Illinois State University Women's Track

Bovee Director of Track and Field/Head Coach Cross Country Twitter: jeff_bovee In June of 2014, Jeff Bovee was named the Director of Track & Field/Cross Country for Illinois State. Bovee has 18 years of collegiate coaching experience, including eight years at Illinois State. Bovee brings a tremendous pedigree into the director position, as he has had success as the Redbird mens and womens head cross country coach for the past eight seasons, as well as other levels in college athletics. Bovee has built a name for himself in Redbird cross country and track and field history, capturing back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference cross country titles (2011 and 2012) and building the program to its successful state today. Bovee's years of experience in the distance running realm, have proven he knows how to push student-athletes to a higher level. Bovee has coached the distance crew to 70 All-Valley performances, including 15 Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships. This past cross country season, Bovee guided senior standout Rachael Brewer to a first-place Valley finish. Brewer was the first ISU runner to claim the womens crown since Stacia Beste won the title for the Redbirds in 2001. In that same year, junior Ryan Rutherford finished was runner-up at the Valley championships, preceding All-Regional honors at the Midwest Regional cross country meet. His best year at the helm of training the distance runners came in 2011-12, where he led the women's cross country team to its first-ever conference title since the Gateway Conference was absorbed by the Missouri Valley Conference in 1992. This conference title came after years of building a successful women's program which finished second in 2009 and again in 2010. From 2007-10, he coached the men's team to four-consecutive top-three finishes in the Valley, with its best finish coming in 2007 when they placed second. In addition to their All-Valley performances in cross country in 2011, Elise Sigg and current Nike athlete Aisha Praught went on to finish in the top-25 at the NCAA Division I Midwest Region Cross Country Championship, earning All-Midwest Regional honors, a first since Sue Daggett claimed regional and national honors in 1996. Following a remarkable 2011 season, Bovee coached the women's team to four individual All-Valley performances, including a runner-up performance by Rachael Brewer. After being nominated preseason No. 1, the Redbird foursome of Brewer, Sigg, Kim Christensen and Kelly McShea notched All-Valley honors and helped the ISU squad to a No. 6 regional ranking in the competitive Midwest region. Brewer went on to finish in the top-25 at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet, earning All-Midwest honors. Most recently, Bovee guided both the mens and womens cross country teams to third-place MVC finishes. In addition to a 2013 individual title and runner-up performance, Bovee guided Christensen and Tyler Morse to MVC honorable mention accolades. On the track and field circuit, Bovee coached the 2011 indoor women's distance medley relay to its third-consecutive conference title, leading wire-to-wire to take home the crown. Praught followed with her own championship in the mile, before Matt Smoody won his second-straight title in the 800-meter run. In all, the distance runners turned in nine All-Valley performances, with the women's distance crew scoring a total of 69 points. Praught also set the Illinois State and MVC 1,500-meter record with a time of 4:16.06, eight seconds ahead of the next best ISU time of 4:24.40 set by Sara Schumacher in 1984. He played an intricate role in developing Praught, who became the first NCAA Qualifier on the track since Christian Goy in 2002. Praught broke every Illinois State and Missouri Valley Conference record in the mile, running a personal-best 4:37.77 en route to a NCAA Division I Runner-up performance at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boise, Idaho. Bovee also helped guide Praught to an Olympic trials qualification, after she ran a 9:51.30 at the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays in the steeplechase, breaking the MVC and Illinois State records, while holding down the No. 6 spot in the world for three-consecutive weeks. That time was the second-fastest time in the collegiate ranks all season. Bovee continued his coaching prowess in 2011, as his runners claimed two conference titles and turned in seven Valley performances. In the process, the crew produced eight NCAA track & field regional qualifiers (seven in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase). In the 2012 outdoor season, Bovee guided Zillmer to her first NCAA Outdoor Championships appearance in the steeplechase, where she finished 22nd overall in the event, helping her team to a national-ranking. Zillmer continued her dominance in the steeplechase, earning a second-consecutive slot at the NCAA Championships in 2014. In 2013, Bovee guided the womens team to 76 points at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championships, including a 1-2-3 finish from Sigg, Zillmer and McShea in the steeplechase. That same meet, Zillmer captured a 1,500-meter MVC title to accompany an 800-meter runner-up finish. McShea ran to a runner-up finish