Mark Rinker - Men's Track & Field Coach - Eastern Michigan University Athletics

Mark Rinker

Title:
Assistant Coach (Middle Distance and Distance)
Email:
mrinker@emich.edu

The 2024-25 season will be Mark Rinker’s fifth as an assistant coach and fourth as the head men’s cross country coach at Eastern Michigan University.

The 2023 cross country season saw the Eagles finish fifth as senior harrier Marcus Kemp earned a first-team all-conference nod after he finished seventh at the MAC Championships, running the 8K in 24:29.9. Rinker also led three Eagles to their first respective Academic All-MAC selections in Sam Peterson, Grant Sweningson, and Kian Wiles. Furthermore, the men’s squad earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors as the team posted a cumulative fall GPA of 3.421.

In the 2023-24 indoor track season, Rinker guided Ronnie Brandal to a Second Team All-MAC selection as he took second at the conference meet in the 800m run in 1:53.56. In the classroom, six of Rinker’s distance runners earned MAC Academic honors.

His distance team saw an individual championship in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2024 MAC Outdoor Championships from Linus Vennemann in 9:01.26, while Marcus Kemp and Ronnie Brandal each qualified for the NCAA East Prelims in Lexington, Ky. Kemp ran in the 1,500m, finishing 42nd in 3:48.95, after he set the fourth-best time in program history in the event (3:40.92). Brandal competed in the 800m in 47th in 1:54.30, on the heels of clocking Eastern’s 10th-fastest time (1:48.47).

The 2022-23 track and field seasons were historic for Rinker’s distance runners. Baldvin Magnusson's outstanding 30-point, three-title performance garnered him the 2023 MAC Men's Most Valuable Performer award for the second year in a row. The MVP trophy was the 22nd earned by an Eastern man since 1996 with 18 different Eagles earning the award. Magnusson was the first multiple-time recipient from Eastern since Willy Fink earned the honor in 2015 and 2017. He also was the first Eastern man to win the award in consecutive indoor meets since Terefe Ejigu earned the accolade in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Apart from Magnusson’s outstanding performance at the 2023 MAC Indoor Championships, then-freshman Carson McCoy placed first in the 800m with a time of 1:51.97, Toby Gualter followed up Magnusson in the mile, finishing second in 4:17.33.

Eastern’s success in the distance events carried over into the outdoor season. The Green and White men triumphed in the 800m and 1,500m, with Marcus Kemp earning gold in the 800 in 1:51.20 while Magnusson finished first in the 1,500m in 3:46.24. Magnusson would go on to place second in the 10,000m (30:03.54) and Gualter took second in the 5,000m (14:11.27) with Ronnie Brandal finished third in the 800m in 1:51.49.

Rinker’s second season at the helm of the men’s cross country program proved to be just a fruitful as his first. Former Eagles Magnusson and Gualter each earned top-five finishes at the conference championship meet, with Gualter leading the pack, finishing in second place and Magnusson right behind him in third. Both EMU harriers earned All-MAC First-Team designation for the second consecutive year and the Eagles place third overall at the conference meet with 79 points, behind foes Miami University and the University of Toledo.

At the NCAA Great lakes Regional meet, Gualter soared yet again as the New Zealand native placed 12th overall, earning his second All-Region selection in his collegiate running career.

Following a strong second season with the men's track and field program, Rinker helped developed the distance runners even further. Magnusson proved to be the best harrier in the conference as the junior won the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m races at the league’s outdoor meet and was dubbed MAC Men’s Most Valuable Performer and Most Outstanding Track Performer. Magnusson also participated in the 5K at the NCAA East Preliminary Round.

Earlier in the season, the Akureyri, Iceland native recorded the second-fastest 5000m time in program history with a 13:32.47 performance at the Bryan Clay Invitational, April 14. With the effort, Magnusson reclaimed Iceland’s outdoor 5K record. That same day, Toby Gualter notched the ninth-fastest 10K time in program history at the Mt. SAC Relays, finishing in 29:24.57.

Magnusson’s 3000m time of 7:47.51 qualified him for the World Athletics Indoor Championships where he advanced to the finals, the first Icelandic male to accomplish the feat indoor or outdoor. The junior dominated at the MAC Indoor Championship, winning the mile, 3000m, and 5000m to help the team capture its second consecutive team title. Magnusson was named MAC Men’s Most Valuable Performer and Most Outstanding Track Performer, while Rinker picked up the Assistant Coach of the Year award for the second year in a row. Two weeks prior, Magnusson set the school’s 3000m record at the David Hemery Valentine Invite, Feb. 12, with a time of 7:47.51. This performance came after Magnusson won the mile at the historic Meyo Invitational, clocking in at 3:58.08 to become the sixth Eagle to go under four minutes.

