USTFCCCA Release
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois men's cross country head coach Jake Stewart has been named the Midwest Region Cross Country Coach of the Year, as announced Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Voted on by the Division I coaches, Jake Stewart becomes the first Illinois men's head coach to receive the honor since the award began in 1998.
"I'm so happy for Jake that he is being recognized for the outstanding job he's done with our men's cross country team," said Head Men's Track and Field Coach Mike Turk. "He has worked hard a diligently in all aspects to return the program to a nationally competitive level. Jake is one of the really bright, young coaches in the industry and I am thankful to have him working with our student athletes here at Illinois. It's really been amazing to watch him work with this group, and navigate a very tough year, to end up with great results when it mattered most. Jake has laid a great foundation for success, and there will be many more exciting program accomplishments in the coming years."
Now in his fifth season at the helm of the Fighting Illini men's cross country program, Stewart has elevated the program to a level it hasn't seen in 30 years, as the Orange and Blue earned a bid to NCAA Championships for the first time since 1986. Ranked No. 24 by USTFCCCA, Illinois advanced to the national meet after placing third at the NCAA Midwest Regional this past Friday (11/11), led by All-Region finishes from Dylan Lafond (5th), Jon Davis (17th) and Jesse Reiser (25th).
In his five seasons at Illinois, Stewart has coached a Big Ten Freshman of the Year, an All-American and has seen five athletes crack the school's all-time 8,000m top-10 list. Last season, Stewart guided the Illini to their best finish at Big Ten Championships since 1989, finishing runner-up.
After laying the foundation in his first three seasons at Illinois, Stewart has signed back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes to put Illinois back in the national conversation. In 2015, Jesse Reiser was named Big Ten Freshman of the year and has twice been named to the Midwest All-Region team, while redshirt freshman Zach Dale joined the lineup this season and scored points at the regional meet last weekend. Four-time IHSA state champion Jon Davis joined the group this season, posting the top finish among true freshmen at the Midwest Regional.
Prior to taking over the Illinois program, Stewart spent a year as the head coach at Purdue and three seasons at Lamar. In 2009 and 2010, Stewart was named the Southland Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Cardinals to back-to-back conference titles. Stewart began his coaching career as an assistant at Iona after running for the Gaels, and leading them to four MAAC Championships as an undergrad.
The Fighting Illini will compete this Saturday at the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, with the men's race beginning at 11 a.m. central time.
Stewart Notes:
- First Illinois men's cross country coach to be named Midwest Region Coach of the Year
- Led Illinois to its first NCAA Championships appearance in 30 years (1986)
- Illinois ranks No. 24 in USTFCCCA poll and No. 21 in FloTrack
- Coached Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jesse Reiser and All-American Dylan Lafond in 2015
- Five additions to cross country 8,000m top-10 list, including Dylan Lafond's school record (23:22.4)
- Signed back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes according to FloTrack (2015 & 2016)
Men's Coaches of the Year:
Great Lakes (Earle Hayes Award) – Mick Byrne, Wisconsin
Mid-Atlantic (Harry Groves Award) – Al Cantello, Navy
Midwest (Roy Griak Award) – Jake Stewart, Illinois
Mountain (Chick Hislop Award) – Eric Heins, Northern Arizona
Northeast (Robert Grieve Award) – Chris Fox, Syracuse
South (Dave Walker Award) – Ryan Vanhoy, Mississippi
South Central (Johnny Morriss Award) – Chris Bucknam, Arkansas
Southeast – Rollie Geiger, NC State
West (Dean Miller Award) – Chris Miltenberg, Stanford
