Austin Peay State University Women's Cross Country

Brown Associate Head Coach Twitter: Doug Molnar elevated Valerie Brown to associate head coach status in the summer of 2014 after enjoying unprecented success with Brown on staff since 2011. Brown has turned Austin Peay's sprint group into an elite unit not just within the Ohio Valley Conference but in the NCAA East Region as well. Under her tutelage, Breigh Jones has advanced to the NCAA Preliminary round twice (2013 and 2014) and finished 20th overall at the NCAA Championships in 2014. Since arriving at Austin Peay, Brown has coordinated recruiting and coached APSU's sprinters to 18 medals (nine indoor, nine outdoor) in OVC Championship competition. Brown's track and field success came at Western Kentucky where she capped an impressive career with a third-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships. In doing so, she became only the second indoor All-American in Hilltopper history and set the program's indoor 400-meter record. Her determination is evident in Brown's climb to the top of the NCAA track and field ranks. She began her collegiate career at Bevill State Community College in Hamilton, Ala., where she was sprinter and also ran the relays. Bevill State would finish fifth at the 2006 NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships and Brown parlayed her performance into a scholarship at WKU. While she developed her 400-meter dash, Brown made her way early on in the 1600- and 400-meter relays, where she was twice a Sun Belt Conference Champion in 2007 and 2008. In fact, in 2008 the Lady Toppers 1600-meter relay team ranked 16th nationally after earning a fourth-place finish at the Mideast Regional. Her individual prowess became more apparent that season as well, when she won the 400-meter dash and was runner up in the 200-meter dash. The climb to the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships was prefaced by Brown being named the Sun Belt's 2009 Most Outstanding Female Track Athlete after winning the 200- and 400-meter dash at the Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championships. Then at the NCAA tournament - prior to her monumental third-place finish - Brown ran a school-record 52.74 400-meter dash in the semifinals. Brown completed her master's degree at Western Kentucky in recreation and sport administration.

Molnar Head Coach Twitter: In rebuilding the Austin Peay track and field and cross country programs, Dr. Doug Molnars dedication and relentlessness has not gone unnoticed. With more than a decade of Division I coaching experience and more than 20 years of participation in college athletics, Molnar has set a standard on which to build for his ninth season as head coach. 2014 was the most successful season to date of the Molnar era. That season, Austin Peay placed third at the OVC Indoor Championships and were runner-up in the outdoor championships, with Molnar earning conference coach of the year honors following Austin Peay's second-place finish at the conference meet. Much of Molnars success can be attributed to his teams development in the field events. Pole vaulter Carrie Burggraf was named the 2010 Indoor Field Athlete of the Year and jumper Leigha Tolliver was named Indoor Freshman of the Year. In 2014, Kaylnn Pitts became the first Austin Peay jumper of the Molnar era to reach the NCAA Preliminary Round. Burggraf was a three-time indoor and two-time outdoor pole vault champion, while teammate Molly Bartkiewicz earned the indoor and outdoor pole vault crown in 2007. However, in recent years Molnar has built the track program to rival the accomplishments of his field athletes. Chantelle Grey (800m, 2012-13) and Breigh Jones (400m, 2013-14) have each represented Austin Peay at the NCAA East Preliminary Round the past three seasons. Jones parlayed a successful freshman season into a spot on the US Junior Pan American team in 2013 and finished 20th in the nation at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. A former distance runner, Molnar came to Austin Peay from Texas-Pan American where he led the cross country squads to a top-10 regional finish in 2003. His womens program also recorded its best finish at an NCAA regional since the mid-1980s. In addition, he coached the programs first All-American in 2002. A native of Lorain, Ohio, Molnar excelled as an all-state selection in track and field at Admiral King High School.  Following his prep career, he put his speed to work as a four-year runner at West Virginia, serving as a team captain his junior and senior year. Molnar graduated with a bachelors degree in 1986 and remained in Morgantown another year, earning his masters in business administration. Molnar continued his education and launched his coaching career at Kent State. As a graduate assistant, he worked with men and womens distance runners while completing his second post-graduate degree a masters of arts in physical education.          He graduated in 1992 and spent a year as a volunteer coach at Oberlin College before returning to serve as Kent States mens cross country head coach while assisting with men and womens track and field. In his second stint with Kent State, Molnar asserted himself.  He assisted with a team that finished 20th at the 1995 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and coached six conference champions and two relay teams which were ranked among the top 10 by Track and Field News. After several successful seasons at Kent State, Molnar again decided to further his education and his coaching experience at Tennessee. He earned a doctorate in educational administration and cultural studies, while serving two seasons as a volunteer assistant to mens track and field and interim head coach for the Lady Vols cross country team. During his tenure, the Volunteers won a 2001 national title, claimed runner-up honors in 2002, a berth in the 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships and the 2002 Southeastern Conference title. Under Molnars tutelage, Austin Peay has seen 14 indoor and 15 outdoor school records fall. Included among those are nine indoor and eight outdoor marks from the 2014 season alone. Molnar resides in Clarksville with his wife, Kim, and her children Cameron, Sydney and Tyler. Molnars daughter, Alyssa, was a distance runner for the Lady Govs.

Sexton Assistant Coach Twitter: A familiar face at Austin Peay, Ryne Sexton joined the Govs staff in Fall 2014. He will coach the Govs in cross-country and distance events in track and field.   This is the second go-around for the one-time APSU cross-country standout. Sexton, who graduated from Austin Peay in 2011, served as a volunteer assistant cross-country coach for the Govs in the 2009-10 season. Sexton was a tremendous athlete during his collegiate career.  As a sophomore, Sexton ran a season-best 25:17.69 over 8K at the Auburn Invitational, and claimed 20th place at the Belmont Opener where he covered the 5K course in a season-best 15:46.68.  At the conclusion of the 2006 season, he was named Most Valuable Runner by the coaching staff.  As a junior in 2007, he ran a season best 8K at the Auburn Invitational with a time of 26:01.17.  He finished in the top-40 at the Ohio Valley Conference Championship with an 8K time of 26:49.32 As a senior, Sexton finished in eighth place at the Earl Jacoby Memorial, finishing the 8K race in 26:46.00.  He ran a season best 26:09.76 over 8K at the UE Invitational.  He led the Govs with a 29th place finish at the OVC Championships (27:29.1). Following his senior season, Sexton was named Most Valuable Runner for the second time in his career by the coaching staff. After completing his eligibility, Sexton served as both an assistant coach and as a head coach at Clarksville High School for both track (2010- present) and cross-country (2011-present).  While coaching at Clarksville, his athletes won three state championships in track and field.  In cross-country, he has guided the boys team to back-to-back to state appearances, ending a drought of over 20 years.