University of South Alabama Men's Cross Country

Parker Cowles joined the South Alabama cross country/track & field program on Sept. 14, 2017. He serves as the head coach of both the Jaguar men’s and women’s cross country teams and as an assistant coach with the track and field team developing the distance runners.  Since taking over the cross country program, Cowles has had 13 male runners (2 first team, 7 second team and 4 third team) earn all-conference honors, while 11 female runners (5 first team, 1 second team and 5 third team ) have been named to one of the all-conference teams. On the women's side, there have been seven Sun Belt Runner of the Week selections highlighted by Carolien Millenaar's five, the most of any female cross country runner. Two runners on the men's side have also taken home weekly league accolades for a total of six, led by Kirami Yego's four, three of which came during the 2021 season.  The three ROTW honors that fall marked the most by a Sun Belt runner since Louisiana’s Stanley Limoh (2017) and made him one of three runners in program history to receive the honor three or more times in a season (Micah Tirop – 2008) and Vincent Rono (2005). He is one of only five runners at South to receive the honor three or more times in their career (Tirop [8], Rono [6], Samson Kipchirchir [4] and Tonny Okello [3]). As a team, the South Alabama women have finished inside the top 3 in three of Cowles' five seasons at the helm, placing second at the 2019 championship event. The men have made two NCAA regional appearances, while the women have once. Kirami Yego continued to lead the way in 2021 as he became the first male cross country runner to capture a Sun Belt Conference individual title since the 2014 season, while also earning first-team all-league honors for the second straight year. Also earning all-conference honors on the men's side were Onesmus Kemboi (men - second-team) and Adele Maguad (women - first-team). Following the SBC championship performance, Yego  became one of eight runners in program history to advance to the NCAA Championships and the 15th overall appearance by a male runner after finishing eighth  at the NCAA South Region Championships. The 2020 campaign saw both the women's and men's cross country programs have success under Cowles direction. Millenaar became the fourth female to win individual honors as she crossed the line with a personal-best time of 17:12.6, five seconds faster than the next closest runner. During the spring, Millenaar became just the second female runner and first since Laura Martin in 1997 to compete at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Along with Millenaar, Silje Linstad and Susanna Pudner also turned in third-team all-league performances, placing 13th and 15th respectively. The Jaguar men placed five runners inside the top 11 spots to pick up the program's ninth Sun Belt title and first since 2014 at the league's championship event. Kirami Yego paced the men's team finishing third overall (24:39.1) earning first-team Sun Belt all-conference honors. Yego was joined by four other teammates who also earned all-conference honors: Onesmus Kemboi (second team), Thomas Sand (second team), Warno Potgieter (second team) and Nate Pudner (third team). Yego was named the SBC Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, while Cowles was selected as the conference's coach of the year, marking the eighth selection for the honor in program history.  Along with the second-place finish at the conference championship, meet three Jaguar women (Andonet Cheruiyot (first team), Millenaar (second team) and Silje Lindstad (third team) earned all-Sun Belt honors. On the men's side, Kemboi was a USTFCCCA all-region selection, and was named the conference's newcomer of the year, after also earning second-team all-league honors. Cheruiyot earned first-team all-conference honors at the 2018 league championship meet, finishing second less than four seconds behind SBC champion Leslie Romero with a time of 17:26.36. Potgieter also earned all-league honors (second team) with his sixth-place finish at the meet. In 2017, his first season at the helm, Labuschaigne became the first South Alabama women's cross country runner to win a league title in 20 years (Martin [1997]). That season, both Millenaar and Nicole Van Der Merwe also earned third-team all-SBC honors.  Cowles arrived in Mobile after seven years of collegiate coaching experience, the last as an assistant coach for the track and field and cross country teams at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley working with the middle and long distance student-athletes.  