CHICAGO – Roosevelt University Vice President of Athletics and Student-Athlete Success Michael Cassidy named Austin Warner as the next head coach of the Lakers men's and women's cross country and track and field programs on Monday.
Warner arrives at Roosevelt with a plethora of coaching experience at the NAIA, NCAA and high school level after a standout running career at Trinity Christian. He spent last year as the head cross country and track and field coach at the University of Chicago Laboratory School after five seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division II Purdue Northwest. While with the Pride, he helped start the school's track and field program. In his final year at Purdue Northwest, both the men's and women's cross country teams were named All-Academic Teams by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
"I am excited about the future of our cross country and track and field programs with Austin joining our team as head coach," Cassidy said. "Austin is a veteran coach with experience maximizing success in all facets of the student-athlete experience.
"I am eager for him to start working with our student-athletes for the upcoming season."
Prior to returning to the Midwest, Warner served as an assistant coach at Nova Southeastern in Florida from 2013-2017. He helped 17 cross country runners and 18 distance runners on the track to NCAA South Region honors at the regional meets. He was also named the 2016 NCAA Division II Track and Field Assistant Coach of the Year in the South Region and a 2015 selection for the NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar. He was also a graduate assistant at Hawaii Pacific for the 2012 cross country season before joining the staff at Nova Southeastern.
"I am thrilled for the opportunity to lead the cross country/track and field programs at Roosevelt University," Warner said. "I am eager to build the programs up with well-rounded student-athletes who want to be a part of something exciting in one of the greatest cities in the world. A special thank you to Vice President of Athletics and Student-Athlete Success Michael Cassidy and the entire search committee for putting their trust in me and the vision."
Warner joined the coaching ranks after a prolific career at Trinity Christian, where he was a three-time qualifier for the NAIA Cross Country Championships, a two-time qualifier for the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships and a four-time qualifier in the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He burst onto the scene in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference by placing sixth in the conference championships for cross country in 2009 then followed up with a pair of fifth-place results in 2010 and 2011.
He holds a Level 2 coaching certification from USA Track and Field and was also a 2022 selection for the NCAA Division II's Coaches Identity Workshop.
