Eastern Michigan Athletics
The Bell Lap: Sue Parks Built a Championship Legacy at Eastern Michigan
6/17/2026 3:15:00 PM | Women's XC, Women's Track & Field
Parks spent two decades shaping athletes and a culture that transformed EMU track and field and cross country
Donate to the Parks Fund | Watch the Complete Interview
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The trophies, banners, and accolades followed naturally. Twenty-six Mid-American Conference championships. Twenty-four MAC Coach of the Year honors. Top-10 national finishes. NCAA All-Americans. Olympians. Yet numbers only explain part of why Sue Parks became one of the most respected figures in collegiate track and field.
What defined her career at Eastern Michigan University was not simply the winning. It was the culture she built, the people she developed, and the belief she restored in a program that once sat at the bottom of the conference standings before rising to national contender status.
Parks will officially retire at the end of June after 20 years leading Eastern Michigan's women's cross country and track and field programs. She leaves as one of the most accomplished coaches in MAC history and a defining figure in EMU athletics.
For Parks, though, the story started long before championships and national rankings. It started inside Bowen Field House as a young girl following her father through the hallways of the building that became synonymous with Eastern Michigan track and field.
"My dad used to bring us over to Bowen Field House when he was doing work on the weekends or on Sundays," Parks recalled. "We'd run around the track, and I was about 11 years old at that time, and just kind of started being around it."
Her father, Bob Parks, remains the most decorated coach in Eastern Michigan Athletics history. His teams captured 31 MAC titles, won six NAIA and NCAA team championships, and built a national reputation that transformed EMU into a powerhouse in distance running and track and field.
As a child, Sue Parks did not fully understand what her father represented in the sport. To her, he was simply dad.
"I don't think I recognized it as much until I got older," she said. "It was just kind of like he was my dad."
Over time, the perspective changed. She began to recognize the significance of the program her father built and the standards that surrounded it.
"I think later on I realized really what a legend he was and the kind of program he had built here," Parks said. "I don't know if anybody can ever have a record as he had here at Eastern. It's just kind of amazing."
The Parks Family became woven into the identity of EMU athletics. While Bob Parks built championship teams, Sue's mother, Pat, provided stability behind the scenes, balancing family life while supporting the demanding lifestyle that came with coaching.
"She was a great supporter of my dad," Parks said. "She really respected what he did and was really his biggest fan."
The values established inside the Parks household became foundational to Sue Parks' coaching philosophy years later. Discipline mattered. Loyalty mattered. Hard work mattered. Most importantly, relationships mattered.
Those roots eventually brought Parks back to Eastern Michigan as a student-athlete after a brief stop at Michigan State University. Although coaching was not initially part of her long-term plan, the sport continued to pull her closer.
Parks earned degrees in English and journalism and originally envisioned a career in media relations or sports writing. During her final year of eligibility, however, she spent time coaching at Ann Arbor Huron High School while continuing to train independently. The experience changed everything.
"I got a taste of coaching right off the bat," she said. "Found out I was pretty decent at it and enjoyed it."
That realization launched a coaching career that eventually took Parks to Michigan State, the University of Michigan, the University of Arizona, Ball State University, and finally back home to Eastern Michigan.
Her first head coaching opportunity came at Ball State, where she inherited a program searching for direction and consistency. Parks quickly discovered that talent alone was not enough to build a championship culture.
"We had some really talented athletes," she said. "They just needed some direction."
The transformation centered on accountability and belief. Athletes learned how to compete harder, prepare smarter, and trust one another in pressure moments.
"We taught them how to work hard," Parks explained. "How to compete hard. They really responded and worked hard and competed hard for each other."
Success followed quickly. Under Parks, Ball State captured eight MAC championships and established itself as one of the conference's strongest women's programs. The experience also prepared her for the challenge that awaited when Eastern Michigan called in 2006.
Returning to her alma mater carried emotional weight, but the decision was far from simple. Ball State had stability and momentum. Eastern Michigan faced uncertainty after years of coaching turnover.
"It's easier when you're at the top than starting at the bottom and working your way up," Parks admitted.
Still, the timing felt right. Her family remained rooted in Ypsilanti. Her parents were aging. The opportunity to return home and rebuild the program where her own story began became impossible to ignore.
What Parks inherited at EMU was far from championship caliber. The roster lacked depth. The culture needed rebuilding. Results reflected the instability. In her first MAC Indoor Championships as head coach, Eastern Michigan scored only seven points and finished last.
