For the Powells, their time together began in neighboring communities on the outskirts of Boston, where given the geographic proximity and their shared love of running they became acquainted as teenagers. Their relationship and their running careers continued at Stanford University. Maurica, who had been a six-time high school state champion, became a two-time All-American for the Cardinal. Andy, who won U.S. junior titles in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters as a high school senior, went on to help Stanford to the 2000 NCAA team championship in track and field.
Married shortly after their Cardinal careers concluded, the couple spent one year coaching at Columbia University in New York, where Maurica was a graduate assistant and Andy a volunteer assistant. A year later, new Oregon coach Vin Lananna, who had coached the Powells at Stanford, brought them to Eugene, with Andy becoming a full-time assistant and Maurica a volunteer assistant. Three years later they were both full-time assistants.
“In terms of us being married and working together, one thing that’s very helpful is that we both understand what the job is. If I’m at home having dinner and I get a phone call because one of our athletes has an emergency, Andy understands that it’s incredibly important that I leave in that moment. Similarly, if we’re at a function at our kids’ school and Andy has to go handle a situation that’s incredibly important, there’s no animosity. We both get (that it’s necessary).”
Given what they accomplished at Oregon, it is understood there will be similar expectations for Washington. Whether in cross country, indoor track and field or outdoor track and field, the goal will always be to have teams and individuals that contend for national championships, or at least places on the podium.
But trophies and other hardware are only part of the equation. In addition, Maurica Powell said, “we want this to be a meaningful experience for the student-athletes who are here. Yes, it’s about doing all the outcome things that are exciting. But the process to getting those outcomes needs to be rewarding and it needs to be meaningful to all the student-athletes on our team.
“There’s going to be a lot of process before we get to those outcomes. And it isn’t all going to be enjoyable. There’s going to be some really hard, ugly days, too. But if the relationships we have with the athletes are strong enough and valuable enough to them, then even the really, really ugly days are not so bad.”
Success sometimes comes quickly, though often not immediately. In that respect, Maurica Powell said, “we’re fortunate that Jen has given us the time to do it. She’s not saying this has to happen tomorrow. She’s saying, ‘I think you can do it, and I want you to take the time it’s going to take so you can do it your way and the right way and with the right people.’ She’s really been supportive of that. Obviously we’d like to do it as quickly as we can, but we’re not cutting any corners. Because there really are no shortcuts to building a good program.”
Along the way, Andy Powell said, every decision will be based on “whatever’s best for the student-athlete. That’s always been our main theme. That’s how we were coached, that’s what we did at Oregon, and it’s what we’ll do at Washington. If you always go back to that, I feel you’ll always make the right decision.”
Recruiting is already underway, and from the outset they have detected a growing enthusiasm for their programs. There is, Andy Powell said, “a buzz and an excitement out there. There are a lot of recruits and a lot of parents and a lot of coaches that are just really excited about the University of Washington, and that’s been cool.”
When it comes to recruiting, Maurica Powell added, it helps that Washington is a fairly easy sell.
“This is a special place,” she said. “It’s really highly renowned as an academic institution, and the city of Seattle and this setting are really compelling for student-athletes. I look around and I can’t imagine why someone wouldn’t want to come here."
And although the future is never certain, “we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we could be successful,” she said. “We were able to do some exciting things with our teams at Oregon, and now we feel like we can do some pretty special things here.”
Among those anticipating no less is Cohen. “There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re going to do great things for Washington,” she said.