In his year at UTRGV, Cowles coached two Western Athletic Conference champions, Jennifer Zapata and Krysta Martinez, each of whom also set individual UTRGV records (Zapata in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and Martinez in the 1,500 meter run). Cowles also coached the women’s 4 x 100m distance medley relay team to its fastest time in program history. Before arriving in Edinburg, Texas, Cowles held coaching positions at the United States Air Force Academy, Barton County Community College and Idaho State University. During the 2015-16 season – his only season coaching at the Air Force Academy – Cowles served as the track and field team’s Director of Operations. He was responsible for home meet planning and execution, and managed team logistics to include travel and coordination of training schedules. He also advised the Head Cross Country coach on aspects pertaining to cadet military life and assisted with administering workouts as needed. With his assistance, the men’s team won the Mountain West Cross Country championship and each of the men’s and women’s programs posted a NCAA Division I Cross Country All American. Prior to his time at Air Force, Cowles spent two seasons at Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas, as a cross country coach and track and field assistant coach. While there, he developed the women’s 2014 NJCAA Cross Country Champion, Lydia Mato. Over his two seasons he also coached 16 NJCAA National Champions and 24 NJCAA Track & Field All-Americans. Cowles started his coaching career as a graduate student/assistant coach at Idaho State University. He spent three seasons as an assistant cross country and track and field coach focusing on all steeplechase, 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter student-athletes. He guided Audrey Urlacher to a Big Sky Championship in the 5,000-meter run in 2011 and also a seventh-place finish at the USATF Junior National Championships. While in Pocatello, Idaho, Cowles also guided five women's and four men's NCAA West Regional track & field qualifiers. In his first year at Idaho State, Erica Wendt-Richardson became the school’s first women's cross country runner to win the Big Sky Cross Country championship. That same year, the Bengal women placed third at the Big Sky championships. After going to high school at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, Cowles earned his Bachelors of Science in American History from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2009 and his Masters of Physical Education in Sports Administration and Leadership from Idaho State University in 2011. As a student-athlete at the Air Force Academy, Cowles earned eight varsity letters as a Division I long distance runner and competed in six Mountain West cross country and track and field championships, where he recorded two podium finishes. Cowles was a runner-up at the 2008 Drake Relays in the 10,000 meters. His career best in the 10,000 meters was 30:31 at the 2009 Mt. SAC Relays, while his best in the 5,000 meters was 14:35 and his best in the 3,000 meters was 8:33. After graduation from the Academy, Cowles served a brief stint as an Air Force officer. He planned Columbus Air Force Base public relation events and coordinated and scheduled media coverage for the annual air show. He also wrote articles for the Columbus Air Force Base weekly paper, Silver Wings. Cowles is married to his wife Emily and the couple has two children.  

Paul Brueske enters his 19th season with South Alabama’s track & field program and his 18th season as head coach for both programs. Since taking the reins of both the men’s and women’s programs in 2009, Brueske has turned South Alabama into one of the top teams in the Sun Belt Conference and has proven the Jaguars can succeed on the national level. Under Brueske’s direction, the Jaguars have produced two NCAA Individual National Champions in the past four seasons, 252 total All-Sun Belt performers, and 110 student-athletes have participated in the NCAA East Regionals, with eight athletes having competed in the NCAA Championship in the last two seasons. Brueske’s men’s teams have claimed two Sun Belt Outdoor Titles in the past three seasons, and he has been named Sun Belt Outdoor Men’s Coach of the Year twice (2022 & 2024), while also being named Women’s Coach of the Year in 2016. In 2025, Brueske guided South Alabama through another strong campaign highlighted by conference titles and record-breaking performances. The Jaguars captured three Sun Belt individual championships, led by Kyle Rademeyer, who won the indoor pole vault title with a record-breaking clearance of 5.73m (18-9.5”), setting new school, meet, and conference records. Rademeyer closed his career as one of the most decorated athletes in program history, earning eight NCAA All-American honors and capturing an NCAA national title. He later competed in his eighth NCAA Championship, placing fifth to earn All-American honors. Kendal White added a title in the 400-meter hurdles with a school-record time of 50.02, while Reuben Booysen secured the javelin crown with a throw of 68.46m (224-7). The Jaguars totaled multiple All-Conference honors throughout the championships, including podium finishes from Sacha Perrier and Charleen Elizondo in the distance events, while Javon Glenn, Jadon Thomason, and the men’s 4x400-meter relay each added top-three finishes.. During the 2023-24 campaign, Brueske assisted Francois Prinsloo and Kyle Rademeyer in two of the best seasons in South Alabama Athletics history. Prinsloo earned an Olympic qualifying mark of 67.26 meters (220’8”) at the Southern Miss Open and would compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games for his home country, South Africa. After claiming two conference titles at the Sun Belt Championships, Prinsloo clinched the NCAA East Regionals Championship for the third time before moving on to dominate the NCAA National Championships. He led from start to finish by recording the top three throws in the entire competition in his first three attempts. He started the