Cedarville University Women's Cross Country

Jeff Bolender has been at Cedarville University since 2001 and was named the head women’s cross country coach in December, 2009. He has been the head coach of the Yellow Jacket men’s and women’s track & field teams since the 2004 season.   Cedarville Women’s Cross Country Coaching Career: NCCAA National Champions (2015, 2017, 2019) Three-time NCCAA National Coach of the Year G-MAC Champions (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023) Eight-time G-MAC Coach of the Year 2022, 2023, 2024 All-Ohio Intercollegiate Champions NCAA Division II Midwest Region Runner-Up (2016, 2022, 2023) 2016 USTFCCCA Division II Midwest Region Coach of the Year NCAA Division II Championship: 2016 (11th), 2021 (11th), 2022 (7th), 2023 (10th), 2024 (16th) 10th place at 2010 NAIA Championship in his first season - the program’s 11th straight Top 10 finish Cedarville Women’s Cross Country Honor Roll: 2 NCCAA National Champions; 18 NCCAA All-Americans 4 CSC / CoSIDA Academic All-Americans® 5 NAIA Scholar-Athletes; 121 NCCAA Scholar-Athletes 11 USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic Teams 16 USTFCCCA All-Region runners 2 All-Ohio Intercollegiate Champions 1 Ohio Division II / NAIA Runner of the Year 2 Ohio Division II / NAIA Freshmen of the Year 4 Conference Individual Champions; 4 Conference Freshmen of the Year 79 All-Conference runners; 227 Academic All-Conference Team runners   Cedarville Women’s Track & Field Coaching Career: NCCAA Indoor Champions (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) NCCAA Outdoor Champions (2007) 13-time NCCAA Track & Field Coach of the Year 2007 NAIA Outdoor National Runner-Up G-MAC Outdoor Champions (2015, 2016, 2017) G-MAC Indoor Champions (2016, 2017) Five-time G-MAC Track & Field Coach of the Year Cedarville Men’s Track & Field Coaching Career: NCCAA Indoor Champions (2006, 2007, 2020, 2022, 2025) NCCAA Outdoor Champions (2011) Six-time NCCAA Track & Field Coach of the Year G-MAC Outdoor Champions (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) G-MAC Indoor Champions (2015, 2016) Six-time G-MAC Coach of the Year A four-year track & cross country performer before graduating from Cedarville College in 1991, Bolender later spent five years at Mount St. Clare College in Clinton, Iowa. He developed the school's track and cross country programs, and he served as chair of the Physical Education Department. Prior to his tenure at Mount St. Clare, Bolender was a graduate assistant for two years at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He earned a Master of Science degree in education at the school in 1996. Bolender taught health and physical education at Maranatha Christian Schools in Columbus, Ohio from 1991 through 1994 and was promoted to the position of athletic director his final year. He commuted to Cedarville during his first two years at Maranatha to assist with the Yellow Jacket distance running program. Jeff and his wife, Sharie, who was an NCCAA All-America distance runner with the Lady Jackets, have three children and reside in Cedarville.  

Former Lady Jacket track and cross country athlete Katie (Lanphier) Ruhlman has been an assistant coach with the distance running program since 2015. She continues to run competitively and qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta with her performance at the Chevron Houston Marathon. Collegiate Running Career: Four-year middle distance and distance runner for the Lady Jackets Seven-time NCCAA All-American on the track in the relay events Member of the 2012 NCCAA Indoor Championship quartets in the 4 x 400 and distance medley relays Part of foursomes that qualified for the NAIA Nationals in the 2010 Indoor DMR and 2009 Outdoor 4 x 400 Two-time American Mideast Conference champion in the 400 meter hurdles (2010) and the 4 x 400 meter relay (2009) Ran cross country her junior and senior seasons, and was CU’s #2 finisher in the 2010 NCCAA Championship NAIA and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete in both track and cross country The Cincinnati, Ohio native was a Dean’s List student while earning a nursing degree from CU in 2012. She also earned a master’s in nursing from the University in 2015. Katie and her husband, Kevin, reside in Centerville, Ohio with their son, Elijah.