behind Zillmer in the 1,500-meter race, and Christensen and Sigg notched runner-up performances in the 10K and 5K, respectively. Most recently, Bovee guided his distance crew to six All-Valley performances and two outright titles at the outdoor Valley championships. Zillmer captured a 2014 Valley title in the steeplechase, marking the fourth-straight year a Redbird has won the steeplechase trophy. McShea finished just behind Zillmer in the event to pick up All-Valley accolades, but more notably, McShea ran to a 28-second personal-best performance in the 5K to take home first-place for the Redbirds. Rutherford posted two runner-up performances in the mens 5K and 10K events, advancing him to the NCAA West preliminary round in the 10K. Rutherford also earned 5K honors at the 2013-14 MVC indoor championships, while McShea helped the Redbird DMR crew to its third first-place title in four years. Off the track, Bovee has also shown his passion for academics, as his cross country teams have earned eight U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors (Men: 2008, 2010; Women: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). Individually, Praught was named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic team for her performances in 2011-12, along with Brewer who was named to the team in 2012. Praught was also named to the prestigious Capital One Academic All-District V team in 2011. During his tenure at Central College, Bovee coached four NCAA Division III All-Americans in track, one cross country All-American, as well as eight NCAA Championships qualifiers. In addition, he coached runners that earned USTFCCCA Division III All-Region honors five times. Prior to coaching at Central College, Bovee was the head track and field and cross country coach at Parkland Junior College in Champaign, Ill., from 1996-2000. Bovee guided the men's and women's track & field and cross country teams to 12 regional titles. Bovee's teams also placed in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) top-five in cross country and the top-15 in track & field during his final two seasons. More than 30 of Bovee's student-athletes earned junior college All-American status, and 15 were named academic All-Americans. His successful tenure at Parkland also included coaching the NJCAA Women's Cross Country Individual National Champion in 1999. A native of Glendale, Arizona, Bovee received a Bachelor's degree in physical education from Arizona in 1993, where he competed as a student-athlete in track & field and cross country. Bovee was the co-captain of the Wildcat track and field team for two seasons and was a Pac-10 Conference placewinner in the 800-meters in track and an NCAA national meet participant in cross country. Bovee received his Master's degree in physical education from Eastern Illinois in 1996, while he worked with the men's and women's track and field programs as a graduate assistant from 1995-96. Bovee and his wife, Tracy, reside in Normal, Ill., with their three sons, Aidan (12), Jace (9) and Liam (4).

Wood Assistant Coach (Long Jump, Triple Jump, Pole Vault) Twitter: Mary Wood enters her third year as an assistant track and field coach at Illinois State University for the 2016-2017 season. Wood coaches the Redbirds men and women in the horizontal jumps and pole vault.  Coach Wood is a USA Track and Field Level II certified coach in the jumping events.  In her two seasons as a Redbird assistant, she has coached 5 Missouri Valley Conference Champions and 3 NCAA West Preliminary Round Qualifiers. In 2016, Emily Clay broke the Illinois State University outdoor record in the pole vault with a personal best mark of 4.12m (136.25).  During the Indoor Missouri Valley Championships, the senior won the indoor title with a jump of 4.01m (131.75) helping the Redbird Womens Team to their first indoor team title since 1997.  Clay won her second Missouri Valley title at the outdoor championships with a vault of 4.11m (135.75).  Clay concluded her season at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Lawrence, KS where she finished 18th with a mark of 4.12m (136.25). As a freshman, Amanda McClain secured both Indoor and Outdoor Missouri Valley Conference titles in the long jump.  At the Indoor Missouri Valley Championships, McClain jumped a personal best of 5.99m (198) to clench her first individual title.  During her outdoor campaign, McClain won the Virginia Challenge with a lifetime best of 6.16m (202.5).  The outstanding freshman went on to win the Missouri Valley Outdoor Championship capturing her second title in the event with a leap of 6.08m (1911.5).  McClain qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in the long jump where she finished 24th in the competition. The notable performances of the 2015 season were led by Chase Pavelonis.  The senior shattered the 28 year old indoor pole vault record with a vault of 5.28m (173.75).  Pavelonis achieved this lifetime best mark at the 2015 Indoor Missouri Valley Championships earning his first championship title.  Pavelonis followed up with another school record breaking performance in the outdoor season at the Redbird Invite with a jump of 5.21m (171).  