The Benedictine University Athletic Department is pleased to announce the hiring of the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country. Benedictine will be led by Kevin Paterson, who brings a plethora of experience to the track and field program.
 
"We are excited with the addition of Kevin to the Benedictine family," said Director of Athletics Mark McHorney. "Kevin's ability to clearly articulate his vision for the program was amazing. The commitment to recruit student-athletes who fit the University, dedication to develop our students as leaders and concern for our student-athletes well-being set Kevin apart."
 
Paterson comes to Benedictine after leading both the track and field and cross country programs at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting, Indiana since the summer of 2012. There, he increased the roster size of the programs from five to 77 student-athletes, leading to the development of the most successful track and field and cross country programs in school history on both the men's and women's side and a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Coach of the Year honor in 2014.
 
His student-athletes hold 36 different school records, have tallied six conference runner-ups at the CCAC finals, and won a conference championship in the men's high jump this past year. In addition, his teams earned NAIA All-Academic honors twice (men's cross country in 2013 and 2014).
 
Since ending his decorated athletic career at Calumet College of St. Joseph in 2009 (where he set eight school records) Paterson has compiled an impressive resume. Before leading the Crimson Wave, Paterson served as Associate Head Coach of cross country and Head of Recruiting of track and field at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. At Bacone, his men's cross country team placed second in conference while earning NAIA All-Academic Team honors, both firsts in school history.
 
Prior to Bacone, Paterson served as an Assistant Coach for cross country and track and field at Indiana Tech for the 2010-2011 school year, helping the Warriors win indoor and outdoor conference titles for women's track and field, as well as placing second for men's track and field, men's cross country, and women's cross country. In that year alone, Indiana Tech possessed nine All-Americans, five national qualifiers, nine All-Conference student-athletes, and six Academic-All Conference players.
 
Paterson has also done some volunteer work in coaching, helping out at Division I University of Illinois in 2012 and at School City of Hobart in Hobart, Indiana from 2004-2010. Away from athletics, Paterson also served as a Campus Blood Donation Coordinator at Calumet College of St. Joseph for the American Red Cross, as well as serving as Founder and President of a community-based charity: Art for Autism.
 
"It's truly an honor to be named the next Director of Track and Field/Cross Country at Benedictine University," said Paterson. "I want to thank Director of Athletics, Mark McHorney, for giving me the opportunity to lead the men and women on the Eagles track and field team."
 
Paterson will take over a program that reached new heights under James Kluckhohn, winning consecutive men's outdoor championship in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in 2012 and 2013 and leading a women's team that showed vast improvement each outdoor season (placed second in 2014).  In both 2013 and 2014, two different student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, with Billy Sipek earning All-American honors last season.
 
"I feel very confident that we will be in the upper echelon of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and the NCAA III in the near future," added Paterson. I can't wait to get started and become part of the great BenU tradition."
 
The 2015 season for the track and field program begins on January 16, as the men's and women's teams compete at Carthage College in the Private College Invite.