Columbia College Women's Cross Country

Jex enters his first year as the head coach of the Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track & Field teams. Tracy joined the Cougar family in 2015 and served one year as the Assistant Men's and Women's Track and Field Coach before taking over as the Head Coach in 2016. During the 2015-16 cross country and track and field seasons, Jex helped the Cougars to another successful year on the course and track. The men's cross country team logged their first ever perfect score in the fall and won their third conference title in four years. They also boast the first ever field event All-American in program history. Jex began his career at Hannibal-LaGrange in 2011 after serving as the head coach at Colorado Christian University. During his four seasons at Hannibal-LaGrange, Jex has seen 51 school records broken and has coached 32 NAIA national qualifiers, 43 individual conference champions, 12 NAIA All-Americans, one NAIA national champion, and 13 NAIA-Daktronics scholar athletes. He has also coached several athletes to conference honors including three for newcomer of the year, two for runner of the year, two for field athlete of the year, and one for freshman of the year. In 2012, Jex helped HLGU gain its first ever women's track NAIA All-American as well as the school's first women's cross country NAIA All-American. He has also coached the first ever HLGU NAIA national champion during the 2013 indoor track and field season. Jex ran two years of cross country and track at Western State Colorado University before transferring to Colorado Christian University in 1999. He also ran for the cross country and track teams at Colorado Christian and graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. In 2009, Jex earned his Master of Arts in human performance and physical education with an emphasis in coaching from Adams State University. Updated 7-20-16 Tracy Jex Head Men's & Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Coach Tracy Jex enters his first year as the head coach of the Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track & Field teams. Tracy joined the Cougar family in 2015 and served one year as the Assistant Men's and Women's Track and Field Coach before taking over as the Head Coach in 2016. During the 2015-16 cross country and track and field seasons, Jex helped the Cougars to another successful year on the course and track. The men's cross country team logged their first ever perfect score in the fall and won their third conference title in four years. They also boast the first ever field event All-American in program history. Jex began his career at Hannibal-LaGrange in 2011 after serving as the head coach at Colorado Christian University. During his four seasons at Hannibal-LaGrange, Jex has seen 51 school records broken and has coached 32 NAIA national qualifiers, 43 individual conference champions, 12 NAIA All-Americans, one NAIA national champion, and 13 NAIA-Daktronics scholar athletes. He has also coached several athletes to conference honors including three for newcomer of the year, two for runner of the year, two for field athlete of the year, and one for freshman of the year. In 2012, Jex helped HLGU gain its first ever women's track NAIA All-American as well as the school's first women's cross country NAIA All-American. He has also coached the first ever HLGU NAIA national champion during the 2013 indoor track and field season. Jex ran two years of cross country and track at Western State Colorado University before transferring to Colorado Christian University in 1999. He also ran for the cross country and track teams at Colorado Christian and graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. In 2009, Jex earned his Master of Arts in human performance and physical education with an emphasis in coaching from Adams State University. Updated 7-20-16

Peterson enters his second season with the Cougars as the Assistant Sprints/Hurdles Coach. Peterson spent 12 years on the University of Missouri Track and Field staff and recently completed his sixth year as the Tigers assistant coach for Sprints, Hurdles and Middle Distance. After an accomplished career on the track that includes an Olympic appearance as a member of Team USA in 2004 and plenty of success on the international level, Peterson has started to build a coaching résumé that is equally as impressive, bringing a championship-caliber approach to the Cougar coaching staff. Peterson has an eye for elite talent, but has also had success with developing athletes, coaching them to national performances and some of the universitys All-Time performance marks.  An aggressive recruiter, Peterson has built an excellent network of High School, club and International Coaches.    During his collegiate career at Missouri, Peterson was an eight-time Big 12 Champion at 800 meters, sweeping all possible titles in his time at Mizzou. The 2004 Olympian brings a unique perspective to Tiger student-athletes as his experiences as an elite runner helps his approach at training and the mental aspect of competition. In 2004, Peterson made the U.S. Olympic Team in the 800-meters after running for a personal-best time of 1:45.08 at the U.S. Olympic Trials where he finished third. The former NCAA Champion and six-time All-American is still the American collegiate record holder in the indoor 800m run after his winning time of 1:45.88 at the 1999 NCAA Indoor Championships in Indianapolis, Ind. In his years as a collegian from 1997 to 2000, Peterson was a nine-time overall Big 12 Champion, 15-time All-Big 12 performer, and five-time Drake Relays Champion. Peterson holds the Mizzou school records in both the indoor and outdoor 800-meter run. At the World University Games, Peterson won a gold medal as a member of the 1,600m relay team and won both silver (2001) and bronze (1999) in the 800m. Peterson also qualified for the 2001 IAAF World Outdoor Championships and the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Peterson was inducted into the University of Missouri's Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame, elected on the first ballot as part of the Class of 2005. Peterson is also a member of the Georgia High School Track/Cross Country Hall of Fame and the Missouri Track/Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Peterson is also an inducted member of the Prestigious University of Missouri Honor Society, QEBH Peterson is a 2001 graduate from the University of Missouri.  Derrick and his wife, Dr. Liz Peterson, live in Columbia, and have four children, Isaac (14), Athena (8), Charlotte (3) and Gabriel ( 11mos).  

Cornell begins his third season as the head coach of the Columbia track and cross country teams. In the program's first ever season, Cornell coached the men's cross country squad to the American Midwest Conference (AMC) championship in the fall of 2012, culminating in a trip to the NAIA National Championships. He also led the women's team to a fourth place finish at the confernce meet as well. In the fall 2014, Cornell led both the men's and women's cross country team to a first place finish at the AMC Championships sending them to the NAIA National Championships. Prior to being hired to lead the Cougars, he enjoyed a successful stint as the director of operations for the Missouri Tigers and is regarded as one of the bright young coaches in the nation, being Level 1 certified by USATF. As an athlete, Cornell was among the elite, qualifying for the USA Track & Field championships in 2009 and garnering multiple all-Big 12 honors. Tim has a background in the natural sciences field with an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and a masters in Medical Pharmacology and Physiology. A native of Columbia, Cornell is no stranger to the Columbia College campus. His father holds a bachelors degree from Columbia and Cornell himself attended high school less than a mile away at Hickman High School. As a Kewpie, he won four state championships including the 2003 & 2004 MSHSAA Class 4 Cross Country Championships. In taking the job Cornell had this to say, I have been granted a golden opportunity at Columbia College. This institution has continuously produced athletics teams at the highest level, and Cross Country will be no exception. Columbia is a fantastic community to build a cross country program. We have a wealth of running trails and parks, a population that is highly involved in recreation, and an understanding of the value of a proper education. Columbia College is a perfect pairing for Cross Country and I look forward to sharing this experience with Columbia College and the City of Columbia as a whole. Tim's accolades and awards...