Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's XC
Goodridge, John
John Goodridge
- Title:
- Head Men's Track/XC Coach
- Email:
- john.goodridge@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.2245
The 2016-17 campaign marks the 16th season for John Goodridge as the head cross country and track & field coach at Eastern Michigan University, and the veteran coach has certainly enjoyed an outstanding coaching career. With EMU’s Mid-American Conference championships in 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,2014, and 2015, Goodridge has also coached conference cross country championship teams in the MAC, Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference.
Since arriving at EMU 16 seasons ago, he has coached two NCAA National Championship top-three individuals including 2001 National Champion Boaz Cheboiywo, six cross country All-Americans, four NCAA Great Lakes Regional Individual Champions, nine American Conference Individual Champions and 49 All-MAC harriers.
2015 marked one of the most successful campaigns for the Eagles, as the team had their best NCAA Regional finish in 13 years. Specifically, the Green and White finished third with a total of 102 points, including an eighth-place finish by Nick Raymond, who also went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The squad, which had three All-Region honorees, claimed their sixth-consecutive MAC title, winning with 26 points. Raymond also captured the individual title after edging out teammate Willy Fink. In total, the team had three harriers earn First Team All-MAC honors and four earn second team honors. Goodridge also captured his tenth Coach of the Year award in the process.
The 2014 campaign was a banner year for Goodridge’s squad, as the Eagles won their fifth consecutive MAC Championship, a feat which had only ever been accomplished one other time in EMU history. The squad tied a MAC record of 23 points, the other team to amass so few points being the 2006 Eagles. Willy Fink was crowned the 2015 MAC Champion, and he delivered a 1-2 jab with Lahsene Bouchikhi in the runner-up spot. Hlynur Andresson and Nick Raymond also earned All-MAC First Team honors, while Warren Witchell was named to the second team. Coach Goodridge was honored as the MAC Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career, and became the winningest coach in MAC history with 10 championships to his program’s credit.
Goodridge was privileged enough to celebrate his birthday with a 2013 MAC Championship and the honor of MAC Coach of the Year, which puts EMU’s head man just one off a tie with legendary head coach Bob Parks with nine distinctions. The Eagles earned their fourth straight and 18th overall title in school history with 42 points, led by seniors Grzegorz Kalinowski and Harry Dixon in third and fifth, respectively, for All-MAC First Team honors. Fink and Witchell garnered Second Team accolades. The Eagles went on to place 10th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional with 295 points.
The 2012 Eagles claimed the program’s third straight conference championship, the 17th overall in school history. Goodridge earned his eighth MAC Coach of the Year award, putting him only one behind of EMU legendary coach, Bob Parks. Terefe Ejigu and Daryl Smith claimed the top two spots at the MAC Championships with Ejigu crossing the finish line first. Both Eagles were named First Team All-MAC while Harry Dixon picked up Second Team All-MAC accolades.
The 2011 season marked the seventh time in Goodridge’s storied career that he would garner the MAC Coach of the Year award. Under Goodridge, the Eagles claimed their second consecutive MAC title, and sixth in the past seven years. , as the Eagles were paced by All-MAC first teamer Terefe Ejigu, and second teamer Daryl Smith.
In 2010, Goodridge’s talented squad made its return atop the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championship podium after the Eagles combined for the field-best 66 points. Sophomore All-MAC and All-Region selection Terefe Ejigu became just the 14th runner in EMU cross country history to take home the individual MAC championship. True freshman Harry Dixon also garndered All-MAC honors, while teammates Ejigu, Matt Hammersmith, Austin Hendrix, and Andrew Pfeiffer were named to the Academic All-MAC Squad,
Despite going into the 2009 season with four straight MAC titles, the Eagles went into the year without a clear No. 1 runner. However, Goodridge’s solid recruiting class and veterans such as Curtis Vollmar and Hammersmith allowed the Eagles to finish second overall at the MAC Championship in Athens, Ohio, where three runners earned all-league accolades. Goodridge also had two runners pick up All-Region honors in Vollmar and then-freshman Ejigu.
In 2008, Goodridge captured his fifth MAC title and EMU’s fourth league championship in-a-row. He was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career and led the Eagles to a seventh place finish at the NCAA Regional for the second straight season.
In 2007, Goodridge’s Eagles had another outstanding season, claiming their third straight MAC Championship title, the school’s 13th overall. Additionally, Josh Perrin won the individual MAC title in a time of 24:33. Five of Goodridge’s athletes were selected to All-MAC teams (Perrin, Josh Karanja, David Brent, Vollmar and Kyle Mena), while three were selected Academic All-MAC (Brent, Karanja and Wade Wines). Karanja earned a spot at the NCAA Championship meet after finishing eighth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship, the best performance by any MAC runner.