Pavelonis qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round for the first time in his career, finishing 16th in Austin, TX with a mark of 5.20m (170.75). Freshman Patrice Jones contributed points to the Redbird Womens Team at the Outdoor Missouri Valley Championships with a mark of 5.67m (187.25).  The mark was a personal best for Jones earning her an 8th place finish at the Championships.  Shelby Allen posted a 6th place finish at the championships in the triple jump with a mark of 12.11m (398.75). Wood came to Illinois State from Gardner-Webb University where she served as the coach of the mens and womens horizontal jumps, pole vault, combined events, sprints and hurdles from 2007 to 2014.  Wood coached 10 Big South Conference Champions with the Bulldogs, while her athletes amassed 47 All-Conference Honors. During her seven years at GWU, Woods athletes broke seven school records and one conference record.  Tyler Craig earned the Big South Freshman of the Year Award for his performance in the pole vault.  Wood also sent two athletes to the USA Junior Championships, Sarah Perkins (400m Hurdles) and Johnathon Parks (110m Hurdles).  She also qualified four athletes to the NCAA East Preliminary Round.  Wood graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 2005 with bachelors degrees in History, Social Science and Education.  During her athletic career at EIU, Wood was a team captain, three-time Ohio Valley Conference champion in the pole vault and broke both indoor and outdoor school and conference records.  She earned her masters degree in Sport Science and Pedagogy from Gardner-Webb University in 2009. Wood is an Illinois native and currently resides in Bloomington, Ill. .

Shaver Assistant Coach (Distance) Twitter: Illinois State Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Jeff Bovee announced the hiring of Jake Shaver as assistant track and field and cross country coach . "I am thrilled to add Jake Shaver to our staff as assistant coach for track and field and cross country," Bovee said. "Jake will be working closely with me in cross country and with the middle-distance and distance events in track and will be heavily involved in recruiting for the entire program and especially in the distance events. Jake has a wonderful background having served as an assistant coach and a head coach and is able to see the big picture of a cross country and track and field program. As a volunteer coach this year, he impressed me in his innate ability to see a need and to step to the plate to fill that need. His work ethic is phenomenal and his ability to relate to others is top notch." Shaver is a Bloomington-Normal native and graduated from University High School. He has eight years of coaching experience at the Division III level, including two years as head coach and director of track and field at Millikin University. Shaver has served as a volunteer assistant coach for the cross country and track and field teams at Illinois State (2014), after spending the previous year as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Millikin University (2013-14). Prior to Millikin, Shaver was the head coach of the men's and women's cross country and track and field teams at Fontbonne University (2012-13). He was also the assistant coach at Aurora University (2011-12) and the University of Chicago (2006-10). "I am very excited to have the opportunity to join the Illinois State cross country and track and field staff," Shaver said. "I am thrilled to be a Redbird and look forward to working to execute Coach Bovee's vision alongside a very talented, hardworking group of coaches." During Shaver's time at Millikin, he served as director of men's and women's cross country and field, and overseing all aspects of the programs. In 2013, Shaver coached a student-athlete that competed at the 2013 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships; the last time Millikin had an athlete compete in the championships was in 1982. In addition, Shaver had one athlete receive All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) First-Team honors, and one who received second-team accolades. "His role on our staff is critical, as it allows me to better oversee the entire program as the head coach, but also to have another set of eyes and ears on the distance runners, as this event area has always been and will continue to be a cornerstone to our overall team success," Bovee continued. "With the addition of Jake, we now have all of the pieces of our staff in place and are ready to position ourselves with the top programs in the Missouri Valley Conference and to make a much bigger impact at the national level. I appreciate Leanna Bordner, Larry Lyons, and the entire administration for their support in helping to build a championship program." Shaver attended Augustana College where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and psychology. Shaver participated in the Chicago Teaching Fellows, where he earned an Urban Teacher Certification. He received his masters in teaching (M.A.T.) at National-Louis University in Chicago. Shaver also held a position as a Midwest Regional Representative in the executive board for the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Jake Shaver Assistant Coach (Distance) Twitter: Illinois State Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Jeff Bovee announced the hiring of Jake Shaver as assistant track and field and cross country coach . "I am thrilled