Adams transitioned into 2010 by assuming head coaching responsibilities for the men's and women's track and field programs at Ashford. He will retain his additional duties as an assistant cross country coach for the Saints in his third season overall at Ashford.
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 national meet during the indoor and outdoor campaigns. His efforts resulted in MCC Coach of the Year honors for the indoor season.
Adams underwent training in Boulder, Colo., to successfully obtain his USATF Level 2 Coaching Certification. He specialized as a sprints coach at AU prior to taking over his new position on the athletics staff.
Adams
originally came to the Saints by way of Quincy, Ill., where he attended Quincy
Senior High School. Upon graduation, he attended Div. I Western Illinois
University where specialized in 200 meter and 400-meter distances.
After completing a successful athletics career where he was a seven-time NCAA
Regional Qualifier at Western Illinois, Adams spent one year as an assistant
coach for the Leathernecks in Macomb, Ill.
He 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 state in 2008.
Adams is obtaining 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 and assistant track and field coach. They reside together in nearby Camanche with a daughter, Annalynn.
Coaching Honors
- MCC Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year (2009)
The Adams
File
- Assistant Men's and Women's
Track and Field Coach -
- Assistant Boys and Girls Track
and Field Coach -
- Assistant Track and Field/Cross
Country Coach -
- Head Track and Field/Assistant
Cross Country Coach -
Following a series of coaching moves effective in mid-2009, Graham enters his second season at the controls of an emerging Ashford cross country program while contributing to the track and field team's rapid development as an assistant coach.
Graham recently completed USATF Level II Certification in Endurance over the summer of 2010, taking place in Philadelphia, Pa. He also serves as the Midwest Collegiate Conference men's and women's cross country chairman.
Graham also takes on multiple roles as an Associate USATF Racewalk Official and as the acting USATF Iowa Racewalk Chairman in addition to his responsibilities at Ashford.
In his first season as head coach of both cross country squads in 2008, he oversaw the development of NAIA national qualifier and All-MCC member, Andrew Drinkall. Together, they enjoyed the benefits of a strong season in Washington at the national meet.
Graham brings a successful background to the Saints' programs where he was last a Head Girls' Cross Country/Assistant Track and Field Coach in Brooksville, Fla., at Nature Coast Tech High School.
Graham
also started the cross-country squads from scratch while serving as a physical
education and health instructor at Brooksville
Elementary School in Florida.
Graham also coached at BGM Community Schools
(Brooklyn, Iowa),
Northern University
Schools (Cedar
Falls, Iowa) and Grace Christian
Schools (Hudson, Fla.).
Graham participated in track and field and cross country while at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, graduating in 2004. He pursued a second degree at the University of Northern Iowa and ran with the UNI Track Club in 2006.
Graham resides in Clinton with his wife, Carolyn, and his son, Noah.
The Graham File
- Assistant Boys and Girls Cross
Country Coach - Northern University Schools (2005)
- Assistant Boys Basketball
Coach/Head Boys Volleyball Coach/Assistant Boys Track and Field Coach/Head
Boys and Girls Basketball Coach - B.G.M. Community Schools (2006)
- Head Girls Cross Country
Coach/Assistant Girls Track and Field Coach -
- Head Track and Field/Head Cross
Country Coach -
- Head Cross Country/Assistant
Track and Field Coach -
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 Track and Field Coach - Davenport Assumption High School (2008-09)
- Assistant Track and Field Coach
-
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
third year with the school after serving in a volunteer assistant capacity last
season for the Saints.
In addition to working with the track and field program as a throws specialist, James is Ashford's strength and conditioning specialist, working with all of the 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 Clinton.
The James File
- Volunteer Assistant Track and
Field Coach -
- Assistant Track and Field Coach
-
Harris, who has a high-profile career to his credit at Wartburg College, is in his first year assisting the Ashford men's and women's track and field programs while also serving the University in the admissions department.
Harris was a three-time NCAA Div. III All-American and a three-time national qualifier for the Knights in the high hurdles, leading Wartburg to a conference championship. He served as a two-year captain and was selected as the 2010 NCAA Div. III Indoor Central Region Athlete of the Year.
During his prep career at Lyons Township High School, Harris was a two-time conference and regional champion in the high hurdles. He also assisted Wartburg's Strength and Conditioning program as an intern before coming to Ashford.
Harris, a native of LaGrange, Ill., graduated with his degree in Fitness Management from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He currently resides in Clinton.
The Harris File
- Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)
Cepeda officially joined the Ashford track and field staff as a graduate assistant coach in late December of 2010. His unique experiences and unparalleled success while at the University of Northern Iowa and at the national level is an unquestioned asset in the Saints' quest for all-around achievement.
Cepeda, a native of Beloit, Wis., was a standout at the University of Northern Iowa, leaving the Panthers' record books decorated as a five-time All-American, six-time NCAA qualifier, four-time regional qualifier, 16-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection and eight-time MVC champion.
Cepeda recorded the fourth-highest score in NCAA history at the time in the heptathlon in 2007, placing third at the national indoor championships in Fayetteville, Ark. He also competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., and captured a North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Assocaition Championship (NACAC), also in the same year.
The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Cepeda as the Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year following his junior campaign. He also has numerous titles in the prestigious Drake Relays and owns a handful of Missouri Valley Conference records.
Cepeda obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Movement and Exercise Science from the University of Northern Iowa in 2008. He currently resides in Clinton and will be pursuing his Master's degree in Organizational Management during his tenure at Ashford.
The Cepeda File
- Student Assistant Track and Field Coach - University of Northern Iowa (2008-09)
- Graduate Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)
