BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford University cross country enters a new era as Kevin Ondrasek was announced as the program's newest head coach by Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Head Coach Rod Tiffin.
"I couldn't be happier with the hire of Kevin," Tiffin said. "He brings a wealth of knowledge to our program and has been a part of some of the best programs in the country, including Texas A&M as a runner under Pat Henry and at Florida State as a coach under Bob Braman."
Ondrasek will enter his first season as head coach of the Samford cross country program after most recently serving on staff for the Florida State University Seminoles where he assisted in coaching an FSU squad that qualified for the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
"He was also able to get his feet wet as a head cross country coach at Southern Mississippi," Tiffin continued. "All of those experiences should allow him to come in and continue the success we have had in our distance program."
Ondrasek, a rising star in the coaching ranks, brings three years of quality head coaching experience to the Samford program. From 2011-14, Ondrasek took the Golden Eagles cross country program to unprecedented heights and assisted with the success in the track & field program.
The Golden Eagles eclipsed a total of 36 school records, in both cross country and track, under Ondrasek's watch which includes the highest team finish in school history at the 2013 NCAA Regional cross country meet.
At Southern Miss. seventy-five percent of the all-time Top-5 performances are held by student-athletes that have competed under the tutelage of Ondrasek. The most notable student-athlete that Ondrasek guided is Zuna Portillo who captured the El Salvadorian national record in the 3,000m stepplechase and in 2012 she narrowly missed making her country's Olympic team in the 1500m by one position.
Student-athletes not only exceled in competition but competed in the classroom as his teams ranked first nationally two out of the three years at Southern Miss. In his initial season at the helm in 2011 his team ranked 2nd in the nation with an overall 3.76 GPA before making the jump to 1st for consecutive seasons in 2012 and 2013 with GPAs of 3.78 and 3.82 respectively.
Ondrasek graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Kinesiology from Texas A&M University in 2010 and served as a volunteer assistant for an Aggies squad that won three-consecutive NCAA Track & Field Championships. Ondrasek competed for Texas A&M during undergrad and he also spent time competing as a professional, highlighting his career by achieving the USA-A Standard in the 1500 meters running a time of 3:41.18.
"As the son of a coach he has it (coaching) in his blood," Tiffin concluded. "I feel anything less than success in his mind is not an option."
The Bulldogs season is right around the corner as the team starts the season on its' home course on Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Veterans Park.