Harding University Women's Cross Country

Don Hood Pole Vault Camp Website AT HARDING Don Hood became Harding's head cross-country and track coach in 2019. Don Hood has transformed Harding’s track and field and cross-country programs into a national powerhouse since arriving in Searcy in 2019. Over his first six seasons, Hood has led the Bisons to five consecutive Great American Conference Men's Track and Field Championships (2021–2025) and a Men's Cross-Country title in 2021, while also guiding the Lady Bisons to a GAC Track and Field Championship in 2021. His leadership has been recognized with six GAC Coach of the Year honors, reflecting his ability to maintain a championship culture across multiple disciplines and genders. The "Hood Era" is most notably defined by an extraordinary run of individual success on the national stage. Under his guidance, the program has produced 11 individual NCAA Division II National Championships, led by six-time pole vault champion Vlad Malykhin, two-time 400-meter champion Dakarai Bush, and two-time pole vault champion Dorian Chaigneau. The depth of the program has reached new heights under Hood’s tenure, culminating in back-to-back seasons in 2023-24 and 2024-25 where a staggering 23 student-athletes earned All-America honors, solidifying Harding’s status as a premier destination for elite collegiate track and field. 2024-25 Summary Men placed second in the 2024 GAC Cross-Country Championship and sixth in the 2024 Central Region Championship Won the men's 2025 GAC Track and Field Championship and placed second in the GAC women's championship Named the men's 2025 GAC Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year Had 23 student-athletes earn All-America, including two national championships (Vlad Malykhin, indoor pole vault; Vlad Malykhin, outdoor pole vault) 2023-24 Summary Men placed third in the 2023 GAC Cross-Country Championship and ninth in the 2023 Central Region Championship Won the men's 2024 GAC Track and Field Championship and placed second in the GAC women's championship Named the men's 2024 GAC Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year Had 23 student-athletes earn All-America, including three national championships (Dakarai Bush, indoor 400 meters; Vlad Malykhin, indoor pole vault; Vlad Malykhin, outdoor pole vault) 2022-23 Summary Men placed second and women fourth at the 2022 GAC Cross-Country Championship Won the men's 2023 GAC Track and Field Championship Named the men's 2023 GAC Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year Had 16 student-athletes earn All-America, including three national championships (Vlad Malykhin, indoor pole vault; Dakarai Bush, outdoor 400 meters; Vlad Malykhin, outdoor pole vault) 2021-22 Summary Won the men's 2021 Great American Conference Cross-Country Championship Won the men's 2022 GAC Track and Field Championship Named the men's 2021 GAC Men's Cross-Country Coach of the Year and the 2022 GAC Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year Three men earned All-America honors in the 2022 indoor season and three earned All-America in the 2022 outdoor season, including sophomore Dorian Chaigneau winning the 2022 outdoor pole vault national championship. Pole vaulter Sierra White earned All-America in the 2022 indoor season. 2020-21 Summary Won the women's 2021 Great American Conference Track and Field Championship Named the women's 2021 GAC Track Coach of the Year Freshman Dorian Chaigneau won the national championship in the indoor pole vault in 2021 Four men and two women earned All-America honors in the 2021 outdoor season 2019-20 Summary The women's cross-country team to a third-place finish at the GAC meet and a 15th-place finish at the Central Regional. The men's team placed second at the GAC meet and 21st at the Central Regional. In his first indoor track season at Harding, his athletes broke 10 school records, including seven by the women's team, and Kinga Szarzynska earned All-America honors in the 800 meters. BEFORE HARDING Hood, a native of Abilene, Texas, coached at LeTourneau for two seasons, helping start the program in January 2018. In his first season there, Hood helped three athletes qualify for NCAA Division III national meets. Hood went to LeTourneau after serving as the Girls Athletic Coordinator and head boys and girls track and cross-country coach at Brownwood High School beginning in 2009. His track and cross-country teams won nine district championships. Prior to Brownwood, Hood spent four seasons as the head track and field coach at Abilene Christian University. During his tenure, Hood led the Wildcat men's program to three straight NCAA Division II outdoor national championships (2006-08) and directed the women's program to the 2008 outdoor national title, the program's first team championship since winning the 2000 indoor title. In 2008, he received USTFCCCA Men's National Coach of the Year. Before his time at ACU, Hood served as an assistant to Wes Kittley at Texas Tech from 2002-05. During that time, he coached men's and women's horizontal jumps and the pole vault.  He helped coach the Tech men to the 2005 Big 12 outdoor team championship, the school’s first track & field conference title. During his three seasons at Texas Tech, Hood coached five All-Americans, two school record-holders and 14 NCAA Division I championship meet qualifiers. From 1996 to 2002, Hood was the head cross country and track & field coach at Texas State (formerly Southwest Texas State), where he led the Bobcats to five Southland Conference championships. Hood accepted his first collegiate coaching position as the assistant track and field coach at Sam Houston State University from 1994-96. During his two years, the Bearkats set 15 school records in the events Hood coached. Before his time coaching college athletes, Hood was the head coach for the Temple High School cross-country and track and field teams as well as an assistant coach for the football team from 1988-94. EDUCATION Hood was a six-time TAPPS state champion in cross-country and track in high school before earning four letters at Abilene Christian University in both cross-country and track. He was also a member of the Wildcat cross-country teams that qualified for Division II national meets. During his time at ACU, Hood was named to the Dean’s Honor Roll seven times and earned the Bud Clanton Award twice for having the highest GPA among track letter winners.   After finishing his undergrad degree, Hood earned his master’s of science at the United States Sports Academy in 1988. FAMILY Don and his wife, Rachel, have three daughters—Victoria, Julianne and Annabeth--and a son, Jeremiah.

