Photo by: Jeff Sochko/DavidsonPhotos.com
Allden Named Men's Cross Country Coach
9/19/2023 2:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson cross country has announced Andrew Allden as the next head coach of the program. Allden joins the Wildcats after previously serving as the Cross Country coach and assistant track & field coach at South Carolina for ten seasons.
A 30-year veteran of distance coaching, Coach Allden has proven success in both the cross country and the track & field realm. Allden most recently coached Anass Essayi who was the SEC's indoor mile and outdoor 1500m champion and also took bronze at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Essay's time of 3:50.46 this past indoor season was the second-fastest mile in NCAA history.
Allden also served as South Carolina's women's cross country coach from 2013-2022 where his student-athletes set 13 of the program's top-20 times in the 6K including the current school record. His 2022 squad also boasted the SEC's top GPA of 3.70, then in 2014, the program recorded the highest team GPA in Division I. In 2015, his team followed that up with the second-highest team GPA in the country at 3.826.
From 2009 through 2013, Allden served as a coaching educator and elite athlete coach for USA Track & Field where he coached numerous world-ranked athletes. He is a USATF Level I and II certified coach as well as a Level I and II endurance instructor. Allden served as the USATF East Coast Coordinator for Level I Coaching Education where he directed more than a dozen coaching schools per year on the eastern seaboard. In 2014, he co-wrote the Endurance portion of the USATF Level I Coaching Manual.
Also adding to his accomplishments with USATF, Allden was the recipient of the Joe Vigil Sport Science Award in 2019 and won the Ron Buss Service Award twice in 2012 and 2021.
Allden earned his bachelor's from Emory University in English and History in 1986 where he helped Emory's cross country team to one of its three NCAA Championship berths during his time there. He also holds a master's degree in sports administration from Georgia.
He has a wife of 25 years, Tara, and a daughter Kathleen.
Allden's Resume:
2013-2022: South Carolina - Assistant Track & Field Coach and Women's Cross Country Coach
2009-2013: USATF - Coaching Educator and Elite Athlete Coach
2004-2009: UNC – Meet Director & Alumni Relations Coordinator for Track & Field
2001-2004: Coastal Carolina – Head Men's Cross Country and Track & Field Coach
1996-2001: South Carolina – Cross Country Coach Assistant Track & Field Coach
1996: The Olympic Games – Director of Grady Stadium Practice Facility
1994-1996: Tulane – Assistant Track and Cross Country Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
1989-1994: UNC – Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach
A 30-year veteran of distance coaching, Coach Allden has proven success in both the cross country and the track & field realm. Allden most recently coached Anass Essayi who was the SEC's indoor mile and outdoor 1500m champion and also took bronze at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Essay's time of 3:50.46 this past indoor season was the second-fastest mile in NCAA history.
Allden also served as South Carolina's women's cross country coach from 2013-2022 where his student-athletes set 13 of the program's top-20 times in the 6K including the current school record. His 2022 squad also boasted the SEC's top GPA of 3.70, then in 2014, the program recorded the highest team GPA in Division I. In 2015, his team followed that up with the second-highest team GPA in the country at 3.826.
From 2009 through 2013, Allden served as a coaching educator and elite athlete coach for USA Track & Field where he coached numerous world-ranked athletes. He is a USATF Level I and II certified coach as well as a Level I and II endurance instructor. Allden served as the USATF East Coast Coordinator for Level I Coaching Education where he directed more than a dozen coaching schools per year on the eastern seaboard. In 2014, he co-wrote the Endurance portion of the USATF Level I Coaching Manual.
Also adding to his accomplishments with USATF, Allden was the recipient of the Joe Vigil Sport Science Award in 2019 and won the Ron Buss Service Award twice in 2012 and 2021.
Allden earned his bachelor's from Emory University in English and History in 1986 where he helped Emory's cross country team to one of its three NCAA Championship berths during his time there. He also holds a master's degree in sports administration from Georgia.
He has a wife of 25 years, Tara, and a daughter Kathleen.
Allden's Resume:
2013-2022: South Carolina - Assistant Track & Field Coach and Women's Cross Country Coach
2009-2013: USATF - Coaching Educator and Elite Athlete Coach
2004-2009: UNC – Meet Director & Alumni Relations Coordinator for Track & Field
2001-2004: Coastal Carolina – Head Men's Cross Country and Track & Field Coach
1996-2001: South Carolina – Cross Country Coach Assistant Track & Field Coach
1996: The Olympic Games – Director of Grady Stadium Practice Facility
1994-1996: Tulane – Assistant Track and Cross Country Coach / Recruiting Coordinator
1989-1994: UNC – Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach
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