The 2006 season was a banner year for Goodridge and his harriers. They repeated as MAC Champions and had the lowest point total ever by an Eagle team at the MAC meet. Six Eagles claimed All-MAC honors while senior Corey Nowitzke was the top finisher at both the MAC Championship and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. He finished 30th overall at the NCAA National Championships and was named an All-American and Academic All- American.
In 2005, EMU captured its 11th MAC Championship title. Nowitzke and Neal Naughton finished second and fifth, respectively. The Eagles went on to place fifth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship to qualify for the NCAA Championship, where they finished 24th, with Nowitzke as the top runner.
In 2002, after finishing second at the MAC Championship, the Eagles redeemed themselves by finishing third at the NCAA Championship, the highest place ever in school history.
In his first season at the helm of the Eastern Michigan men’s cross country program, Goodrige directed the Eagles to a first-place showing at the MAC Championship. Additionally, Boaz Cheboiywo won the individual title at the NCAA Championship, the first ever by an Eastern harrier.
Prior to coming to EMU, Goodridge was the head men’s track and field and cross country coach at Wake Forest University from 1984-99 where he led the Demon Deacons to unparalleled success in the school’s cross country and track and field history. He spent three years, 1979-82, as the head women’s cross country coach and assistant track coach at Michigan State University. He also served as the head United States national coach at the 1985 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, and in 1986 as the head United States coach at the World University Cross Country Championship in Graz, Austria.
At Wake Forest, Goodridge coached the second-most Atlantic Coast Conference championships of all sports in their history, and he coached the first ACC cross country team championship in school history as well as the first individual cross country champion. His 1989 Wake Forest cross country squad achieved the highest finish in that sport’s school history-it was third in the NCAA Championships, an ACC record. His Wake Forest cross country team finished first or second in the ACC for 10 consecutive years, winning four league titles, making seven NCAA appearances, and producing 35 All-ACC performers and four cross country All-Americans. In track, his team turned in the highest finish ever for Wake Forest in the ACC with a runner-up spot and eighth-place NCAA finish.
Goodridge has coached the best cross country teams in school history at Michigan State (women-fourth place NCAA National Championships), Wake Forest University (men-third place NCAA’s and first ever ACC Championship) and now EMU (third place NCAA National Championships). He is one of a small group of active coaches who have coached more than two top-three NCAA team national finishes.
A native of New York City, Goodridge graduated from Long Island University in 1972 and earned his master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1975. During his many years of involvement in coaching cross country, he has been an officer of national organizations, including serving as the vice president of the U.S. Men’s Collegiate Cross Country Coaches Association and a founder of the American Distance Club.
Since arriving at EMU 16 seasons ago, he has coached two NCAA National Championship top-three individuals including 2001 National Champion Boaz Cheboiywo, six cross country All-Americans, four NCAA Great Lakes Regional Individual Champions, nine American Conference Individual Champions and 49 All-MAC harriers.
2015 marked one of the most successful campaigns for the Eagles, as the team had their best NCAA Regional finish in 13 years. Specifically, the Green and White finished third with a total of 102 points, including an eighth-place finish by Nick Raymond, who also went on to qualify for the NCAA Championships. The squad, which had three All-Region honorees, claimed their sixth-consecutive MAC title, winning with 26 points. Raymond also captured the individual title after edging out teammate Willy Fink. In total, the team had three harriers earn First Team All-MAC honors and four earn second team honors. Goodridge also captured his tenth Coach of the Year award in the process.
The 2014 campaign was a banner year for Goodridge’s squad, as the Eagles won their fifth consecutive MAC Championship, a feat which had only ever been accomplished one other time in EMU history. The squad tied a MAC record of 23 points, the other team to amass so few points being the 2006 Eagles. Willy Fink was crowned the 2015 MAC Champion, and he delivered a 1-2 jab with Lahsene Bouchikhi in the runner-up spot. Hlynur Andresson and Nick Raymond also earned All-MAC First Team honors, while Warren Witchell was named to the second team. Coach Goodridge was honored as the MAC Coach of the Year for the ninth time in his career, and became the winningest coach in MAC history with 10 championships to his program’s credit.
Goodridge was privileged enough to celebrate his birthday with a 2013 MAC Championship and the honor of MAC Coach of the Year, which puts EMU’s head man just one off a tie with legendary head coach Bob Parks with nine distinctions. The Eagles earned their fourth straight and 18th overall title in school history with 42 points, led by seniors Grzegorz Kalinowski and Harry Dixon in third and fifth, respectively, for All-MAC First Team honors. Fink and Witchell garnered Second Team accolades. The Eagles went on to place 10th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional with 295 points.