evening by launching a monstrous toss of 61.92 meters (203’3”) before improving to 62.19 meters (204’0”). Prinsloo put the nail in the coffin with his third throw, launching a throw of 63.51 meters (208’4”). In 2023, Kyle Rademeyer had a phenomenal season for the Jaguars, claiming the National Title in the pole vault using a dramatic third-bar clearance to stay alive before clearing 5.70 meters (18’8.25”) at the NCAA National Championships in Austin, Texas. This came after an electric season where Rademeyer claimed his third straight Sun Belt Championship and an Olympic qualifying standard of 5.82 meters (19’1”). Following his national crown, Rademeyer went on to place 63rd at the World Championships in Budapest. Additionally, Brueske has maintained consistency in the Sun Belt Conference, which features elite track and field talent throughout. Brueske led the Jags to a dominant win at the 2024 Sun Belt Championships as they finished with 143 total points, four individual conference crowns, two facility and meet records, eight runner-ups, and 12 total All-SBC performers to claim the title. South Alabama claimed its first Men’s Sun Belt Title in program history in 2022. The Jags finished with 148.3 points, six Sun Belt crowns, one facility record, and nearly 15 All-SBC performers. Since the spring of 2011, 37 individuals have advanced to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships on 22 occasions, with Kyle Rademeyer, Kirami Yego, Francois Prinsloo, Angel Maguad, Renaldo Frechou, Lindsay Schwartz, Sean Collins, and Emilie Berge earning All-American honors multiple times. Jan-Lou Kotze earned first-team All-American honors in 2016, while Kaitlyn Beans received second-team All-American accolades that same season. Autavia Fluker and Francois Prinsloo earned second-team All-American honors in 2021 with record-breaking performances at the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Brueske was honored in 2016 as the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Coach of the Year—the first of his career—after leading the Jaguars to their first-ever outright conference championship as the South Alabama women’s track and field team took home the team title at the outdoor championship. Since Brueske’s arrival, Jaguar student-athletes have set 74 school records while breaking nine league standards and two NCAA East Regional records. In throwing events, South has claimed 35 individual titles at the Sun Belt Championships. Every school record except for the men’s javelin has been broken during Brueske’s tenure. Additionally, South Alabama's men have claimed the discus SBC Championship 11 times and have had an all-conference performer 15 times. Throughout his career, he has produced Sun Belt Champions in every throwing event for both genders. He has led 15 Sun Belt individual champions in throwing events, including: Reuben Booysen (javelin, 2025), Prinsloo (discus, 2021, 2023, 2024), Sebastian Loschner (indoor shot put, 2023; outdoor shot put, 2023, 2022), Colette Uys (indoor shot put, 2023; outdoor shot put, 2023), Bodine Degli Umberti (weight throw, 2023; discus, 2023), Rickssen Opont (indoor shot put, 2020; outdoor shot put, 2021), Michaela Preachuck (weight throw, 2018; hammer, 2018-19), Fluker (indoor shot put, 2019-20; outdoor shot put, 2019; hammer throw, 2021), Hanna-Mai Vaikla (javelin, 2018), Frechou (hammer, 2014-16), Leah Hixon (javelin, 2014), Kotze (discus, 2013-15), Angela McCord (javelin, 2010), Joey Torres (discus, 2010-12; hammer, 2011; weight throw, 2011), and Bobbie Williamson (hammer, 2013). A highlight of one of Brueske’s recruiting classes, Autavia Fluker was named to the NCAA All-American team in 2021. She won three Sun Belt Conference Championships in two events—shot put and hammer throw—over three years with the program. The seven-time All-Sun Belt selection and two-time Sun Belt Most Outstanding Field Performer broke multiple program records, including her own, in the hammer throw (70.02m/229-08) and shot put (16.22m/53-02.75) events. Fluker set an NCAA record with her 70.02m hammer throw, which qualified her for the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials. She went on to finish 11th in the Olympic Trials Finals in Eugene, Ore., in the summer of 2021. A remnant of Brueske’s first recruiting class at the university, Schwartz was a three-time NCAA All-American, a USTFCCCA Division I Academic All-American, a three-time SBC outdoor heptathlon and two-time indoor pentathlon champion, the 2011 SBC Most Outstanding Female Field Performer, and the 2011-12 USA Female Student-Athlete of the Year. After posting a then-school-record 5,606 points in the heptathlon at the Texas Relays, Schwartz qualified to compete at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., where she set a new school record with 5,614 points through seven total events for 14th overall. In all, 42 Jaguars have qualified for the NCAA regional round in the throws events, with eight advancing to the national championships. Prinsloo earned first-team and second-team All-American accolades, Loschner earned All-American honorable mention accolades, and Fluker earned second-team All-American honors in her first postseason appearance, which was followed by a U.S. Olympic Trials Finals appearance. Frechou picked up first-team All-American accolades after finishing seventh in his first trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, then improved the following season by finishing fifth, while Torres—a native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico—set a national record in the discus with a mark of 56.23m that also broke the Sun Belt record. Kotze was a first-team All-American in 2016, placing fifth in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Jaguars have experienced academic success under Brueske’s watch as well. South has been named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team on eight occasions, while the Jags have received the team award for the highest grade-point average in the Sun Belt, including sweeping honors for both women and men during the 2014-15 academic year. A total of 22 individuals have received all-academic recognition from the USTFCCCA, and Kotze became the first member of the men’s program to be named Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America and was awarded the Elite 90 Award as the top student-athlete GPA at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships. The men’s team has won top academic Sun Belt honors for the best men’s track team GPA three consecutive years (2015-17). Formerly the head coach of the boys’ track program at St. Paul’s Episcopal High School in Mobile, Ala., Brueske led the team to back-to-back Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 5A outdoor state championships in 2006 and 2007. The Saints were also the 2007 indoor champions. Additionally, 15 student-athletes earned individual state titles during his tenure. Prior to his arrival at St. Paul’s High, Brueske worked with the UMS-Wright Preparatory track & field program in Mobile, helping the Bulldogs to three consecutive state high school championships in both the girls’ and boys’ divisions. At UMS-Wright, he primarily coached the field events and worked with 15 individual 4A state champions in the throws, high jump, and pole vault. He helped UMS-Wright athletes establish new school records in the pole vault, javelin, and shot put. Brueske was also an assistant with the UMS-Wright varsity football team that compiled a 38-4 record and won the 2002 4A state championship. Brueske spent two seasons (2000-02) as the field events coach at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. At Ferris State, he produced 14 NCAA qualifiers, three All-Americans, and 22 all-conference performers. As an assistant coach, Brueske was in charge of recruiting and coaching all field event athletes. He also helped design strength training programs for the Ferris State golf, hockey, and volleyball programs. A native of Gulf Breeze, Fla., Brueske began coaching at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, where he spent three seasons. As the assistant head coach, Brueske helped build McGill-Toolen into a 6A county and sectional champion. A 1998 graduate of South Alabama, where he was a member of the track team, Brueske holds USA Track & Field Level II certification in the throwing, jumping, and combined events. He is a certified specialist in Sports Conditioning by the International Sports Science Association, a USA (Olympic) Weightlifting Certified Club Coach, and a USA Track & Field Level I Instructor. He worked for five years as a strength coach for the tennis program at the University of South Alabama. He is a member of the Optimist Club of Mobile and has been named a Certified Throws Specialist and Strength & Conditioning Specialist by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. He is also a USAW Certified Sports Performance Coach, a USTFCCCA Certified Track and Field Technical Coach, and he formerly served as Coaches Education Chairman for the state of Alabama.

Janusey is a USATF Level 1 Certified Coach and was a national qualifier in Division II during his time as an student-athlete.  In addition to coaching Jaguar javelin throwers, his responsibilities include assisting head coach Paul Brueske with other throwing events. At the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships, USA had seven individuals  four women, three men  score in the javelin.  In the women's competition, Barbara Rivera and Ashton Pennington were all-league honorees after placing second and third, respectively, while Robert King was all-SBC after coming in second as well.  In addition, Jessica Matthews and Sarah Petty along with Daniel Fort and Andrew Allen, scored points for the Jags at the meet. At William Woods Janusey helped coach two conference-champion teams both men and women on which the throwers accounted for over a third of the total team points. He also helped guide Anthony Stockton to a Division II national championship in the hammer throw as well as an All-American effort in the discus. Prior to his stint at WWU, Janusey was a volunteer assistant coach for his alma matter Seton Hill (Pa.) where he worked with the javelin throwers. There he helped the womens team to a West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and developed All-American and eventual Division II national champion Mallory Sanner in the javelin throw. Janusey competed in all four throwing events during his time at Seton Hill and was a conference champion in three of them. The Venetia, Pa., native was awarded his bachelor's degree in computer science in 2012. He is currently pursuing his master's degree at South Alabama.

