Jeff Stiles
Head Coach, Cross Country/Track & Field
stiles@wustl.edu
(314) 935-7307
Jeff Stiles has been the Washington University in St. Louis men's and women's head cross country coach for the past 10 seasons and he is entering his fourth as the head coach of the Bears' men's and women's track and field programs.
With Stiles at the helm the Washington University men's and women's cross country and track and field teams saw their success reach new heights in 2010-11. Washington University swept the University Athletic Association (UAA) men's and women's cross country titles, while the women's team went on to finish as the national runner-up at the NCAA Division III Championships with the men finishing ninth. It marked the second year in a row the Bears placed both teams in the top-10 at the NCAA Championships.
The men's track and field team swept the UAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships and finished a program-best eighth at the NCAA Indoor Championships and fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. As a result Washington University finished second in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Al Carius NCAA Division III Program of the Year standings. Stiles garnered UAA men's and women's cross country and men's indoor and outdoor track & field Coach of the Year honors.
The 2008-09 academic year marked Stiles' first as the head cross country and track & field coach. The Washington University women's track and field team won the UAA Championship, and the men's and women's squads each captured the team title at the conference's outdoor meet. The WU women went on to place fifth at the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships, marking the highest finish at the NCAA Outdoor meet in school history.
Both the Washington U. men's and women's cross country squads placed in the top-10 at the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships, marking the first time in school history both teams accomplished the feat. The WU men placed seventh and the women's team came in 10th, also winning the UAA title, the 10th in school history.
The women's team captured the UAA title, won the first Midwest Regional Championship in school history and finished a program-best fourth place at the NCAA Championships in 2002. In 2001, the men's squad captured its third-consecutive UAA championship while the women placed third. In 2003, Stiles led the Bears men's and women's cross country squads to the UAA Championship, marking the first time in school history that both teams won the conference title the same year.
Stiles mentored the WU women to third place in the NCAA in 2004. Besides their NCAA success, the women also won the UAA title for the third-straight year, while senior Maggie Grabow notched her second-straight individual 6K title. On the men's side, WU finished second at the conference meet, and junior Greg Reindl individually qualified for the NCAA Championships. The 2005 season brought another third-place NCAA finish for the women's cross country team and the Bears' fourth-straight UAA championship.
In 2006, the women, who won their second-straight Midwest Region title, placed fourth at nationals for their fourth top-four finish in five seasons. Meanwhile, the men continued their ascent in Division III, qualifying for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1997 and fourth time overall. For the team's efforts, Stiles was named the Midwest Region Men's Coach of the Year.
In 2007, the women's team finished third in the NCAA Championship meet for the third time in school history, and won its ninth UAA title. Although the third-place finish at the national championship meet tied an all-time best, WU did set a new school record with three runners earning All-America honors: Seniors Tricia Frisella, Tyler Mulkin and Kate Pentak.
Stiles, a 1999 graduate of North Central College in Naperville, Ill., came to Washington U. from Southwest Missouri State University where he served as the assistant cross country and track and field coach for two years. During his two seasons, the women's track and field squad captured a third-consecutive indoor conference championship and its first outdoor conference title.
Prior to his work at Southwest Missouri State, Stiles put together a remarkable career during his four years at North Central. A member of both the cross country and track and field teams, he qualified for eight NCAA Championship meets and earned All-America honors six times. Stiles also captained the 1997 cross country squad and the 1998 outdoor track and field team to national championships. He excelled in the classroom as well, earning Academic All-America honors three times, while being named to the Dean's List on five occasions.
Stiles graduated from North Central in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and earned his master's degree in secondary education from Southwest Missouri State in August 2001.