DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake Cross Country and Track & Field has made an addition to its coaching staff, head coach Sam Read announced today. The Bulldogs have brought in Kelsey Stowers as the program's Director of Operations and Assistant Coach.
 
Stowers comes to Drake after working at West Virginia Wesleyan College from 2019-26. While at West Virginia Wesleyan, she coached both men's and women's cross country and track and field.
 
During her time with the Bobcats, Kelsey helped produce 39 Mountain East Conference champions, 40 USTFCCCA All-Region performers, three national championship qualifiers (one in cross country and two in track and field), and a Second Team NCAA All-American. She also coached the West Virginia Wesleyan women's XC squad to a sixth-place result at the NCAA Regional finish, marking the best regional finish in school history. Her Bobcat success also included leading the men's cross country team to its highest conference standing in nearly a decade after returning just two runners in her debut season. Stowers won Mountain East Conference Women's Track Coach of the Year for her efforts.
 
Prior to coaching, Stowers attended Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia from 2014-19.  As a Cardinal, she qualified for the NCAA D-II National Championships in cross county, running 21:20 in the 6k. She also established NCAA provisional marks in steeplechase, indoor and outdoor 5k, and indoor 3k, while posting a 5k personal best of 17:08 at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic. Stowers was an 8-time Mountain East Conference champion, 3-time Mountain East Conference Runner of the Year, and 2-time Mountain East Conference Track Athlete of the Year.
 
Kelsey is a West Virginia native and graduate of Oak Glen High School.