to add Jake Shaver to our staff as assistant coach for track and field and cross country," Bovee said. "Jake will be working closely with me in cross country and with the middle-distance and distance events in track and will be heavily involved in recruiting for the entire program and especially in the distance events. Jake has a wonderful background having served as an assistant coach and a head coach and is able to see the big picture of a cross country and track and field program. As a volunteer coach this year, he impressed me in his innate ability to see a need and to step to the plate to fill that need. His work ethic is phenomenal and his ability to relate to others is top notch." Shaver is a Bloomington-Normal native and graduated from University High School. He has eight years of coaching experience at the Division III level, including two years as head coach and director of track and field at Millikin University. Shaver has served as a volunteer assistant coach for the cross country and track and field teams at Illinois State (2014), after spending the previous year as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Millikin University (2013-14). Prior to Millikin, Shaver was the head coach of the men's and women's cross country and track and field teams at Fontbonne University (2012-13). He was also the assistant coach at Aurora University (2011-12) and the University of Chicago (2006-10). "I am very excited to have the opportunity to join the Illinois State cross country and track and field staff," Shaver said. "I am thrilled to be a Redbird and look forward to working to execute Coach Bovee's vision alongside a very talented, hardworking group of coaches." During Shaver's time at Millikin, he served as director of men's and women's cross country and field, and overseing all aspects of the programs. In 2013, Shaver coached a student-athlete that competed at the 2013 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships; the last time Millikin had an athlete compete in the championships was in 1982. In addition, Shaver had one athlete receive All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) First-Team honors, and one who received second-team accolades. "His role on our staff is critical, as it allows me to better oversee the entire program as the head coach, but also to have another set of eyes and ears on the distance runners, as this event area has always been and will continue to be a cornerstone to our overall team success," Bovee continued. "With the addition of Jake, we now have all of the pieces of our staff in place and are ready to position ourselves with the top programs in the Missouri Valley Conference and to make a much bigger impact at the national level. I appreciate Leanna Bordner, Larry Lyons, and the entire administration for their support in helping to build a championship program." Shaver attended Augustana College where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology and psychology. Shaver participated in the Chicago Teaching Fellows, where he earned an Urban Teacher Certification. He received his masters in teaching (M.A.T.) at National-Louis University in Chicago. Shaver also held a position as a Midwest Regional Representative in the executive board for the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Emanuel Assistant Coach (Sprints, Hurdles, Relays) Twitter: Brenton Emanuel enters his third year as an assistant track and field coach, specializing in sprints, relays, and hurdles at Illinois State. During his 2 years with the Redbirds, Emanuel has coached one NCAA National qualifier and three USATF Junior qualifiers, helped the Redbirds break the mens and womens 4x400-meter relay school records. He has guided 11 MVC champions. Overall, Emanuel aided 46 All-MVC student-athletes. He has coached 22 NCAA First round qualifiers while at ISU. Emanuel joined the ISU staff after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for one year at California University in Pennsylvania. Emanuel supervised and mentored the short sprinters and hurdlers, in addition to being the Vulcans main recruiting contact. While at CALU guided one young man to the World Junior Championships in the 200 meter dash. Before joining the Vulcans staff, Emanuel spent five years as the assistant track and field coach and recruiting coordinator for Eastern Illinois, where he helped coach the Panthers to nine team championships. Emanuel guided All-American sprinter Zye Boey, 44 OVC individual champions, 55 All-Ohio Valley honorees and aided student-athletes to eight school records. He also served as meet manager for Eastern Illinois, in addition to managing Illinois State high school meets and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championships. Before embarking on his coaching career, Emanuel served as a compliance assistant, Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) advisor and game day operations assistant for the Panthers athletic department. Emanuel is also a respected student-athlete, serving as the EIU team captain for four years and was named a second-team All-OVC sprinter. Emanuel graduated from Eastern Illinois with a bachelors degree in kinesiology with a concentration in sport management and a business minor. He also received his Masters degree from EIU in sports administration.