"We were dead last," Parks said plainly.
The outdoor season produced similar struggles, and the weight of the rebuild became overwhelming at times. During one difficult moment, Parks questioned whether she was capable of turning the program around.
"I remember saying to my dad, 'I don't know if I can do this.'"
Bob Parks responded with words that stayed with his daughter throughout the rebuild.
"He said, 'If you can't do it, I don't think anybody can.'"
That belief mattered because the early years demanded patience. Parks and her staff rebuilt piece by piece, recruiting athletes who fit the culture they envisioned and developing athletes whom others overlooked. The process required persistence and trust long before the championships arrived.
"We just kept trying to put pieces together," Parks said. "Get a little better every year."
Five years later, Eastern Michigan completed one of the most impressive turnarounds in conference history. The Eagles captured the 2011 MAC Indoor Track and Field Championship after climbing from last place to first.
For Parks, the title represented validation for years of difficult work and belief.
"I just remember thinking the journey was so worth it," she said. "Starting out from last and going to first and getting people to believe that we could actually get there."
That championship became the foundation for sustained success, unlike anything the women's program had previously experienced. Under Parks, Eastern Michigan women's indoor track and field captured MAC titles in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023, and 2024. The Eagles also won the 2016 outdoor conference championship.
Cross country success took longer to build, but when it arrived, it became historic.
Eastern Michigan captured its first women's cross country MAC title in 2015, beginning a run of five consecutive conference championships from 2015 through 2019. Parks remembers those teams not because they were overwhelming favorites, but because they possessed uncommon toughness.
"There were probably a couple of those that maybe we had no business winning on paper," she said. "It was just a group of girls that wanted to win more than anybody else."
That identity reached its peak during the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. Competing against powerhouse national programs, Eastern Michigan finished ninth in the country, one of the greatest accomplishments in school history.
"It was a huge surprise," Parks said. "I think it was a shock to people that Eastern could be a top-10 cross country team."
The conditions matched the Eagles perfectly. Cold temperatures. Wind. Tough racing conditions. Parks believed her athletes thrived because they embraced difficult situations instead of fearing them.
"Our girls were just tough grinders," she said.
The performance elevated Eastern Michigan onto the national stage and reinforced what Parks spent years building. EMU athletes no longer viewed themselves as underdogs. They expected to compete with the nation's best.
That confidence continued across multiple event groups. In 2017, Alsu Bogdanova finished second nationally in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Donald Scott advanced to the Olympic level in the triple jump. Victoria Voronko became another international-level distance runner developed inside the program.
Yet Parks often found equal pride in athletes whose stories never made national headlines. Walk-ons who became conference scorers. Lightly recruited athletes who developed into champions. Student-athletes who grew into leaders.
"Those are a lot of things I'll remember the most," she said.
The consistency of the program also reflected the culture Parks established among her coaching staffs. Many assistants remained with the program for years before moving on to nationally prominent positions.
"One thing my dad told me was to hire good people and let them do their jobs," Parks said.
The philosophy created loyalty and continuity. Assistants felt trusted. Athletes felt supported. The environment became one where people wanted to stay.
That leadership became even more important in 2020 when Eastern Michigan merged its men's and women's track and field and cross country programs under a single structure. Parks became the Director of Cross Country and Track and Field while overseeing the combined program during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The moment carried historical significance. Decades earlier, her father built EMU's men's dynasty. Now his daughter stood in charge of the entire operation.
"I always had a thought, a goal, of being a director of a combined program," Parks said.
The transition proved difficult during the pandemic, with testing protocols and separate training groups complicating daily operations. Still, Parks embraced the challenge and gradually unified the program.
"It took a few years for us to really get our system down," she said.
The results again followed. Eastern Michigan men's cross country won MAC titles in 2020 and 2021, while the men's indoor track and field program captured conference championships in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Along the way, Parks became the first woman in EMU history to coach a men's conference championship team and only the second female coach in MAC history to accomplish the feat.
For someone who grew up during the earliest years of Title IX, the achievement represented a full-circle moment.
"When I was in high school, we were just getting started with women's teams," Parks said. "For things to have come this far, where women are coaching men and doing it successfully, it's really satisfying to see."
Parks also guided Eastern Michigan through transformative facility upgrades, including renovations to Bowen Field House and the construction of the university's modern outdoor track facility. Throughout her tenure, EMU continued investing in track and field while programs across the country disappeared due to budget reductions.
