Randy Cole
	Position: Head Cross Country Coach Experience: 8th year Alma Mater: Cal Poly '81

Randy Cole enters his ninth season with Wyoming track and field and his eighth season at the helm of the cross country program. He has high expectations, and that's because during his time, the Wyoming distance runners have climbed into the upper echelon of the Mountain West Conference and the Mountain Region. In cross country, he has coached five National Qualifiers, eight All-Mountain Region performers, 11 All-MWC performers and two All-Americans. In Cole's first cross country season, he was named the 2004 Mountain West Women's Coach of the Year. As the distance coach for the UW track and field program, Cole has used his knowledge to push several athletes to their potential. His list of accomplishments includes two All-Americans, 14 regional qualifiers, six conference champions, 17 All-Conference performers, seven school record-holders and 77 athletes who took a spot in the top 10 on UW's all-time list.

Before accepting his current position at Wyoming, Cole guided the Kansas State cross country teams from 1997-2003. He led the Wildcat women's cross country program to three straight regional championships (1998-2000) and a Big 12 Conference Championship in 1998, the first in program history. He was named Big 12 Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1998 and was named the Midwest Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year in three of his last four seasons at Kansas State. In Cole's six years with the KSU cross country program, he coached 11 All-Americans, two Midwest Region champions, 23 All-Midwest Region honorees and 17 Big 12 All-Conference performers. On the track, Cole guided 10 distance runners to All-American honors, six to indoor Big 12 individual titles and five to outdoor Big 12 individual titles. Also, eight distance school records were established during his time at KSU.

Before his tenure at Kansas State, he served as the head cross country coach at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kan., from 1985-1997. While at Barton County, he took over the track and field program in 1991 and held that position until 1997. He was named National Junior College Athletic Association Cross Country Coach of the Year 10 times and the Region VI Coach of the Year 12 times. In March of 2002, he was inducted into the NJCAA Track and Field Hall of Fame. Under his leadership, Cole took the Barton County cross country and track and field programs to national dominance. The women's team captured four national titles in cross country, eight titles in outdoor track and field and seven indoor track and field titles. The men's program had 23 top-five national finishes under his direction.

Some of his top athletes at Wyoming include Mark Korir, who won four MWC titles in distance events and Emily Higgins, the 2009 MWC champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

All in all, Cole has guided athletes who have achieved the following marks: Men -- 1:48.30 in the 800-meter run, 3:38.60 in 1,500 run, 8:12.68 in the 3,000 steeplechase, 13:43.22 in the 5,000 run and 29:09.25 in the 10,000 run.

Women - 2:01.92 in the 800, 4:12.39 in the 1,500, 9:30.12 in the 3,000 steeplechase, 15:44.67 in the 5,000 and 34.42.37 in the 10,000.

With his impressive resume, it's obvious Cole knows what it takes to build a distance program that is capable of competing at the highest level. The foundation of his success can be traced to his accomplishments as a student-athlete. He was an intricate part of a California Polytechnic State University program that won NCAA Division II national championships in cross country in 1978 and 1979, and track and field titles in 1979 and 1980. He is USATF Level II certified in endurance.

Wyoming Cross Country

Printer-friendly format	Email this article