Head Coach Mark Phillips

Mark Phillips begins his fourth year at Cowley after serving 12 years at Johnson County Community College, including four years as head coach.  Last season, Phillips led Cowley’s men and women’s teams to a runner-up finish in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, and an 11th place finish at the national meet for the women and a 15th place finish for the men. The Tiger men won the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division title and placed third at the national meet in 2003.

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 medallist.

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 16, Josh 14 and Justin 6.
Coach Phillips can be reached at (620) 442-1594 or by e-mail: phillips@cowley.edu

Assistant Coach Vince DeGrado

The 2007 season will mark Vince DeGrado’s first season as assistant cross country and track coach at Cowley College. DeGrado coaches the cross country teams and the distance and middle distance runners during the track season.  Prior to coming to Cowley, DeGrado served as the Head Cross Country and Track coach at Allen County Community College in Iola, KS for two full seasons.

In March of 2005 DeGrado was hired at 23 as the Head Coach at Allen County and inherited a diminishing program.  It did not take long for DeGrado to make his presence felt.  In the two full seasons he coached, DeGrado rewrote the record book with 22 broken/tied school records.  He coached 9 All-Americans, and 31 National meet Qualifiers, and every single once of his athletes improved their times.  During his 2006 season, his first recruiting class in Cross Country has proven to be a successful one. The ACCC Harriers were ranked in the top 25 for the first time in almost ten years. Finishing the season 22nd, while placing 3rd as team in the conference meet. For his Women's team they finished 3rd in the conference meet and qualified three for Nationals.

Vince 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. Vince 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 800m and Distance Medley Relay. He was a five-time All-KCAC runner, winning the 4 x 800m relay twice, as well as a seven-time National Qualifier.

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

Assistant Coach Sarah Doyle

Sarah Doyle begins her first season as assistant track coach. Doyle had a decorated collegiate track career as a sprinter/pole vaulter. At Johnson County Community College, she competed for current Tiger head coach Mark Phillips. While at Johnson County, she was a nine-time national qualifier, three-time all-American, and the region champion in the pole vault. She holds the Johnson County school-record for being named the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division champion 14 times.
She was the 2001 Johnson County women's track and field MVP. She later transferred to Wichita State University and earned all-conference honors in the pole vault.
She assisted coach Phillips at Johnson County Community College summer clinics, specializing in speed development.
Prior to coming to Cowley, she worked at Gear for Sports in Lenexa as a graphic designer.
Doyle will work with the sprinters and jumpers at Cowley.

Coach Doyle can be reached at (620) 442-2056 or by e-mail: doyles@cowley.edu.