Southern Oregon University Men's Track

Gatlin returned to SOU at the start of the 2011 cross country season after spending two years as an assistant at Oregon Tech. An SOU alum and former student-athlete, he previously served as the Raiders head cross country coach from 1999-2005. Since coming back, Gatlin has been named the Cascade Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year five straight seasons and the CCC Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year three times (2013, 14, 16). The Raider men's cross country team finished third in the NAIA in Gatlin's first year back and was runner-up the next three seasons, also running its conference title streak up to eight. (In 2015, SOU was ranked No. 1 going into the NAIA Championships before sickness kept its two top runners out of the race.) The 2013 season produced the school's first individual national champion (Eric Avila) since 1978, and the Raiders have produced a total of eight mens and two womens individual NAIA All-America performances since 2011. In track and field, Gatlin has overseen 34 mens All-America performances the most of any coach in SOU history with three individual national titles in three years. The Raider women have produced 11 All-America showings during his tenure, and theyve captured one NAIA title in three consecutive years starting in 2014 (pole vault, 400-meter hurdles, 10K) after going the previous 19 years without one. Gatlin led the Raider men to back-to-back Cascade Conference team titles in 2013 and 14 and another one 16. Since he took over, SOU has won 33 individual conference titles on the mens side and 11 on the womens side. Gatlin also instigated SOU's venture into indoor track and field competition for the first time in early 2012. Three seasons later, the Raider mens distance-medley-relay team had already set and broken its own NAIA record. During his first go-round with the Raiders, he was twice named men's Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year, receiving the honor in 2004 and 05. His 2004 SOU men's cross country team competed at the NAIA national meet for the first time in 15 years, finishing 12th in the nation. In 2005 the Raiders returned to the national meet and placed 10th. While coaching track and field at SOU, Gatlin was named CCC women's coach of the year in 2001. During his tenure he coached nine distance All-Americans and over 30 all-conference athletes in the distance track events from 2000-05. Gatlin has been an assistant coach for five men's track and field and three women's track and field CCC championship teams. He worked as an assistant cross country and track and field coach at Pacific University in Forest Grove from 2006-07 before moving to Oregon Tech in 2009. Gatlin and his wife Courtney Lucas, were married in summer 2015. They currently reside in Ashland.   Grier Gatlin, who will begin his sixth year back at Southern Oregon University in 2016-17, has helped the Raider track and field and cross country programs continue to flourish into NAIA powerhouses under his watch. Gatlin returned to SOU at the start of the 2011 cross country season after spending two years as an assistant at Oregon Tech. An SOU alum and former student-athlete, he previously served as the Raiders head cross country coach from 1999-2005. Since coming back, Gatlin has been named the Cascade Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year five straight seasons and the CCC Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year three times (2013, 14, 16). The Raider men's cross country team finished third in the NAIA in Gatlin's first year back and was runner-up the next three seasons, also running its conference title streak up to eight. (In 2015, SOU was ranked No. 1 going into the NAIA Championships before sickness kept its two top runners out of the race.) The 2013 season produced the school's first individual national champion (Eric Avila) since 1978, and the Raiders have produced a total of eight mens and two womens individual NAIA All-America performances since 2011. In track and field, Gatlin has overseen 34 mens All-America performances the most of any coach in SOU history with three individual national titles in three years. The Raider women have produced 11 All-America showings during his tenure, and theyve captured one NAIA title in three consecutive years starting in 2014 (pole vault, 400-meter hurdles, 10K) after going the previous 19 years without one. Gatlin led the Raider men to back-to-back Cascade Conference team titles in 2013 and 14 and another one 16. Since he took over, SOU has won 33 individual conference titles on the mens side and 11 on the womens side. Gatlin also instigated SOU's venture into indoor track and field competition for the first time in early 2012. Three seasons later, the Raider mens distance-medley-relay team had already set and broken its own NAIA record. During his first go-round with the Raiders, he was twice named men's Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year, receiving the honor in 2004 and 05. His 2004 SOU men's cross country team competed at the NAIA national meet for the first time in 15 years, finishing 12th in the nation. In 2005 the Raiders returned to the national meet and placed 10th. While coaching track and field at SOU, Gatlin was named CCC women's coach of the year in 2001. During his tenure he coached nine distance All-Americans and over 30 all-conference athletes in the distance track events from 2000-05. Gatlin has been an assistant coach for five men's track and field and three women's track and field CCC championship teams. He worked as an assistant cross country and track and field coach at Pacific University in Forest Grove from 2006-07 before moving to Oregon Tech in 2009. Gatlin and his wife Courtney Lucas, were married in summer 2015. They currently reside in Ashland.  

Maas joined the track and field/cross country staff at SOU prior to the 2014-15 season after seven years as the head track and field coach at College of the Siskiyous. He specializes in hurdles, sprints, relays and horizontal jumps. At Siskiyous, he oversaw 30 state championships qualifiers, 15 JUCO All-Americans, four state runners-up and three state champions. The Eagles men's team placed in the top 20 at the California Community College State Championships four straight years under his guidance. Maas ran for two years as a student-athlete at COS -- setting the school record for the long hurdles (52.99) and twice winning the Golden Valley Conference title in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles -- before accepting a scholarship at Cal Berkeley. There, he placed sixth at the 1998 Pac 10 Track and Field Championships in the 400 hurdles. He earned a Master's Degree in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention from California University of Pennsylvania, is NASE credentialed in Speed and Explosive Power Development, a Performance Enhancement Specialist credentialed from NASM, and is a Certified Personal Trainer credentialed from NCSF. He is a USA Track and Field Level 1 and Level II certified in jumps, sprints, hurdles and relays. Shannon Maas joined the track and field/cross country staff at SOU prior to the 2014-15 season after seven years as the head track and field coach at College of the Siskiyous. He specializes in hurdles, sprints, relays and horizontal jumps. At Siskiyous, he oversaw 30 state championships qualifiers, 15 JUCO All-Americans, four state runners-up and three state champions. The Eagles men's team placed in the top 20 at the California Community College State Championships four straight years under his guidance. Maas ran for two years as a student-athlete at COS -- setting the school record for the long hurdles (52.99) and twice winning the Golden Valley Conference title in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles -- before accepting a scholarship at Cal Berkeley. There, he placed sixth at the 1998 Pac 10 Track and Field Championships in the 400 hurdles. He earned a Master's Degree in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention from California University of Pennsylvania, is NASE credentialed in Speed and Explosive Power Development, a Performance Enhancement Specialist credentialed from NASM, and is a Certified Personal Trainer credentialed from NCSF. He is a USA Track and Field Level 1 and Level II certified in jumps, sprints, hurdles and relays.