Men's Cross Country

Kevin Eagle was named head cross country and track & field coach for the Black and Gold in July, 2017.

Eagle arrived in the Electric City after four seasons at the helm of the Limestone cross country and track and field programs, where his Saints earned All-Conference Carolinas Cross Country honors on 22 occasions. Eagle guided the Saints to the 2016 Conference Carolinas' Men's Indoor Track and Field title and the Limestone women's cross country squad was runner-up at the 2015 Conference Carolinas Championships.

Under Eagle's tutelage, Limestone's Marshawn Scott became the first Saint to earn an individual national title by taking home top honors in the 60 meter hurdles in a time of 7.92. Scott went on to capture All-America honors with a with a fourth-place finish in the 110 meter hurdles at the 2017 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

In 2015, freshman Sarah Rutto became the first runner in the history of the Limestone College cross country programs to qualify for the NCAA National Championships as she set a school record at the Southeast Regional Championships, while Tristan Perignon was a three-time Conference Carolinas' titleholder in the 800 meters.

Off the course, Eagle's teams have traditionally performed in the classroom as well, with eight Limestone student-athletes garnering Academic All-America recognition.

Prior to his stint in Gaffney, Eagle spent the 2012-13 season as an assistant cross country and track and field coach for the Gillette College (Wyo.), men's and women's programs. He helped guide 21 Pronghorns to the NJCAA Indoor/Outdoor National Championships, while seeing a pair of athletes qualify for the USA Track & Field Nationals in 2013. Eagle helped develop a combined nine cross country and track & field athletes to All-America status, with four claiming Academic All-America honors during his time in the Cowboy State.

During his time at Gillette, he was responsible for scheduling and managing meet arrangements that included all aspects of hotel, transportation, meals and practices as well as recruitment efforts for the program. Eagle also handled individualized daily workouts, managed the cross country and track & field budget and organized volunteer and fundraising opportunities for the programs. Eagle also served as an Associate Professor of Physical Education & Health Science and the school's Sports Information Director.

As an assistant coach at Limestone in 2011-12, Eagle helped guide the Saints' men's and women's track and field teams to second place at the Conference Carolinas' Championships. He served as team captain of the Limestone men's cross country team during his junior and senior campaigns and held six track and field distance records, ranging from the 800 meter to the 5000 meter run.

In the classroom, Eagle was a two-time NCAA Academic honoree.

Eagle received his bachelor's degree in sports management, with a minor in business administration from Limestone in 2010 after competing for the Saints. He earned his master's degree in Sports Management-Intercollegiate Athletic Administration from California University of Pennsylvania in 2012.

CROSS COUNTRY

During his time in the Electric City, the Trojan cross country program has enjoyed unmatched success, with the women’s team notching five appearances in the NCAA National Championships (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) while leading the men to their first nationals trip in program history in 2022. 

Eagle’s cross country squads have notched seven team titles and six individual championships over the past three seasons. His teams have also seen a combined 20 all-conference honorees in three seasons in the Electric City, alongside numerous All-Southeast Region honorees.

During Eagle’s inaugural season at the helm of the AU program, 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.

The 2019 cross country campaign saw the Trojans sweep top honors at the Converse Kick-off Classic, with each team capturing first place in Spartanburg. Melea Sangl took home individual honors on the women’s side, with Ty Gleason posting a runner-up performance on the men’s side.

Evans and Rish went on to garner all-conference, as well as all region recognition, with teammate Rebecca Ward earning a spot on the SAC All-Freshman Team and also collecting Honorable Mention All-SAC honors.

Ty Gleason and Ben Clark earned All-SAC accolades, with Daniel Similton claiming a spot on both the SAC Honorable Mention squad and the All-Freshman Team.

In Covid-shortened season in 2020, the men's and women's cross country competed in four meets each, with the women winning two invitationals and the men one. Melea Sangl won The Biscuit Collegiate Invitational, while Ben Clark claimed second at the UNG XC Invitational.

The Trojans returned to a full season of competition in 2021, with the addition of a new full-time assistant to Eagle's coaching staff in Andrew Mudd. Both the men's and women's teams were picked third in the SAC preseason poll, won the Run The Berry XC Invitational, and finished fourth in the SAC XC Championships. At the NCAA Regionals, the men placed fifth while the women took third place to clinch their trip to NCAA Nationals. Philip Quillen, Spain Vaughan, Daniel Similton, Whitney Hanson, Faith Nelson, and Olivia Rish were named to the USTFCCCA All-Region teams.

In 2022, the Trojans were once again identical in their SAC preseason rankings, with each team picked 2nd behind the Wingate Bulldogs. Eagle's teams both won the Converse Kick-Off Classic to start the season. The men saw several 8k records broken this year with Spain Vaughan doing so twice, most recently at the Royals XC Challenge (24:34.1). Freshman Elliot Dotson topped that mark at the UAH Invitational with a time of 24:09.20. These two helped propel the Trojans into national contention, finishing third in both the conference and regional meets to clinch the program's first trip to NCAA Nationals, while the women did so for the fourth time in five years.

Coach Eagle saw eight athletes be named USTFCCCA All-Region: Men: (Vaughan, Dotson, Nelson, Similton) Women: (Hanson, Martin, Golden, and Matthews). Anderson also had 11 named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams: Vaughan, Similton, Nelson, Dotson, and Berlejung for the men. For the women: Golden, Hanson, Martin, Matthews, Nelson, and Whitaker. 

At the NCAA National Championships, the Trojan Women's XC team was honored with the Elite 90 Team GPA Award (3.89) out of the teams competing in the meet. The women ended up finishing 30th on race day, with the men coming in 23rd. 

TRACK & FIELD

The Trojan track teams have combined for nearly 300 top-25 finishes during the first three years of Eagle's 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.

Since 2020, the Trojans have had 19 USTFCCCA All-Region Selections, including Elliot Dotson being the first Trojan since 2017 to clinch a trip to the NCAA Outdoor National Championships, where he ran the 

In addition, AU’s Abigail Bozarth was named the recipient of the 2018 SAC Elite 20 award for women’s track and field, with Hayden Tuten earning the league's Elite 20 award for men’s cross country in 2019. Katie Landry won the 2021 Outdoor Track & Field Elite 20, the 2022 Indoor, and the 2022 Outdoor awards. Aubrey Quillen was recognized as the 2023 Cross Country Elite 23 Award Winner.

Under Eagles watch, there have been a combined 29 men's and women's indoor/outdoor school records set.

Eagle Year by Year: (Men's Cross Country/Track and Field)

Eagle Year by Year: (Women's Cross Country/Track and Field)