Tiger Sports

Cowley College Web Site
homeMen's Sports BaseballBasketballCross CountryStaffScheduleNewsPreviewRosterProfilesRecruit InfoRecords & TitlesFacilitiesFormer PlayersPhoto GalleryIAFFHill n Dale RankingsarchivesSoccerTennisTrack and FieldWomen's Sports Tiger Sports NewsSchedulesTiger Booster Club Spirit Squad Danceline Staff Foster Parents Athletic Training Ambassadors Student Athletics Student Athletics Student Athlete of the Month Former Athletes Hall of Fame Store Camps Ed Regulations NJCAA KJCCC College Web Site

 

Cross Country Staff

Coach DeGradoHead Coach Vince DeGrado

Vince DeGrado begins his third season as head coach of the men and women’s cross country teams.

He was named the Region VI Women’s Coach of the Year each of the past two seasons, and was the Region VI Men’s Coach of the Year after he helped the Tiger cross country team capture its first ever Region VI Championship during the 2007 season.

This marks his fifth season coaching cross country at the collegiate level.
In his first season as head coach of the Tiger cross country teams, DeGrado led the men’s team to a fourth place national finish, while the Lady Tigers finished 10th nationally.

In his second season he coached NJCAA All-American Jonathan Cherono and three other Coaches Association All-Americans on the men's side. On the Women's side, Cecilia Burley was named a Coaches Association All-American. During the indoor and outdoor track seasons he coached numerous top-six finishers. 

He also coached the men’s indoor 4x800-meter relay team that placed second nationally and earned NJCAA All-American honors. His American distance runners were among some of the best in the country throughout the track season, posting top-20 marks in various events.

This past season, DeGrado helped the women’s team capture its first ever Region VI title. He also guided the women’s team to a fourth place national finish, while the men placed fifth.

Prior to coming to Cowley, DeGrado served as the head cross country and track coach at Allen County Community College for two full seasons.

In the two seasons he coached at Allen County, DeGrado’s squads broke or tied 22 school records. During the 2006 season, his first recruiting class in cross country proved to be a successful one as the Allen County women were ranked in the top-25 for the first time in almost 10 years.

He grew up in Mayetta, KS, graduating from Royal Valley High School.  He completed his Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education with a minor in Psychology at Southwestern College in 2004. He graduated from Emporia State University with his Master's Degree of Science in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. He is USA-TF Level 1 certified, as well as Level 2 certified in Endurance.

As an athlete, DeGrado was an All-State medalist in Cross Country. He started his college career at Coffeyville Community College where he was an Academic All-American, and he was a two-time National Qualifier while competing in cross-country and track. DeGrado continued his running career at Southwestern College where he ran under the legendary Hall of Fame coach Jim Helmer and became a two-time All-American in the 4 x 800-meter and Distance Medley Relay. He was a five-time All-KCAC runner, winning the 4 x 800-meter relay twice, as well as a seven-time National Qualifier.

He and his wife, Martha, have two children: Natalie 8, and Braiden 7.

DeGrado can be reached at (620) 442-2056 or at degradov@cowley.edu.

Mark PhillipsAssistant Coach Mark Phillips

Mark Phillips begins his eighth year at Cowley.

During the 2007-08 academic year, Phillips led Cowley’s men’s team to its first ever Jayhawk East Conference Triple Crown winning championships in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country.

He handed over the head cross country coaching duties to Vince DeGrado in 2007, but is still in charge of the Tiger track and field programs.
In Phillips time at Cowley, he has helped lead the Tigers to 21 Jayhawk Conference titles, eight Region VI titles, and 12 top-five finishes at the NJCAA National Championships.

Prior to coming to Cowley, he spent 12 years at Johnson County Community College, including four years as head coach.

He has led the Cowley men’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams to four consecutive conference titles. While, guiding the Lady Tigers to conference and region titles during the 2010 indoor and outdoor seasons.

During his tenure at Johnson, Phillips played a key role in a lengthy list of cross country and track team accomplishments. Phillips helped the Cavaliers:

  • To National Junior College Athletic Association national championships in the women's marathon and women's cross country.
  • Win 15 top-five NJCAA team trophies at national competitions.
  • To 48 cross country, indoor and outdoor track teams to top-10 national finishes.
    Capture the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division team title 49 times and the Region VI team crown 11 times.
  • To five conference triple crowns each for men and women during his tenure.
  • In all, Phillips coached 273 All-Americans, nine NJCAA national champions, three NJCAA record holders, and one Olympic Festival gold medalist.

Prior to coming to Johnson County, Phillips coached pole vault, long jump, triple jump, heptathlon and decathlon at Northwest Missouri  State University in 1985 and 1986. He coached jumps, sprints, heptathlon and decathlon as an assistant at Cloud  County Community  College in 1988 and 1989, where he coached five All-Americans. From the fall of 1989 to the spring of 1991, he was the head cross country and track and field coach at Kansas City Community  College, where he turned the program into a national contender in the sprints, coaching 34 All-Americans.

The Northwest Missouri State graduate also saw his share of success as a collegiate student-athlete. He was a pole vaulter/sprinter at Cloud  County and Northwest. At Cloud, Phillips was a Region VI champion and a two-time national qualifier in the pole vault. At Northwest, he set school and Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association records while winning three conference championships in the pole vault and as a member of a school record and National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II national qualifying 4x100-meter relay team. He was a member of the 1982 MIAA conference championship team and qualified for two NCAA Division II national meets in the pole vault.

Phillips received a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Northwest in 1984. He earned his master’s degree in education from University of Berkley-Michigan in 2001. He is USA Track and Field certified Level 1 coaching and Level 2 Jumps.

He and his wife Naomi have three children: Katie 20, Josh 18 and Justin 10.

Coach Phillips can be reached at (620) 442-1594 or by e-mail: phillips@cowley.edu