Elizabeth Bitting (left) replaces the departing Paige Spangler (right) as Coupeville High School cross country coach.
Same trails, new boss.
Well, except the new boss is also the old boss.
Coupeville Middle School cross country guru Elizabeth Bitting, who coached the Wolf high school team in 2020, is returning to reclaim the position, but this time for good.
Bitting replaces Paige Spangler, who exits after two seasons at the helm of the CHS program.
The reason for the departure?
Spangler is moving to the East Coast after her husband, who’s in the military, recently received new orders.
Bitting has been the heart and soul of Coupeville’s running programs since they were relaunched in 2018 after a two-decade absence, building the middle school program into a huge success.
CMS boasted 30+ runners this fall, an extraordinary number for a school of its size.
A huge part of that is Bitting, who infuses her students with joy, regardless of whether they are hardcore runners or first-time athletes.
While she has piloted the middle school program the past five seasons, the high school harriers have had four different coaches.
Natasha Bamberger and Luke Samford each did a season before being pulled away by real-world jobs, Bitting agreed to coach both programs for a season, then Spangler joined her on the trails.
This time, Bitting is making the jump to the high school job for good, and the middle school coaching position will be posted.
“I am truly excited about the move. It is time,” Bitting said. “There’ll be no stepping down this time! I have plans! Lots of plans!”
A lifelong runner herself, Bitting was a team captain on a state title-winning harrier team at Mt. San Antonio College.
She also helped launch Dash for the Bash (later renamed Race the Reserve), which raises money for each year’s senior class at Coupeville High School.
