Demorest, GA – Piedmont College Director of Intercollegiate Athletics John Dzik has announced the hiring of Jeff Jenkins as the new Head Coach of Track & Field and Cross Country after the conclusion of a national search to fill the position.  Jenkins takes over the Lion and Lady Lion programs after former Head Coach Charlie Patterson retired from the post earlier this academic year.
 
"We are very excited to add Jeff Jenkins to our coaching staff at Piedmont," said Dzik of the latest addition to the Piedmont Athletic Department. "He has the background of experience that we were looking for to oversee our cross country and track programs. This experience, coupled with his high energy and enthusiasm for running make him a perfect fit for our program."
 
Jenkins comes to Piedmont after a two-year stint with Troy University in Alabama where he served as the Head Cross Country Coach and an Assistant Coach for the Division I institution's Track and Field program as well.  In just his first season with the Trojans, both his men's and women's cross country teams climbed two spots from their finish in the previous season at the Sun Belt Championships.
 
Jenkins also saw a runner named Sun Belt Conference Runner of the Week on both the men's and women's side while helping men's runner Enock Kirui to All-Conference honors in 2012.  Additionally, Jenkins also gained valuable program management experience while working with the Trojans as he was the Meet Director for five home cross country meets including the Sun Belt Championships and also directed the Troy Trojans Summer Distance Running Camp. 
 
Establishing himself as one of the Trojans' brightest rising stars amongst the coaching ranks, Jenkins guided 11 student-athletes to top-10 all-time marks in the program's history including a number two mark in both the women's indoor 5000m and 3000m.  Jenkins also mentored the school's new record holder in the women's 3000m steeplechase when Julia Ostendorf placed 5th at the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Championship held in May.  Ostendorf's time of 10:51.18 was not only a new lifetime-best, but is also the best time of any Trojan ever to compete in the event.
 
Jenkins' success should come as no surprise though given the young coach's uncanny ability to recruit as he put together the best recruiting class in the history of the women's cross country program at Troy during just two years with the Trojans.  Working with programs consisting of better than 30 student-athletes at Troy in both the cross country and track & field programs on both the men's and women's sides, Jenkins demonstrated the ability to properly manage his squads both on the track and course as well as in the classroom with his women's team earning USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors in 2012, one of just two Alabama-based programs to take the honor in that season.
 
Prior to joining the Trojans, Jenkins spent his time as a coaching intern across the state at Auburn University during the spring of 2013.  During his time with the Tigers, Jenkins assisted with home meet preparation and management, compiled recruiting analysis portfolios, and created performance and training analysis portfolios. 
 
A native of Alabama, Jenkins earned his coaching start in his home state at the high school ranks while still running himself in college as he was the Head Track & Field Coach at Prattville Christian Academy from 2008-2011.  Jenkins mentored eight AISA State Champions during that time period with his athletes breaking 34 school records as he also saw one of his Panthers earn JV State Champion Individual MVP honors.
 
Also spending his time as an assistant coach with the cross country program at Prattville Christian, Jenkins helped guide the girls cross country team to a state championship in 2010 after finishing the 2009 season as the AISA runner-up.  It was during his time with the Panthers when Jenkins began his meet management career serving as the Meet Director for the "Purple & Black Challenge" hosted by PCA. 
 
In the summers of 2008, 2009, and 2010, Jenkins worked as an assistant coach with the Auburn Track Club Cross Country helping his teams to USATF Junior Olympic Regional championships and also National Team Qualifiers.  The coach mentored four USATF All-Region Cross Country honorees during his time with the Alabama-based club, another coaching stint that came during Jenkins' time as a student-athlete in the collegiate ranks.
 
"I'm very excited to come back to my Division III roots," said Jenkins of the move to the Green and Gold.  "Piedmont, as a whole, reminds me of why I grew so passionate about the sport years ago. The college feels like home and the people feel like family."
 
No stranger to the world of Division III athletics, Jenkins himself ran his collegiate days at fellow USA South member Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama competing for four successful years with the Hawks.  The runner helped his squad to three Great South Athletic Conference Championships in his four years and was named an All-Conference selection in each year he suited up for the program. 
 
With his leadership recognized early in his athletic career being named team captain for the Hawks, Jenkins had great individual success as a Division III student-athlete taking the GSAC Runner of the Year honor in 2011 after earning the individual championship with a time of 28:57.69 on the 8K course.  Recognized as an All-Freshman selection in 2008, Jenkins never finished worse than 6th individually at the GSAC Championships splashing on to the scene as a rookie with a top 5 finish that helped Huntingdon win its first-ever conference title in men's cross country.
 
Jenkins has completed his Level II Coaching from the USATF in Endurance and is in the process of completing his Level III Coaching set to finish in August of 2014.  The new leader of the Piedmont cross country programs is also IAAF Level V Coaching in Endurance as well.    
 
With multiple certifications to his name, Jenkins has been honored as a guest speaker with the Huntsville Track Club's "Running in College" Seminar and attended multiple coaching education events like the 2011 Nike Super Distance Summit in Charlotte, the 2011 USOC International Altitude Training Seminar in Colorado Springs, and the USATF/IAAF Endurance Academy in Chula Vista. 
 
"With the resources available at Piedmont, I believe that this program can consistently finish in the top of the USA South," said Jenkins when asked of what he expects upon taking the helm.  "Success in this sport begins with relentless recruiting and thrives with long term, aerobic development of the student-athletes."
 
Having earned a Bachelor of Science in Coaching Education from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama (May 2012), Jenkins recently completed his graduate work obtaining his Master of Science in the field of Sport and Fitness Management from Troy University.  During his days at Huntingdon, Jenkins excelled academically competing as a Division III student-athlete with the Hawks earning Dean's List of High Honors while wearing the Scarlet and Grey.