Longtime cross country coach joins Cougars athletic department

Longtime cross country coach joins Cougars athletic department

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Schultz brings over 30 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 23 in the Dubuque area.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) athletics announced the hiring of their cross country coach recently. Former Loras College coach Bob Schultz will lead the Cougars men's and women's cross country teams starting in fall 2025.

Running has been a part of Schultz's life since high school, and he has seen success at every stop along the way. Between being a state champion in high school, running collegiately at the DII level and becoming a national championship-winning coach at Loras, he knows what it takes to elevate athletes to the next level and achieve greatness.

Schultz brings over 30 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 23 in the Dubuque area.

"I knew in high school that I wanted to be a cross country coach," Schultz said. "I didn't decide to be a college coach until I was in college myself. The position is intriguing to me because it is brand new. I love the idea of building a program from nothing and creating a lot of firsts. I also like that NICC is right here in my backyard."

Having recently retired from Loras earlier this year, Schultz knew he wanted to chase this opportunity when it opened. One of his former runners had informed him of the position.

This is not the first time Schultz will be building a program from scratch. While coaching at his hometown school of Elmhurst College (now Elmhurst University), he inherited a program that was down at the time. He was able to turn the tide on the program and give it a heartbeat it hadn't seen in years.

"I believe I can help the team the most by establishing a culture of character and success," he said. "I want to set the standard of greatness at the beginning and pursue that on a daily basis."

"I feel very fortunate that we have added someone with Bob's experience to our athletic department staff," Athletic Director Nick Weinmeister said. "His knowledge of the sport, recruiting experience and extensive network in collegiate coaching will be invaluable in getting the cross country program built and maintained for NICC."

Schultz added that he is thrilled about the opportunity to start up a cross country program at NICC and begin competition in fall 2025. To stay up-to-date on NICC Cougar Athletics, visit nicc.edu/athletics.

Tags: athletics