Guymon is in his 15th year as head men and women's cross-country and track coach. Since taking over the program before the 2002-03 school year, he has earned 19 conference coach of the year honors. He won the Gulf South Conference Men's Coach of the Year honor eight times, GSC Women's Coach of the Year six times, Great American Conference Women's Coach of the Year four times and GAC Men's Coach of the Year once. During the 2015-16 school year, Guymon led Harding to GAC championships in women's cross-country, men's track and field and women's track and field, earning three GAC Coach of the Year honors. Guymon has continued to build on the strong tradition of Harding cross-country and track, directing the Bison cross-country team to nine conference championships and eight NCAA II regional championships. Harding's men have qualified for eight Division II national meets under Guymon, recording six top-10 finishes. The Lady Bisons have won 10 conference championships under Guymon, including six GSC titles and four GAC titles. His women's teams have won two NCAA Division II regional titles and reached the national meet eight times with four top-10 finishes. Guymon's cross-country athletes have earned 30 All-America honors (18 men, 12 women) during his tenure at Harding. Under Guymon, the Bison track team has qualified for seven indoor national meets, including an eighth-place finish in 2008. Guymon's squad has also reached outdoor nationals 12 times, finishing as high as seventh in 2006. Four Bison runners have won seven national championships under Guymon (Jacob Rotich, 10,000 meters in 2004; Przemek Bobrowski, 1,500 meters in 2006; Julius Kosgei, 10,000 meters in 2006; and Daniel Kirwa, indoor mile in 2008, outdoor 5,000 meters in 2009 and outdoor 10,000 meters in 2008 and 2009).  Guymon's Lady Bisons have reached the indoor national meet seven times and have reached the outdoor nationals six times under Guymon. Their best finish was eighth in 2005. Janet Kogo, a 2012 Olympian in the 10,000 meters, won three national championships in 2005. Harding's track athletes have garnered 78 All-America honors (52 men, 26 women) during Guymon's tenure as head coach. Guymon came to Harding from Cordova High School where he led Cordova to third place in the TSSAA State Championship in 2001. He was also named Best of the Preps Track Coach of the Year by the Memphis Commercial Appeal, TSSAA Section 4AAA Track Coach of the Year, and TSSAA Region 7 Track Coach of the Year and earned TSSAA Region 7 Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2000.  Prior to his five-year tenure at Cordova, Guymon spent ten years as the recruiting coordinator and assistant cross country/track coach at the University of Kansas. During his time with the Jayhawks, he coached 15 All-Americans and 15 Big Eight individual champions. Guymon taught and coached three years at Harding Academy from 1985-87 and started his career in 1984 in the Edmond, Okla., public school system.  The Memphis, Tenn., native earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Oklahoma Christian University in 1984. Guymon earned a Masters Degree in Education and Sports Administration from Kansas in 1996.  Guymon has three sons Michael, Corey, and Austin. Steve Guymon is in his 15th year as head men and women's cross-country and track coach. Since taking over the program before the 2002-03 school year, he has earned 19 conference coach of the year honors. He won the Gulf South Conference Men's Coach of the Year honor eight times, GSC Women's Coach of the Year six times, Great American Conference Women's Coach of the Year four times and GAC Men's Coach of the Year once. During the 2015-16 school year, Guymon led Harding to GAC championships in women's cross-country, men's track and field and women's track and field, earning three GAC Coach of the Year honors. Guymon has continued to build on the strong tradition of Harding cross-country and track, directing the Bison cross-country team to nine conference championships and eight NCAA II regional championships. Harding's men have qualified for eight Division II national meets under Guymon, recording six top-10 finishes. The Lady Bisons have won 10 conference championships under Guymon, including six GSC titles and four GAC titles. His women's teams have won two NCAA Division II regional titles and reached the national meet eight times with four top-10 finishes.