"I'm really proud of what we've been able to accomplish facility-wise," Parks said.
Even after decades in the profession, Parks never lost sight of what mattered most. The athletes remained central to every decision. The relationships lasted long after graduation. Former athletes continued returning to campus, reconnecting with teammates and coaches who shaped their lives.
As retirement approaches, Parks has been overwhelmed by the number of former athletes reaching out to thank her.
"There were people who came from all over the country," she said while reflecting on a recent Ball State reunion. "Everybody got up and told their stories. It was just incredible to hear."
Messages flooded her phone. Social media posts generated hundreds of comments. Former athletes shared stories about difficult workouts, life lessons, championship memories, and moments when Parks believed in them before they believed in themselves.
"The comments have just been super overwhelming," Parks said. "I just can't thank everybody enough."
Even now, she resists becoming overly emotional about the ending. Her focus remains on the present and the athletes still competing during her final season.
"I try not to think about things in the moment," she admitted.
Retirement comes after 32 years in the Mid-American Conference and nearly four decades spent living the relentless pace of collegiate coaching. The decision stemmed partly from family and partly from the changing landscape of college athletics. Mostly, though, Parks felt the timing was right.
"Coaches never slow down," she said. "Just a chance to slow down a little bit more."
Few who know her believe she will stay away from the sport entirely. Parks plans to remain involved with track and field and hopes to continue supporting Eastern Michigan in some capacity moving forward.
Her legacy, however, is already secure.
Championship banners hang inside Bowen because of her work. NCAA trophies exist because of her leadership. Olympians, All-Americans, and conference champions emerged because she created an environment where athletes believed bigger goals were possible.
More importantly, hundreds of former student-athletes left Eastern Michigan carrying lessons that extended far beyond competition.
They learned resilience. Accountability. Toughness. Confidence. They learned how to handle setbacks and how to trust teammates. They learned how to chase ambitious goals without fear of failure.
That became Sue Parks' greatest contribution to Eastern Michigan athletics.
She did not simply continue a legacy connected to the Parks family name. She built her own.
One rooted in persistence, loyalty, mentorship, and belief.
"I honestly couldn't have asked for anymore," Parks said. "It's just been a great 20 years."
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The trophies, banners, and accolades followed naturally. Twenty-six Mid-American Conference championships. Twenty-four MAC Coach of the Year honors. Top-10 national finishes. NCAA All-Americans. Olympians. Yet numbers only explain part of why Sue Parks became one of the most respected figures in collegiate track and field.
What defined her career at Eastern Michigan University was not simply the winning. It was the culture she built, the people she developed, and the belief she restored in a program that once sat at the bottom of the conference standings before rising to national contender status.
Parks will officially retire at the end of June after 20 years leading Eastern Michigan's women's cross country and track and field programs. She leaves as one of the most accomplished coaches in MAC history and a defining figure in EMU athletics.
For Parks, though, the story started long before championships and national rankings. It started inside Bowen Field House as a young girl following her father through the hallways of the building that became synonymous with Eastern Michigan track and field.
"My dad used to bring us over to Bowen Field House when he was doing work on the weekends or on Sundays," Parks recalled. "We'd run around the track, and I was about 11 years old at that time, and just kind of started being around it."
Her father, Bob Parks, remains the most decorated coach in Eastern Michigan Athletics history. His teams captured 31 MAC titles, won six NAIA and NCAA team championships, and built a national reputation that transformed EMU into a powerhouse in distance running and track and field.
As a child, Sue Parks did not fully understand what her father represented in the sport. To her, he was simply dad.
"I don't think I recognized it as much until I got older," she said. "It was just kind of like he was my dad."
Over time, the perspective changed. She began to recognize the significance of the program her father built and the standards that surrounded it.
"I think later on I realized really what a legend he was and the kind of program he had built here," Parks said. "I don't know if anybody can ever have a record as he had here at Eastern. It's just kind of amazing."
The Parks Family became woven into the identity of EMU athletics. While Bob Parks built championship teams, Sue's mother, Pat, provided stability behind the scenes, balancing family life while supporting the demanding lifestyle that came with coaching.
"She was a great supporter of my dad," Parks said. "She really respected what he did and was really his biggest fan."
The values established inside the Parks household became foundational to Sue Parks' coaching philosophy years later. Discipline mattered. Loyalty mattered. Hard work mattered. Most importantly, relationships mattered.
