Adams has settled in for what will be his third season as head coach for both the rapidly emerging Ashford men's and women's track and field programs and his fifth overall in a coaching capacity.
After transitioning into the 2010-11 academic year with assumed head coaching responsibilities, Adams has also maintained status as the assistant men's and women's cross country for the Saints.
To date, Adams has brought in student-athletes and ushered in an era that features 55 NAIA National Qualifiers (27 indoor/28 outdoor), seven NAIA All-Americans, and 14 individuals who have claimed top-10 finishes at the NAIA National Championships.
The Saints enjoyed unprecedented success in Adams' first full year at the helm, smashing a plethora of school records while sending a record number of student-athletes to the NAIA National Championships during the indoor and outdoor campaigns. His efforts resulted in MCC Coach of the Year honors for the indoor season.
Adams has undergone training in Boulder, Colo., to successfully obtain his USATF Level 2 Coaching Certification. He specialized as a sprints coach at AU as an assistant prior to taking over his head coaching duties.
Adams originally came to the Saints by way of Quincy, Ill., where he attended Quincy Senior High School. Upon graduation, he attended NCAA Division I Western Illinois University where specialized in 200 and 400-meter distances.
After completing a successful career where he was a seven-time NCAA Regional Qualifier at WIU, Adams spent one year as an assistant coach for the Leathernecks.
Adams then served as an assistant coach for two years at Davenport Assumption High School for both the men's and women's track teams. During his tenure, he helped the women's unit bring home runner-up honors in the 2008 Iowa state meet.
Adams obtained his teaching certification and taught at DeWitt Middle School and Camanche High School in the fall/winter of 2009.
Adams is married to his wife, Audra, an Ashford employee in the human resources department and assistant track and field coach. They reside together in nearby Camanche with their daughter, Annalynn.
Adams By The Numbers (2010-Present)
- NAIA National Qualifiers - 60 (32 Indoor/28 Outdoor)
- Midwest Collegiate Conference Champions - 32
- NAIA All-Americans - 7
- Top-10 Finishes at NAIA National Championships - 14
Coaching Honors
- MCC Outdoor Co-Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year (2012)
- MCC Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year (2009)
The Adams File
- Assistant Track and Field Coach - Western Illinois University (2005-06)
- Assistant Boys and Girls Track and Field Coach - Davenport Assumption High School (2007-08)
- Assistant Track and Field/Cross Country Coach - Ashford University (2008-09)
- Head Track and Field/Assistant Cross Country Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)
James was part of a series of coaching changes and joined the Ashford University track and field staff as a full-time assistant coach in 2010. This marks her fifth year with the school after serving in a volunteer assistant capacity prior for the Saints.
James also monitors and observes the day-to-day responsibilities of the Golinvaux Fitness Center, the official weight-training center for Saints' student-athletes.
In addition to working with the track and field program as a throws specialist, James serves as Ashford's strength and conditioning specialist, working with select Saints' intercollegiate athletic programs.
A 2003 graduate of Clinton High School, James still holds the River Queens' record in the shot-put. She was a Drake Relays' champion and a state champion while at Clinton High School.
James was a four-year letterwinner in both track and field and swimming and diving. Upon graduation, she attended Purdue University, where she received a Bachelor's of Science degree in movement and sport science.
A four-year letterwinner for the Boilermakers, James held the indoor and outdoor record for shotput and also earned an individual Big Ten Conference title in outdoor shot-put with a distance of 15.98 meters.
James resides in nearby Camanche.
The James File
- Volunteer Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2008-09)
- Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)
Schupbach joins the Ashford University track and field programs a year removed from closing the book on a terrific career at NCAA Division I program, Western Illinois University. During his time, Schupbach excelled at sprint races and many different field events and still holds WIU historical top ten marks in three events.
He still holds the third-best indoor heptathlon score in school history after scoring 4,045 points during the Jack Jennett Invitational in 2009. In addition, he holds the tenth-best indoor and outdoor marks in WIU history in the pole vault.
Hailing from Rockford, Ill., Schupbach earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Western Illinois University and is working towards a master's degree in business administration from AU.
Adams was added to the rising Ashford track and field program as a part-time assistant coach in January of 2010. She serves the team as a sprints specialist.
Adams graduated from Western Illinois University and is a former Central DeWitt Saber. At the collegiate level, she won back-to-back conference titles in the 100-meter dash and also set the Missouri Valley Conference record in that event for the Leathernecks.
In 2008, Adams was inducted into the IGHSAU Track and Field Hall of Fame for her nine state championships in the spring events (five individual, four relay) and her key role in the Sabers' team championship in 2002.
She is also the university's Employee Relations Representative and is married to AU track and field Head Coach Chris Adams. Together, they reside in Camanche with a daughter, Annalynn.
The Adams File
- Assistant Boys and Girls Track and Field Coach - Davenport Assumption High School (2008-09)
- Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)
After an accomplished career as a student-athlete at Ashford, Franklin Barnes joined the AU coaching staff at the beginning of the 2010-11 season, assisting with the hurdlers and sprinters. Barnes had an accomplished career as a member of the Ashford University track team from 2005-10, qualifying for the Indoor NAIA National Championships in the 60-meter hurdles three times (2008-10), as well as the outdoor championships in the 400-meter hurdles (2008-10). In addition, Barnes was a 10-time MCC Champion in the 60, 110 and 400-meter hurdles, 200-meter dash and 4 X 400-meter relay. As a freshman, he was named the MCC Newcomer of the Year in outdoor track & field back in 2006.
Barnes earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports and Recreation Management in 2009 before going on to earn his MBA in Business Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership from Ashford in 2010.
The Barnes File
- Assistant Track & Field Coach - Ashford University (2011-Present)
