Men's Cross Country

Bill Neely is in his third year as Assistant Cross Country and Track Coach with the Trojans. He is a Level I USA Track and Field certified coach.

During his time in the Electric City, the Trojan cross country program has enjoyed tremendous success, with the women’s team notching back-to-back appearances in the NCAA National Championships (2017 and 2018). The cross country squads have notched five team titles and five individual championships over the past two seasons. The teams have also seen a combined 14 all-conference honorees in two seasons in the Electric City.

During the 2017 season, the women’s cross country squad won three team titles - the USC Upstate Eye Opener, USC Upstate Invitational and the Piedmont College Invitational – and posted its’ highest finish since 2011 by finishing second at the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Championships. The Trojans went on to become the first Trojan cross country squad – men or women – to qualify for the NCAA National Championships by finishing second at the 2017 NCAA Southeast Regionals.

Individually, Haylee Love won both the USC Upstate Eye Opener and the Piedmont Invitational, while Olivia Evans won the Upstate Invitational. Love, Evans, Allyson Malone, Abigail Bozarth all went on to capture all-conference honors.

The men’s cross country squad followed suit by winning both the USC Upstate Invitational and Piedmont Invitational, with standout Mason Hazel claiming individual at both meets. Hazel, Ben Clark, Weston Hutto each claimed All-SAC accolades at the conclusion of the season.

The men’s and women’s teams swept the 2018 Southern Wesleyan Warrior Invitational, with Bozarth and Logan Horning claiming individual titles that propelled them to SAC Runner of the Week honors. With Bozarth, Evans and Olivia Rish claiming All-SAC recognition at the conference championships, the women’s team went on to qualify for the for the NCAA National Championships for the second straight year by finishing third at the 2018 NCAA Southeast Regionals.

Horning, Clark and Hutto earned All-SAC accolades, with Horning garnering All-Region at the end of last season.

The Trojan track teams combined for nearly 200 top-25 finishes during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 indoor and outdoor seasons, while claiming eight first-place finishes over the same time span. Olivia Evans was named the South Atlantic Conference Women’s Track Athlete of the Week after winning the 5,000 meters at the 2018 ETSU Buccaneer Invitational, while JoLyn Copeland earned SAC Women’s Indoor Field Athlete of the Week for her efforts at the 2018 Clemson Opener.

Neely competed collegiately in cross country and track at Carson-Newman University and earned his bachelor's degree from Carson-Newman and a master's degree from Clemson.

Neely is a founding member of the Greenville, S.C. Track Club and a veteran distance runner.