Lake Forest College Women's Cross Country

Simpson will begin his fifth year as the head coach at Lake Forest College in 2016. Under Simpson's direction, the Forester cross country teams posted the best combined finish in program history at the 2014 Midwest Conference Championship Meet and matched that performance in 2015, placing third on the men's side and fifth in the women's standings on both occasions. Lake Forest had six runners (four men, two women) place among the top 20 in the league to earn All-MWC honors in 2014, doubling the previous program record of three. That total grew to seven (four men, three women) in 2015, more than any other school in the conference. Forester men posted 10 of the 25 fastest 8-kilometer times in program history in 2015 while the women made eight new entries on the top-25 list at the 6-kilometer distance. Simpson's runners now own 19 of the program's 25 best marks in both categories, including the school records set by freshman Jorge Villanueva (26:05.4 8K) and junior Kristen Whitney (22:49.7 6K) at the 2015 NCAA Division III Regional Championships. In addition to the improvements Simpson has made to the cross country teams, the College's club track program has also grown significantly under his direction. After participating in just three meets the year prior to his arrival on campus, the team's schedule consisted of 13 events in 2015-16, including the annual Chicagoland Championships. The team's performance in the classroom has also been excellent during Simpson's tenure. His runners have earned 41 Academic All-MWC honors during his four seasons, including 14 in 2015-16. Simpson came to Lake Forest from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, where he was an assistant men's and women's cross country and track & field coach since January of 2010. Mount Union claimed an Ohio Athletic Conference title in men's cross country in 2010 and was the runner-up in 2011. The Purple Raider women placed fifth both seasons after a seventh-place posting and loss of their top runner before Simpson's arrival. The size of the cross country rosters more than tripled during his two years on staff. The Mount Union indoor and outdoor track & field teams combined for six conference titles in Simpson's three years on staff, including the program's first-ever sweep of the outdoor championships in 2011 and a repeat performance in 2012. With a third-place finish at the 2012 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, the Purple Raider women's track & field team made the first appearance in program history on the podium (top four) at the national meet. Prior to his time at Mount Union, Simpson was an assistant cross country and track & field coach for a total of three years at Defiance College and NCAA Division II Augusta State University.  Simpson graduated from Heidelberg College with a bachelor's degree in psychology and English in 2007 and is near completion of his master's degree in sports science and coaching from the University of Akron. While at Heidelberg he finished among the top three in the Ohio Athletic Conference cross country meet his junior and senior seasons and helped lead the Berg to the NCAA Division III National Championship Meet both years. He also finished his track & field career as Heidelberg's record-holder in the 5k run.

Newstat The 2016 season will be the second for Stu Newstat on the Forester coaching staff. He serves as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Newstat helped lead the 2015 Forester men to a third-place finish at the Midwest Conference Meet and the women to fifth place, matching the best combined finish in program history. The teams makd 18 new entries on the program's top-25 lists for the men's 8K and women's 6K, including establishing a new top mark at both distances. Newstat was a four-year letter winner in cross country and a three-time honoree in track and field at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He placed 19th at the North Coast Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships as a senior to earn Honorable Mention All-NCAC honors. Newstat was also a team captain in cross country and track and field as a senior. A 2014 graduate of DePauw, Newstat was a communication major and participated in various aspects of campus life. He is also an internet marketing consultant at Rise Interactive in Chicago.