAC history, was an All-American teammate of Cheyney Head Coach Brianna Liebold, at IUP from 2009-11.
"I'm extremely eager for the opportunity to join the cross country and track and field programs here at Cheyney University and work alongside Coach Liebold. As teammates during our collegiate careers, Coach Liebold and I were cut from the same cloth, both of us have that competitive nature and desire to win whenever we set foot on the track
Coach Liebold, who enters her second campaign at the helm, after four years as an assistant at Cheyney, believes Toney is the right person to aid in the programs advancement. "Leander is going to be a great fit here at Cheyney. From teammates to coaches I think we are in for an exciting season with endless opportunities and a great deal of room for growth.”
Toney began his coaching career by working for two seasons as an assistant at York College (PA) from 2012-14. He then worked with the jumpers at Caravel Academy in Delaware for a season.
“Coach LT has a lot of knowledge to bring to the program as well as a competitive outlook with the expectation to help grow and develop our program here at Cheyney. Liebold added, we are excited to have him on board and looking forward to what he has to offer."
As a student-athlete, Toney earned All-American status in the high jump six times from 2010-12.
Coach Toney sees a bright future ahead for the programs, "I know we both share similar aspirations and expectations of our student-athletes, and together I hope that we can instill a winning mentality into each of their minds, from practice to putting on that Cheyney Uniform on competition day."
After graduating from IUP, Toney enrolled as a graduate student at University of Central Missouri in spring of 2012 and had what he called arguably his best season as jumper.
At Central Missouri, he cleared seven feet or greater on six different occasions, winning both indoor and outdoor Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) championships, earned All-American honors at both indoor and outdoor national championships, and jumped a personal best 2.20m (7'2.5") while hitting a USA Olympic "B" standard qualifying mark.
Coach Toney, transferred to IUP after one season at Shippensburg, and competed alongside coach Liebold from (2009-2011) eventually going on to earn three PSAC championships in the high Jump and four All-American performances including a second-place performance at the 2011 indoor championships where it came down to number of misses at earlier heights.
The 2006 (PA) State high jump champion, as a senior in high school from Lancaster, Pa., originally attended Shippensburg University on a basketball scholarship, but decided that basketball was not for him.
Toney joined the track and field team at the behest of Shippensburg head track and field coach Dave Osanitsch as R-Fr. and broke an 18 year old school record, jumping 2.18m (7'1 3/4"), a record he still shares. Leander was named PSAC outdoor high jump champion and USATFCCCA Division II Outdoor East Region Field Athlete of the Year in 2008.
Leander Toney Jr., Collegiate Awards/Recognition list:
-USA Olympics Trials “B” Standard Qualifier (2012)
-NCAA Outdoor Division II Track and Field All-American (2010, 2011, 2012)
-NCAA Indoor Division II Track and Field All-American (2010, 2011, 2012)
-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Outdoor High Jump Champion (2012)
-MIAA Indoor High Jump Champion (2012)
-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Outdoor High Jump Champion (2008, 2010, 2011)
-PSAC Indoor High Jump Champion (2011)
-USATFCCCA Division II Outdoor East Region Field Athlete of the Year (2008)