The 2012 Eagles claimed the program’s third straight conference championship, the 17th overall in school history. Goodridge earned his eighth MAC Coach of the Year award, putting him only one behind of EMU legendary coach, Bob Parks. Terefe Ejigu and Daryl Smith claimed the top two spots at the MAC Championships with Ejigu crossing the finish line first. Both Eagles were named First Team All-MAC while Harry Dixon picked up Second Team All-MAC accolades.
The 2011 season marked the seventh time in Goodridge’s storied career that he would garner the MAC Coach of the Year award. Under Goodridge, the Eagles claimed their second consecutive MAC title, and sixth in the past seven years. , as the Eagles were paced by All-MAC first teamer Terefe Ejigu, and second teamer Daryl Smith.
In 2010, Goodridge’s talented squad made its return atop the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championship podium after the Eagles combined for the field-best 66 points. Sophomore All-MAC and All-Region selection Terefe Ejigu became just the 14th runner in EMU cross country history to take home the individual MAC championship. True freshman Harry Dixon also garndered All-MAC honors, while teammates Ejigu, Matt Hammersmith, Austin Hendrix, and Andrew Pfeiffer were named to the Academic All-MAC Squad,
Despite going into the 2009 season with four straight MAC titles, the Eagles went into the year without a clear No. 1 runner. However, Goodridge’s solid recruiting class and veterans such as Curtis Vollmar and Hammersmith allowed the Eagles to finish second overall at the MAC Championship in Athens, Ohio, where three runners earned all-league accolades. Goodridge also had two runners pick up All-Region honors in Vollmar and then-freshman Ejigu.
In 2008, Goodridge captured his fifth MAC title and EMU’s fourth league championship in-a-row. He was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his career and led the Eagles to a seventh place finish at the NCAA Regional for the second straight season.
In 2007, Goodridge’s Eagles had another outstanding season, claiming their third straight MAC Championship title, the school’s 13th overall. Additionally, Josh Perrin won the individual MAC title in a time of 24:33. Five of Goodridge’s athletes were selected to All-MAC teams (Perrin, Josh Karanja, David Brent, Vollmar and Kyle Mena), while three were selected Academic All-MAC (Brent, Karanja and Wade Wines). Karanja earned a spot at the NCAA Championship meet after finishing eighth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship, the best performance by any MAC runner.
The 2006 season was a banner year for Goodridge and his harriers. They repeated as MAC Champions and had the lowest point total ever by an Eagle team at the MAC meet. Six Eagles claimed All-MAC honors while senior Corey Nowitzke was the top finisher at both the MAC Championship and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. He finished 30th overall at the NCAA National Championships and was named an All-American and Academic All- American.
In 2005, EMU captured its 11th MAC Championship title. Nowitzke and Neal Naughton finished second and fifth, respectively. The Eagles went on to place fifth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship to qualify for the NCAA Championship, where they finished 24th, with Nowitzke as the top runner.
In 2002, after finishing second at the MAC Championship, the Eagles redeemed themselves by finishing third at the NCAA Championship, the highest place ever in school history.
In his first season at the helm of the Eastern Michigan men’s cross country program, Goodrige directed the Eagles to a first-place showing at the MAC Championship. Additionally, Boaz Cheboiywo won the individual title at the NCAA Championship, the first ever by an Eastern harrier.
Prior to coming to EMU, Goodridge was the head men’s track and field and cross country coach at Wake Forest University from 1984-99 where he led the Demon Deacons to unparalleled success in the school’s cross country and track and field history. He spent three years, 1979-82, as the head women’s cross country coach and assistant track coach at Michigan State University. He also served as the head United States national coach at the 1985 IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, and in 1986 as the head United States coach at the World University Cross Country Championship in Graz, Austria.
At Wake Forest, Goodridge coached the second-most Atlantic Coast Conference championships of all sports in their history, and he coached the first ACC cross country team championship in school history as well as the first individual cross country champion. His 1989 Wake Forest cross country squad achieved the highest finish in that sport’s school history-it was third in the NCAA Championships, an ACC record. His Wake Forest cross country team finished first or second in the ACC for 10 consecutive years, winning four league titles, making seven NCAA appearances, and producing 35 All-ACC performers and four cross country All-Americans. In track, his team turned in the highest finish ever for Wake Forest in the ACC with a runner-up spot and eighth-place NCAA finish.
Goodridge has coached the best cross country teams in school history at Michigan State (women-fourth place NCAA National Championships), Wake Forest University (men-third place NCAA’s and first ever ACC Championship) and now EMU (third place NCAA National Championships). He is one of a small group of active coaches who have coached more than two top-three NCAA team national finishes.
A native of New York City, Goodridge graduated from Long Island University in 1972 and earned his master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1975. During his many years of involvement in coaching cross country, he has been an officer of national organizations, including serving as the vice president of the U.S. Men’s Collegiate Cross Country Coaches Association and a founder of the American Distance Club.
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