Those roots eventually brought Parks back to Eastern Michigan as a student-athlete after a brief stop at Michigan State University. Although coaching was not initially part of her long-term plan, the sport continued to pull her closer.
Parks earned degrees in English and journalism and originally envisioned a career in media relations or sports writing. During her final year of eligibility, however, she spent time coaching at Ann Arbor Huron High School while continuing to train independently. The experience changed everything.
"I got a taste of coaching right off the bat," she said. "Found out I was pretty decent at it and enjoyed it."
That realization launched a coaching career that eventually took Parks to Michigan State, the University of Michigan, the University of Arizona, Ball State University, and finally back home to Eastern Michigan.
Her first head coaching opportunity came at Ball State, where she inherited a program searching for direction and consistency. Parks quickly discovered that talent alone was not enough to build a championship culture.
"We had some really talented athletes," she said. "They just needed some direction."
The transformation centered on accountability and belief. Athletes learned how to compete harder, prepare smarter, and trust one another in pressure moments.
"We taught them how to work hard," Parks explained. "How to compete hard. They really responded and worked hard and competed hard for each other."
Success followed quickly. Under Parks, Ball State captured eight MAC championships and established itself as one of the conference's strongest women's programs. The experience also prepared her for the challenge that awaited when Eastern Michigan called in 2006.
Returning to her alma mater carried emotional weight, but the decision was far from simple. Ball State had stability and momentum. Eastern Michigan faced uncertainty after years of coaching turnover.
"It's easier when you're at the top than starting at the bottom and working your way up," Parks admitted.
Still, the timing felt right. Her family remained rooted in Ypsilanti. Her parents were aging. The opportunity to return home and rebuild the program where her own story began became impossible to ignore.
What Parks inherited at EMU was far from championship caliber. The roster lacked depth. The culture needed rebuilding. Results reflected the instability. In her first MAC Indoor Championships as head coach, Eastern Michigan scored only seven points and finished last.
"We were dead last," Parks said plainly.
The outdoor season produced similar struggles, and the weight of the rebuild became overwhelming at times. During one difficult moment, Parks questioned whether she was capable of turning the program around.
"I remember saying to my dad, 'I don't know if I can do this.'"
Bob Parks responded with words that stayed with his daughter throughout the rebuild.
"He said, 'If you can't do it, I don't think anybody can.'"
That belief mattered because the early years demanded patience. Parks and her staff rebuilt piece by piece, recruiting athletes who fit the culture they envisioned and developing athletes whom others overlooked. The process required persistence and trust long before the championships arrived.
"We just kept trying to put pieces together," Parks said. "Get a little better every year."
Five years later, Eastern Michigan completed one of the most impressive turnarounds in conference history. The Eagles captured the 2011 MAC Indoor Track and Field Championship after climbing from last place to first.
For Parks, the title represented validation for years of difficult work and belief.
"I just remember thinking the journey was so worth it," she said. "Starting out from last and going to first and getting people to believe that we could actually get there."
That championship became the foundation for sustained success, unlike anything the women's program had previously experienced. Under Parks, Eastern Michigan women's indoor track and field captured MAC titles in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023, and 2024. The Eagles also won the 2016 outdoor conference championship.
Cross country success took longer to build, but when it arrived, it became historic.
Eastern Michigan captured its first women's cross country MAC title in 2015, beginning a run of five consecutive conference championships from 2015 through 2019. Parks remembers those teams not because they were overwhelming favorites, but because they possessed uncommon toughness.
"There were probably a couple of those that maybe we had no business winning on paper," she said. "It was just a group of girls that wanted to win more than anybody else."
That identity reached its peak during the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. Competing against powerhouse national programs, Eastern Michigan finished ninth in the country, one of the greatest accomplishments in school history.
"It was a huge surprise," Parks said. "I think it was a shock to people that Eastern could be a top-10 cross country team."
The conditions matched the Eagles perfectly. Cold temperatures. Wind. Tough racing conditions. Parks believed her athletes thrived because they embraced difficult situations instead of fearing them.
"Our girls were just tough grinders," she said.
The performance elevated Eastern Michigan onto the national stage and reinforced what Parks spent years building. EMU athletes no longer viewed themselves as underdogs. They expected to compete with the nation's best.
That confidence continued across multiple event groups. In 2017, Alsu Bogdanova finished second nationally in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Donald Scott advanced to the Olympic level in the triple jump. Victoria Voronko became another international-level distance runner developed inside the program.
