DES MOINES, Iowa – Sam Read, a former Iowa prep and collegian in the state, has been hired as the next head coach of Drake University men's and women's cross country and track & field, Director of Athletics Brian Hardin announced today.
 
"I am truly honored to accept the opportunity to lead the men's and women's cross country and track and field programs at Drake University," Read said. "I am grateful to Brian Hardin, Blake Boldon, Stephanie Sledge, and the entire Bulldog administration for their trust and support. Having grown up competing in Iowa experiencing the Drake Relays, I understand the pride and tradition these programs carry, and I look forward to building upon that legacy. My wife and I are excited to join the Drake community and make Des Moines our home. Go Dogs!"
 
Read moves to Des Moines after a seven-year stint as the head cross country coach and distance coach at Eastern Washington University. This past season, Sam guided the EWU men's XC team to a fourth-place finish at the Big Sky Conference championships, their second-highest placement in program history, while the women finished fifth and were regionally ranked throughout the season. Throughout Read's tenure, the Eagles steadily climbed the Big Sky ranks with improved team placements every year.
 
While with the Eagles, Read has coached five school records on the track including the men's distance medley relay, women's distance medley relay, men's 10k, men's 1000, and men's steeplechase. Read's tutelage has led to a total of 68 new additions to the Eastern Washington men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field all-time top 10 lists.
 
Some of his standout individual performers include Justin Roosma, an All-Big Sky steeplechaser and NCAA West Regional qualifier, Owen Higgins, an All-Big Sky 800 runner, and Isaac Barville, another NCAA West Regional qualifier in the 1500.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Sam into our athletics department and excited for his leadership of our cross country and track and field programs," Drake Director of Athletics Brian Hardin said. "His track record at Eastern Washington – taking a distance program from the bottom of the Big Sky Conference to the top half, despite having a fraction of the scholarships of his competition – was remarkable. Sam's vision for how he would leverage the greater support available at Drake to contend for Missouri Valley Conference titles was convincing. Even more impressive was his ability to see the Drake program for not only what it is today, but what it can be in a short period of time."
 
Prior to joining the staff at Eastern Washington, Sam served as a graduate assistant and assistant coach at Montana State University. Read played a pivotal role underneath notable Bobcat coaches Dale Kennedy and Lyle Weese for four years.
 
Montana State produced four All-Americans and 17 Big Sky Conference champions during his tenure in Bozeman. Read helped instruct two sub-four-minute milers and eight school record holders while the Bobcat team piled up nine top three finishes at the Big Sky Championships. Sam received his masters' degree from Montana State in 2016.
 
"Sam will invest himself into our student-athletes and develop meaningful relationships with them," Hardin said. "It's what he did at Eastern Washington that helped him be named coach of the year by the EWU student-athletes last year. I'm eager to see the impact Sam will have as he helps our student-athletes achieve sustained excellence in the classroom, competition, and community."
 
A native of Marion, Iowa, Read was a standout at Linn-Mar High School where he represented the Lions as a Drake Relays qualifier. He went on to run collegiately at Wartburg College and captured the crown in the 10k at the 2014 Iowa Conference Track & Field Championships and was an individual qualifier for the national meet. Read was a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from Wartburg in 2014.
 
He also met his wife, Rebekah, at Wartburg as they both competed for the Knights. They have two kids, Eliza and Bennett.