Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's XC
- Title:
- Head Women's Track/XC Coach
- Email:
- sparks6@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.0262
The 2016 campaign marks the 11th season for Sue Parks as Head Coach of the Eastern Michigan University women’s cross country program.
2015 was a banner season for the Eagles, as the Green and White captured their first-ever Mid-American Conference title in program history. The squad, which finished with a total of 55 points, placed three harriers within the top-six. Leading the way was Alsu Bogdanova, who captured the individual MAC title after clocking in at 20:39.26. Eastern finished the conference championships with three First Team All-MAC honorees, while Parks was also named MAC Coach of the Year. The team also continued to improve at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, finishing sixth after placing eighth in 2014. Bogdanova tallied another strong performance, coming in ninth and narrowly missing a berth to the NCAA Championships.
Under her tenure, the Eagles have shown vast improvements since she began her career at the helm in 2006. In 2007, the Eagles finished 11th (286 points) at the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships. Just three seasons later, the Green and White improved to a sixth place finish (157 points) in 2009, and eventually improved with back-to-back-to-back fifth place finishes in 2010 (157 points), 2011 (89 points) and 2012 (144 points).
Prior to EMU, Parks enjoyed tremendous success during her 12-year tenure at Ball State, winning eight Mid-American Conference titles and finishing runner-up 10 times in track and cross country. She was named MAC Women’s Coach of the Year five times: In indoor and outdoor track three times, in 1996, 1998, 2001; in outdoor track once, 2000; and in cross country once, in 2003. In addition, she was selected as an NCAA Regional Coach of the Year in indoor and outdoor track in 1998. Her 2002 cross country team became just the third MAC team to ever qualify for the NCAA Championship when it accomplished that feat in 2002.
From 1990-94 she was an assistant cross country and track coach for both the men’s and women’s programs at the University of Arizona. Her UA women’s cross country squads placed 11th, 14th, and 12th in the NCAA Championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993 respectively and her 1993 cross country team won the NCAA District 8 championship. She was named NCAA District 8 Coach of the Year after the 1993 cross country season. During her tenure at Arizona she coached seven All-Americans in women’s cross country and track, including the 1994 5,000-meter champion in the NCAA indoor track championship.
Prior to heading to Arizona, Parks was the head women’s cross country coach and assistant women’s track coach at Michigan State University from 1988-90. She was graduate assistant coach for the EMU men’s track team from 1987-88.
From 1984-87 she was the women’s head cross country coach and women’s assistant track coach at the University of Michigan she coached eight All-Americans in cross country and was selected as Big Ten women’s cross country Coach of the Year in 1986. Her other coaching stints included serving as the head women’s track coach at Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard in 1982 and the head women’s cross country coach at Ann Arbor Huron High School from 1979-83.
Parks is certainly no stranger to EMU and the Ypsilanti area. She was raised in Ypsilanti and attended Ypsilanti High School where she was an outstanding cross country and track competitor. She was a state of Michigan high school champion and former record holder in the 800 meters and also competed on U.S. teams in the Pan American Games.
Parks went on to graduate from EMU with a bachelor’s degree in 1980 and a master’s degree in 1988. While an undergraduate, Parks was a Mid-American Conference cross country invitational champion in 1976, 1977 and 1978 and was also an Olympic Trials qualifier. She was elected to the EMU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. Her father, Bob Parks, was the head men’s track and field and head men’s cross country coach at EMU for 34 years, from 1967-2000.