Yet Parks often found equal pride in athletes whose stories never made national headlines. Walk-ons who became conference scorers. Lightly recruited athletes who developed into champions. Student-athletes who grew into leaders.
"Those are a lot of things I'll remember the most," she said.
The consistency of the program also reflected the culture Parks established among her coaching staffs. Many assistants remained with the program for years before moving on to nationally prominent positions.
"One thing my dad told me was to hire good people and let them do their jobs," Parks said.
The philosophy created loyalty and continuity. Assistants felt trusted. Athletes felt supported. The environment became one where people wanted to stay.
That leadership became even more important in 2020 when Eastern Michigan merged its men's and women's track and field and cross country programs under a single structure. Parks became the Director of Cross Country and Track and Field while overseeing the combined program during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The moment carried historical significance. Decades earlier, her father built EMU's men's dynasty. Now his daughter stood in charge of the entire operation.
"I always had a thought, a goal, of being a director of a combined program," Parks said.
The transition proved difficult during the pandemic, with testing protocols and separate training groups complicating daily operations. Still, Parks embraced the challenge and gradually unified the program.
"It took a few years for us to really get our system down," she said.
The results again followed. Eastern Michigan men's cross country won MAC titles in 2020 and 2021, while the men's indoor track and field program captured conference championships in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Along the way, Parks became the first woman in EMU history to coach a men's conference championship team and only the second female coach in MAC history to accomplish the feat.
For someone who grew up during the earliest years of Title IX, the achievement represented a full-circle moment.
"When I was in high school, we were just getting started with women's teams," Parks said. "For things to have come this far, where women are coaching men and doing it successfully, it's really satisfying to see."
Parks also guided Eastern Michigan through transformative facility upgrades, including renovations to Bowen Field House and the construction of the university's modern outdoor track facility. Throughout her tenure, EMU continued investing in track and field while programs across the country disappeared due to budget reductions.
"I'm really proud of what we've been able to accomplish facility-wise," Parks said.
Even after decades in the profession, Parks never lost sight of what mattered most. The athletes remained central to every decision. The relationships lasted long after graduation. Former athletes continued returning to campus, reconnecting with teammates and coaches who shaped their lives.
As retirement approaches, Parks has been overwhelmed by the number of former athletes reaching out to thank her.
"There were people who came from all over the country," she said while reflecting on a recent Ball State reunion. "Everybody got up and told their stories. It was just incredible to hear."
Messages flooded her phone. Social media posts generated hundreds of comments. Former athletes shared stories about difficult workouts, life lessons, championship memories, and moments when Parks believed in them before they believed in themselves.
"The comments have just been super overwhelming," Parks said. "I just can't thank everybody enough."
Even now, she resists becoming overly emotional about the ending. Her focus remains on the present and the athletes still competing during her final season.
"I try not to think about things in the moment," she admitted.
Retirement comes after 32 years in the Mid-American Conference and nearly four decades spent living the relentless pace of collegiate coaching. The decision stemmed partly from family and partly from the changing landscape of college athletics. Mostly, though, Parks felt the timing was right.
"Coaches never slow down," she said. "Just a chance to slow down a little bit more."
Few who know her believe she will stay away from the sport entirely. Parks plans to remain involved with track and field and hopes to continue supporting Eastern Michigan in some capacity moving forward.
Her legacy, however, is already secure.
Championship banners hang inside Bowen because of her work. NCAA trophies exist because of her leadership. Olympians, All-Americans, and conference champions emerged because she created an environment where athletes believed bigger goals were possible.
More importantly, hundreds of former student-athletes left Eastern Michigan carrying lessons that extended far beyond competition.
They learned resilience. Accountability. Toughness. Confidence. They learned how to handle setbacks and how to trust teammates. They learned how to chase ambitious goals without fear of failure.
That became Sue Parks' greatest contribution to Eastern Michigan athletics.
She did not simply continue a legacy connected to the Parks family name. She built her own.
One rooted in persistence, loyalty, mentorship, and belief.
"I honestly couldn't have asked for anymore," Parks said. "It's just been a great 20 years."
The Bell Lap: Sue Parks Built a Championship Legacy at Eastern Michigan
Wednesday, June 17
2025-26 EMU Athletics In-Review
Tuesday, April 21
Thank You from EMU Cross Country/Track & Field!
Monday, December 01
Giving Tuesday 2025 - EMU Cross Country/Track & Field
Monday, December 01