Barnett picked up his second Sun Belt Women's Coach of the Year honor, but first of his career on the women's side after directing the Jag women to their first conference title since 1993.  JoAnna McCoy earned first-team all-Sun Belt honors, while Laura Labuschaigne, Ashley Heitling and Nicole Durham captured second-team honors.  McCoy was also named all-region.  On the men's side, Christoph Graf and Patrick Rohr both earned first-team all-SBC honors, while Katelho Dyoyi picked up second-team accolades.  The trio also qualified for the NCAA Regional. During the fall of 2014, Barnett was named the Sun Belt Conference Mens Cross Country Coach of the Year after guiding the Jaguars to the league title, their first since 2006.  Graf was selected the Most Outstanding Performer after claimining the individual title, going on to earn all-region honors while qualifying for the NCAA Championships, with Michael Pienaar chosen the conference Freshman of the Year while making the all-region squad as well.  Also, Rohr received all-Sun Belt honors for the third year in a row. Graf and Rohr earned all-league honors in the 3,000-meter run at the SBC Indoor Championships after finising first and second, respectively in the race, with the former adding all-conference accolades following a second-place finish in the mile.  The duo not only received all-SBC recognition during the outdoor season as well, both qualified for the NCAA East Region Preliminaries as well. During the 2014 outdoor season, Barnett oversaw five all-SBC performers, including Freshman of the Year and top men's scorer Michael Pienaar.  Pienaar recorded three all-conference efforts in the 1,500-meter run (first), 10,000-meter run (second) and 5,000-meter run (third).  Also earning all-league accolades were Patrick Rohr (3,000-meter steeplechase) and Justin Housley (800-meter run), helping the men place third overall at the competition.  Rohr's efforts qualified him for the NCAA preliminaries in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Pienaar qualified for the World Juniors Championships in the 10,000-meter run. In indoor competition, Barnett helped guide Kristin Parry to a pair of school records in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs, the former coming in a gold-medal performance at the SBC Championships.  In addition, Pienaar was named all-conference in the 5,000-meter run for the men. The 2013 cross country teams saw a number of highlights under Barnett's watch.  Three individuals -- Rohr, Joe Gratton and Parry -- were all-conference selections, while Nicole Durham was named the league's Women's Freshman of the Year.  Additionally, the men's squad notched a third-place finish at the conference championships.  Both teams excelled in the classroom as well,as the Lady Jags finished with a combined 3.76 grade point average, the best of the schools athletic programs and one of the highest GPAs in the country.  Meanwhile, the men's squad was a close second among all sports on campus with a 3.54 overall GPA.  Both teams were recipients of the USTFCCCA's All-Academic Awards. During the 2013 indoor and outdoor seasons Barnett coached four Sun Belt All-Conference Team selections who combined for several top-five marks in the school record books. The women contributed to a third-place Sun Belt finish at the outdoor championship meet. During his first season as head cross country coach, the men's and women's teams finished third and fifth, respectively. The Jaguars had three all-Sun Belt Conference team selections as well as the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year for women's cross country.The Lady Jaguars also had three of the top six freshmen finishers at this year's conference championship meet. Both the men's and women's teams were selected USTFCCCA all-Academic selections for the 2013 cross country season with university leading team G.P.A.'s of 3.76 for the women and 3.45 for the men.

James has a USATF Level I Coaching Certification. During the 2016 season, James helped Kaitlyn Beans achieve second-team All-American honors afer advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In the past two years, Beans received honorable mention All-America accolades in the triple jump two years in a row.  His efforts aided Beans in earning all-Sun Belt Conference honors in the event each of the last three years at the league's outdoor championships.  Jasmine Ferguson finish fifth in the pentathlon and heptathlon at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2014, respectively, while Cameron Stokes earned top-10 finishes in the mens multi-events at both meets. The previous year, Noelle Jones was champion in the pentathlon at the league indoor championships to earn all-Sun Belt honors Leah Hixon just missed the same recognition after coming in fourth place in the event while Garrett Schumacher was an all-conference honoree following a second-place result in the heptathlon.  In the spring, Jones and Hixon finished first and second, respectively, in the heptathlon with Schumacher coming in second in the decathlon at the SBC Outdoor Championships as all three received all-conference accolades.  Hixon and Schumacher placed fourth in their events at the 2013 Sun Belt Indoor Championships Ashton Krause and Mikel Magnusson also scoring in the heptathlon for the men with the former winning the heptathlon at the league outdoor meet later in the year and the latter finishing third to pick up all-conference honors. James also helped Jaylon Holt score in the men's triple jump at both the SBC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2013 and '14. He joined the staff from Athens Christian School in Athens, Ga., where he served as an assistant coach and teacher since 2006.  He specialized in sprints, pole vault, and relays while also coaching womens basketball and junior varsity football.  He coached the boys and girls track and field teams to three Class A state championships each. Prior to that, James was an assistant coach at Georgia from 1999-2006, where he handled recruiting and developed the training regime for pole vault and combined events.  During his stint there, the Bulldog womens team won the 2006 Southeastern Conference womens indoor and outdoor championships.  He coached three individual NCAA national champions, as well as 13 NCAA All-Americans and six academic All-Americans.