The University of Sioux Falls athletic department announced today that Grant Watley has been hired as the head men’s and women’s cross country coach. He will also serve as an assistant track and field coach for the Cougars.
Watley most recently served as a volunteer assistant cross country and track and field coach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 2010-12. During his tenure, Nebraska garnered nine national qualifiers, five all-region performers, four individual conference champions and 35 all-conference selections.
Since 2010, the men’s and women’s Cornhusker squads have finished no worse than runner-up in conference championships at each of the last five meets and captured conference titles in 2011 (Big 12) and 2012 (Big 10).
Watley served as a volunteer intern with the Cornhuskers in the spring of 2009, when he assisted with the day-to-day operations and administration at home meets.
“We are extremely happy with Grant’s hire,” said interim Director of Athletics Kevin Hesser. “He has experience at the highest level of collegiate competition and we look forward to the impact he will have on our program.”
In 2006, Watley was at Lincoln Lutheran High School where he coached for five years. He was a member of the coaching staff that guided LLHS to the 2008 boy’s track and field Class C state title. While working with the Warriors’ cross country team in 2007, he became the first coach in school history to take both the men’s and women’s programs to the state meet in the same season.
A product of Lincoln Christian High School, Watley returned to coach the Crusaders in 2005, when he led the boys’ squad to a second-place finish at the state cross country meet.
Watley received a bachelor’s degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and recently completed a master’s degree from the United States Sports Academy.
He is currently pursuing a doctorate of education in sports management from the United States Sports Academy. Watley is also a USA Track and Field Level 1 certified coach and has USTFCCCA Track and Field program management and coaching certification.
Courtesy: Dennis Gamble, USF
