Oberlin College Men's Cross Country

Appenheimer enters his 13th season as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Oberlin College. During his tenure, Appenheimer has built Oberlins track and field and cross country programs into perennial powers in the nation, region and the North Coast Athletic Conference.   The Appenheimer File Cross Country - Led the Yeowomen to six straight NCAC titles and seven overall (2009-14, 2006) - Six consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championship meets (2009-2014) - Placed ninth in the nation in 2012, eighth in the nation in 2013 and seventh in 2014, marking the highest finish in school history. The Yeowomen were 15th in 2011, 27th in 2010 and 23rd in 2009. - Coached All-American female runners Joanna Johnson, Molly Martorella, Emma Lehmann and Kyle Neal. Led male runner Geno Arthur to All-America honors in 2014 and 2015, the programs first since 1995. - Three total All-American runners in 2014 (Lehmann, Neal, Arthur) and nine total in his career - NCAC Womens Cross Country Coach of the Year eight times (2009-14, 2005-06) - Set an NCAC Record with nine All-NCAC runners in 2012 Track & Field 2008-09 Womens Indoor Track & Field Championships, the first in program history. Earned NCAC Womens Indoor Coach of the Year honors in 2009 and 2010 - Coached seven All-Americans, including 2016 honoree Lilah Drafts-Johnson (400 hurdles) - Mentored an array of NCAC Athletes of the Year, including 2015-16 NCAC Indoor Male Distance Athlete of the year Geno Arthur - In each year as coach, his teams have earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors Combined - 484 All-NCAC Performers - 48 All-Region Performers - 64 Academic All-Americans - 144 Conference Champions - 166 School Records Athletic Career - A six-time all-academic selection and 1994 magna cum laude graduate of Colgate University, Appenheimer earned a bachelors degree in English and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He earned an NCAA post-graduate scholarship, won the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award twice, and became a semifinalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. He also won five NCAA All-American awards in cross country and track. - Joined the Nike Farm Team in Palo Alto, California. He won the national title at the 1999 United States Cross Country Championships and followed up with a win in the 3,000 meters at the 2000 United States Indoor Track and Field Championships. Appenheimer represented the United States at the 1999 World Cross Country Championships in Belfast and the 1999 World University Games in Majorca, Spain. He qualified for the 2000 United States Olympic Trials in the 5,000 meters with a time of 13:28.99.  

Izzy Alexander enters her 12th season with the Oberlin College track & field and cross country programs in 2025-26 and her second season as head cross country coach after taking over in July of 2024. During Alexander’s tenure with the cross country program, there have been 79 All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) athletes, 29 All-Region finishers, three All-Americans, five NCAC team titles (2022 and 2024 for men; 2014, 2018, 2019 for women), four NCAC All-Decade honorees, a Coaching Staff of Year title (2022), two NCAC individual champions, two NCAC Rookies of the Year, and two Great Lakes Region individual champions. In the classroom, 193 student-athletes have been named to the NCAC Academic Honor Roll, while there have been 11 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic individuals and 16 USTFCCCA Team awards.  Before coming to Oberlin, Alexander most recently held a position in the field of public health and health care. Prior to her stint in public health, she coached the boys and girls cross country teams at The Bromfield School. Alexander served as an assistant coach at Rhodes College from 2009-11, helping lead the women’s cross country team to win two Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championships and a pair of South/Southeast NCAA regional titles. On the track, Alexander helped guide the Lynx to three conference championships (two for women, one for men), 14 program records, and two All-Americans.  A five-time All-American in the 800 meters and 400-meter hurdles as a student-athlete at Bates College, Alexander set ten school records during her time on campus. Alexander received her bachelor’s degree from Bates in psychology and Spanish in 2009 before earning her master’s degree in public health in 2013.  Alexander received a USATF Level II Certification in Endurance in July of 2015 and continues to be a student of the sport and coaching education by attending clinics and symposiums. IZZY ALEXANDER CROSS COUNTRY CAREER COACHING RECORD Season NCAC Men's Finish NCAC Women's Finish 2024 1st 4th 2025 3rd 7th