Williams guided a first-team All-American, Jianna Williams, in the hammer throw. In addition, he coached three rgional qualifiers and four All-MVC. Williams spent three years recruiting coordinator at Troy. As an assistant, Williams ran and oversaw training sessions, including the weights program, assisted in all field events and directed the recruiting efforts. He guided two student-athletes to the NCAA Championships, earning second-team All-American accolades. He has coached 11 NCAA regional qualifiers, eight Sun Belt all-conference members and recently guided a student-athlete to the Sun Belt hammer throw record. In addition, Williams has coached student-athletes to five Troy school records, an individual Sun Belt conference championship and a conference Sports Women of the Year award.  Throughout his time as an assistant coach, Williams signed 58 athletes to the Trojan squad, including the No. 4 high school girls discus thrower in the U.S., the No. 15 high school girls 300-meter hurdler and the No. 16 high school boys 110-meter high hurdler along with five NJCAA All-Americans. Before joining the Trojans staff, Williams spent a semester as the assistant track & field coach at Bethune-Cookman, where he served as the coach of throws and pole vault. He coached two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) records in the pole vault, four MEAC individual champions and four school records in the pole vault. Prior to Bethune-Cookman, Williams spent one year as the assistant track & field coach at Georgia Southern. In that year, he notched five conference-scorers and one top-five all-time athlete. Before embarking on his collegiate coaching career, Williams had a stint as the co-head track & field coach at South Eugene/Thurston High School in Eugene, Oregon. Along with coaching, Williams assisted in administrative duties and oversaw all aspects of strength training. He coached eight state qualifiers, seven All-State performers, two record-holders and nine district champions.  Also during his time as a high school coach, Williams spent one year with the Emerald Valley Track Club, coaching 21 USATF Junior Olympic national qualifiers and nine USATF Junior Olympic All-Americans. Williams spent one year as a student-athlete at Ball State before transferring to Southern Oregon, where he was a four-time All-Conference performer in the shot put and hammer throw.

Garrett guided Tessa Holland to ISUs second-best performance in school history in the Pentathlon and the 6th best mark in school history in the high jump, along with All-Valley honors in the high jump as she placed third overall. Helped Francis Ehighbai secure All-Valley honors in the high jump along with helping Derek Wegman secure a top-8 finish at the conference meet. Also guided James Brandenburg to a 6th place finish in the heptathlon and a school top 10 mark of 4988. During the outdoor season, Garrett helped Wegman to a 7th place finish in the high jump along with the 7th best mark in school history. Helped Brandenburg secure a 6th place finish in the decathlon, which also stands as the 5th best in school history. Guided Holland to the 8th best performance in school history in the heptathlon along with a 7th place finish at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Holland also qualified for the 2016 USA Junior Track and Field Championships. Guided Haley Becker to a 4th place finish in the high jump at the 2016 MVC Outdoor Championships. For the 2014-2015, Garrett guided Kevin Fisch to all conference honors in the MVC Indoor Championships with a third-place finish. Aided Haley Becker to her best outdoor season with her career-best high jump mark.  During the 2013-14 season, Garrett guided Jake DeJaegher to his best indoor performance of his career, along with coaching the long jumpers to four personal-best outdoor performances and helping freshman, Haley Becker, to a personal-best mark in the high jump. Garrett also guided Kevin Fisch to an All-Valley performance in the decathlon, which is the 4 best in the history of ISU. In total, Garrett coached student-athletes to 20 personal-best marks for the 2013-14 season. He joined the staff after a two-year stint at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he served as a volunteer assistant. During his two-year campaign, Garrett helped guide the Badgers to two Big Ten conference championships. With Garrett as the jumps coach, the Wisconsin men captured a third-place finish at the 2013 NCAA Indoor National Championships. Throughout his two-year stint, the Badgers recorded two school top-10 marks in the high jump, a Big Ten record 6,165 points in the heptathlon, four NCAA first-round qualifiers in the high jump, one Olympic trials qualifier in the decathlon and assisted with the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Indoor runner-up Japheth Cato in the heptathlon. Before joining the Wisconsin staff, Garrett was a volunteer coach at his former high school Edmond Santa Fe in Edmond, Okla., where he worked with Gunnar Nixon, who set the junior class record in the decathlon. Garrett departed the following year to work with the Kansas State track and field team and Nixon went on to set various records in the multi-event area. He is the only high school athlete to score over 8,000 points. Prior to that, the Edmond, Okla., native spent three years as a student-athlete at Kansas State, where he received a bachelors degree in social science and a masters degree in counseling and student development/athletic administration. He was a three-time All-Big 12 selection and was a part of the Commissioners Honor Roll in 2007 and 2008. Garrett spent one season at Independence Community College, and within that year was named to the ICC Hall of Fame, claimed the 2004 indoor and outdoor high jump national title, along with All-American accolades in the high jump.