Southern Arkansas University Men's Cross Country

Servis has continued to build both the mens and womens programs into perennial contenders within the Great American Conference (GAC).     This past season, Servis mens team finished third for the third-consecutive year at the GAC Championships while his womens team finished second. The second-place finish for the SAU women in 2013 was especially significant because in Servis first season in 2010, the womens team finished last (14th) in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) Championships.   While his teams steadily improve as a whole, numerous individuals under Servis tutelage have garnered significant honors and awards. In 2012, senior runner Mickey Hammer capped off his stellar career at SAU by being named the GAC Male Runner of the Year after being the top individual finisher at the conference championships. Hammer would go on to earn his third all-region plaudit along with being named as the GAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.   All told, Servis has coached 17 all-conference (five men, 12 women) and three all-region runners in his time at SAU. Additionally, Servis mens teams have won the GAC Sportsmanship Award each of the last two seasons.   Records have also fallen under Servis guidance at SAU. To date, his mens team has set school records in the 8,000-meter and 10,000-meter cross country races. While competing in track meets, Servis has had a womens runner set a new 5,000-meter track record and a mens runner set a 10,000-meter track record.   Prior to coming to SAU, Servis attended the University of Central Arkansas as a graduate student. Throughout the 2009-2010 UCA track seasons, he served as student assistant coach.   In fall 2008, Servis was hired as the Conway High School interim cross-country coach. During the 2008 season, he guided the Conway Wampus Cats to the 7A Central Conference Championship and the first runner-up at the Arkansas state meet. Conway High School finished the season with six all-conference runners and four all-state runners. Six runners from the 2008 team were invited to the Arkansas/Oklahoma all-star cross-country meet.   Prior to working at Conway High School Servis was the head cross-country coach at Lyon College (2005-2007). During his time at Lyon College, Servis lead the Scots to a second place Transouth Conference finish and fifth place Region XI finish. Servis coached eight all-conference NAIA runners, one all-region NAIA runner, nine All-Academic Team runners, and one NAIA National Qualifier.   Servis began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant track coach for Clarksville High School in 2004 and 2005.   Before his career as a coach, Servis competed as a cross-country runner for the University of the Ozarks from 2000-2003. While competing there, he was awarded Most Valuable Cross-Country Runner in 2000, and served as the captain of the cross-country team in 2001.   Servis attended high school at Harrison High School, in Harrison, Ark. He competed in cross-country and track from 1997-2000. He was awarded Harrison High Schools Most Outstanding Track and Cross-Country Runner three consecutive years. He earned a bachelor of general studies from University of the Ozarks and a Master of Science degree in kinesiology from UCA.  

Banks, a former All-American and SEC individual champion while at Ole Miss, comes to SAU after spending the 2013-14 year as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater. While a collegiate athlete at Ole Miss in the late 1990s, Banks ran as a sprinter in the long sprints and earned indoor All-America honors three times (400-meter in 1996, 4x400-meter relay in 1999, and 800-meter in 1999). Additionally, Banks was the SEC individual outdoor champion in the 400-meter in 1996. Banks would follow that up with a runner-up finish in the event in 1997.   As a coach at Ole Miss, Banks helped mentor the middle distance runner under the direction of head coach Brian ONeal.   Prior to his coaching stint at Ole Miss, Banks worked for the City of Jackson from 2003-2013. During that time, Banks spent time as the recreation supervisor in addition to working in a similar capacity for youth outreach.   A native of Liberty, Miss., Banks graduated from Ole Miss in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science. He is married to Kogrecha Joy Banks, and the couple has four children: three sons, Tyrenzo, Ta'Zion and Taahir, and one daughter, Ti'Alone'.