DES MOINES, Iowa -- Drake University Athletics announced Jay Koloseus as head men's and women's track & field coach on Wednesday, July 6. Koloseus will remain as the head men's and women's cross country coach at Drake.
 
"We are excited to announce Jay Koloseus as the head track and field and cross country coach," Director of Athletics Brian Hardin said. "This creates the best scenario for our track & field and cross country programs. In any position we hire at Drake Athletics, we look for three things: energy, passion and vision. Jay's energy and passion for coaching are two qualities we were very familiar with as he excels in both areas. Hearing his vision for our track and field programs during the interview process helped push him to the top of our list. We are elated to watch this program move forward with him at the helm."

 "This position is a massive honor and one I could not be more excited about," Koloseus said. "In the sport of track & field, Drake University is amazingly prominent and well respected. That excellence is something I hope to build upon. I am proud of the work I have done thus far for Drake track & field and cross country and I can't wait to get to work to serve our Bulldog student-athletes in an elevated capacity. 
 
"As Des Moines' Hometown Team, it humbles me to work with amazing people in our city and especially in the athletic department," Koloseus added. "I would like to personally thank Blake Boldon, Stephanie Sledge and Brian Hardin for entrusting me with such a significant position. I would also like to give special gratitude to Asha Gibson-Smith, who has served as a mentor over the last few years. Her efforts as head track & field coach laid a fantastic foundation for this program and I will work tirelessly to amplify that positive trajectory."
 
Koloseus joined the Drake track & field and cross country staff in August of 2017 as the program's assistant men's distance coach and recruiting coordinator. In 2019, after the men's cross-country team finished as the runner-up in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, Koloseus took over as the interim head cross country coach for both the men's and women's teams. After the Drake distance runners had immense success during the 2020 indoor season, the interim tag was removed and Koloseus was elevated to head cross country coach.

Last season, in the fall of 2021, the Bulldog women's cross country team collected their best finish (19^th place) in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship since 2013. The Drake men's cross country team dominated the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Championship by finishing 1-2-3-6-8 for the second lowest score since the 1950's and Drake's first men's cross country title since 1999.
 
"In his short tenure as the head cross country coach, Jay Koloseus mentored some of the best all-time Drake athletes and quickly took both the men's and women's teams to their highest conference finishes in more than two decades," Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Blake Boldon said. "During the highly competitive interview process, Jay shared a thoughtful vision for the future of Drake track & field, entirely centered on Bulldog student-athletes. He has earned this opportunity and I look forward to working with him to further elevate the sport of track and field at Drake University."
 
Koloseus mentored Adam Fogg and Isaac Basten to multiple All-America honors while they continued to break the 4-minute barrier in the mile. Fogg and Basten holds the top two spots in the Drake men's outdoor track & field 1500m record book. Fogg and Basten also qualified for the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships, becoming the first Bulldogs to run at the NCAA Championships since 2016. Fogg's fourth-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Midwest Regional was the best finish in school history.
 
Before arriving in Des Moines, Koloseus was the head track and field and cross country coach at Louisburg College in Louisburg, N.C. from 2013-2017. He started the cross country programs in 2013 and began the track & field programs in 2015. Both the Louisburg men's and women's track & field teams won regional championships in their first two seasons of existence. Koloseus was the 2014 Region X NJCAA cross country men's and women's Coach of the Year. In total, he was named Region X Coach of the Year six times.

Prior to constructing the programs at Louisburg, Koloseus was a graduate assistant coach at Auburn University where he helped oversee the Tigers' cross country teams and distance runners.
 
As a student-athlete, Koloseus was a member of two Big East champion cross country teams at Syracuse and was an All-Big East selection.
 
"I hope the Bulldog track & field athletes are equally as excited to build upon our great tradition and foundation," Koloseus said. "I along with a capable coaching staff will be with you day-in and day-out as we joyfully strive for academic excellence, fulfillment of athletic potential, personal growth and leadership as we work for championships. We will be unified in pursuit of these goals and in our efforts to achieve them. We will create a productive environment conducive to achieving these goals while being process driven. I am confident that embarking on this venture together, you will look back on many wonderful memories and great friendships from this special time in your lives.  I am so proud to continue to chant, 'go Bulldogs!'"