Georgia State's Chris England To Oversee Both Cross Country, Track & Field

From Staff Reports

Georgia State cross country coach Chris England has been elevated to Director of Track & Field/Cross Country on an interim basis, announced Director of Athletics Cheryl L. Levick.

In this new position, England will continue to coach the men's and women's cross country teams as well as the distance runners on the track while overseeing the administration of the track and cross country programs, including budgets, scheduling, recruiting, travel and student-athlete development.

England will oversee a staff that includes head men's and women's track and field coach Eric Campbell, cross country assistant coach Lauren Blankenship and track and field assistant coach Heather Atkinson.

"Chris will be a very effective leader and administrator for our cross country and track and field programs," said Levick. "This move creates a structure that is similar to successful programs around the country. It will streamline the administrative processes and allow our coaches to maximize their time and talents in developing our student-athletes."

England joined the Georgia State staff as head cross country coach in March 2010. In his first season at the helm, he guided inexperienced
men's and women's squads to victories in the JSU Struts Opener and the GSU Invitational. During the outdoor track season, distance runner Katharine Showalter earned all-conference honors in the 3000-meter steeplechase to help the Panthers win their first Colonial Athletic Association title.

England has also been instrumental in the return of the GSU Invitational cross country meet and in bringing the CAA Cross Country
Championships to Atlanta for the first time since GSU joined the league in 2005.

Before coming to GSU, England spent three seasons as the head
men's and women's cross country coach at Murray State, where he led the Racer women to back-to-back runnerup finishes in the Ohio Valley Conference. In 2009, England coached the OVC Athlete of the Year for both indoor and outdoor track in Katelyn Jones (indoor) and Taylor Crawford (outdoor).

Prior to his stint at Murray State, England was the assistant to the head cross country coach at his alma mater, Ohio State. In addition to
working with numerous Big Ten champions and Olympic hopefuls, he served as meet manager for the Jesse Owens Classic and camp director for the Ohio State Cross Country Camp.

England previously worked at Wyoming, where he was a graduate assistant in the athletics department, and at Boise State, where he served as a volunteer assistant coach for the men's and women's track and field teams.

England was a two-time NCAA All-American in track and field in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters while earning multiple All-Big Ten accolades for the Buckeyes.

He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Ohio State in 1997 and completed his master's at Murray State in 2009. He has earned USATF Level II and Level I coaching certification.

After college, England ran professionally and trained full-time for the Olympic Trials. As a professional runner, he was nationally ranked, competing in distances from the mile to the marathon in elite races all across the United States and around the world. In 2006 he won a USA Track & Field (USATF) national title.

A native of Springfield, Ohio, England also served three years on active duty in the U.S. Army.