The Southern Vermont College Mountaineers named Billy Obenauer as its assistant cross country coach for the fall 2011 season.  Obenauer is a graduate of SUNY Orange and Warwick Valley High School.  He brings over ten years of coaching experience with him, having coached soccer, baseball, track & field, and basketball at various levels.

While at Warwick Valley, Obenauer participated in the school's varsity cross country, track, and soccer programs.  He was also active in competitive weight lifting.  His most notable achievements in these areas include earning All-County honors in cross country and winning WVHS's “Pound-for-Pound” bench pressing competition for his class three years in a row.

Obenauer's professional career has been one of business management, where he has repeatedly lead different retail outfits, such as The Home Depot and 84 Lumber, to increased sales and profitability in struggling stores.  He credits this success to the leadership skills, value of teamwork, and work ethic that he learned as an athlete.

The inspiration for Obenauer's venture into coaching at the college level comes from not only the profound impact that his cross country coach, Tim St. Lawrence had on his life, but also from the success that teammates such as Mike Potter and Ryan Orner have experienced coaching for Warwick Valley High School and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

Upon visiting Southern Vermont College, Obenauer was impressed by the friendly and personal environment of the school.  He, along with new head coach Maria Stuber, are looking to return the school's cross country program to the glory that it experienced in the early 2000's.  “We have some athletes with great attitudes on this team,” Obenauer said, “If I can bring just a portion of the inspiration that Coach St. Lawrence brought to Warwick, these kids are really going to turn some heads this year.”