In his first cross country season at EMU, Rinker developed the Eagles into one of the best teams in region. The team won its 15th Mid-American Conference title in the last 17 years, while Baldvin Magnusson became EMU’s first individual champion since Hlynur Andresson did so in 2017. Eight Eagles finished in the top 20, with Magnusson, Toby Gualter (third), and Josh Hill (fifth) earning All-MAC First Team honors as Rinker was named MAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. At the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Magnusson (18th) and Gualter (19th) earned all-region distinction for the first time in their careers, as the team finished seventh overall. Magnusson’s performance qualified him for the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Fla.

In the offseason, Magnusson earned a bronze medal in the 5000m at the U23 European Championships, becoming the first Icelandic male to medal in the history of the competition, registering a then-Iceland national record of 13:45.00.

In his first track season in Ypsilanti, Rinker saw his distance runners achieve phenomenal success. In the outdoor season, Magnusson produce a 13:45.66 time in the 5000m at the Raleigh Relays, good for fourth in the EMU record book. The junior went on to win the 5K race at the MAC meet as he and Devaney punched their tickets to the NCAA East Regional Championships for the first time in their careers.

During the indoor season, Magnusson dominated the conference by winning the mile (4:09.23), 3,000m (8:08.49), and distance medley relay (10:00.10) at. Meanwhile, Chris Devaney, Toby Gualter, and Andy Payne swept the podium as Devaney earned the gold with a career-high 14:17.81, a meet record. For his leadership, Rinker received the MAC Men’s Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year award. Magnusson wrapped up the indoor season at the NCAA Indoor Championships where he participated in the 3000m race. The Akureyri, Iceland native finished seventh at the national meet with a time of 7:53.72 to earn First Team All-America status.

Prior to his arrival in Ypsilanti, Rinker was a volunteer assistant coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a focus on cross country and distance events. While at UNC, he was also tasked with recruiting alongside Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Chris Miltenberg.

Rinker successfully created a comprehensive recruiting database for the entire track and field program at UNC, as well as created innovative recruiting content for the Tar Heels’. The 2020 women’s cross country recruiting class was ranked as one of MileSplit’s top distance classes of the year. In 2019, North Carolina saw its highest combined team finishes at the Atlantic Coast (CAA) Cross Country Championships in the last decade. The women’s team finished fifth at the conference meet, the best program finish since 2015. The program also had five NCAA indoor qualifiers in 2020.

Before his stint in Chapel Hill, Rinker spent two years at Louisiana State University as an assistant coach for cross country and track and field. In Baton Rouge, he oversaw the men’s and women’s cross country and middle distance and distance programs. During his time at LSU, he helped recruit the highest-ranked distance recruiting class in school history.

Under his tutelage of the middle distance and distance groups, Rinker helped generate 10 All-Southeastern Conference performers and helped guide 10 student-athletes to top-10 marks in the school’s record book. The men’s track and field team also won the SEC outdoor championship in 2019, the first men’s outdoor conference title since 1990. On the national stage, the middle distance group produced four NCAA championship participants and three NCAA All-Americans. In 2019, LSU was the only program to feature two qualifiers in the 800m at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships. Both track teams saw incredible success throughout 2019 as the men placed third at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while the women placed third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Prior to his time in Louisiana, Rinker was a member of Northeastern University’s cross country and track and field coaching staff. As a recruiting coordinator/assistant coach, he was pivotal to the Huskies’ success from 2014-2017. After three years in Boston, Rinker helped push student-athletes to achieve 25 top-10 performances in school history.

In 2016, the men’s cross country team was victorious at the New England Championships and the IC4A Championships, the former being the Huskies’ first New England title in 44 years. Both track and field teams dominated the competition during Rinker’s tenure at Northeastern. The men’s team won three-straight Costal Athletic Association Conference Championships (CAA) from 2015-17 and won the Indoor New England Championships in 2015 and 2017. On the women’s side, Northeastern won three-consecutive Indoor New England Championships (2015-2017) and captured two Outdoor New England Championships (2015 and 2017).

One of Rinker’s pupils, Paul Duffey, received Second Team All-American honors in 2015 for his prowess in the indoor 800m. Duffey also achieved an indoor sub-four-minute mile in 2017 with an incredible 3:59.3 time.

Before entering the world of collegiate athletics, Rinker served as the vice president of North America for ORRECO Limited. As VP, Rinker oversaw the expansion of ORRECO into North American professional sports markets. From 2008-13, Rinker worked directly with the head coach of Oregon Track Club Elite (OTCE) to coach 25 professional Nike sponsored athletes in national and international competitions. Additionally, he directly oversaw the strength and conditioning programs of the distance runners on the team.

While serving as the Assistant Coach for OTCE, Rinker also managed all aspects of the team’s budget and coordinated all travel and competition schedules across the world for the team. Furthermore, Rinker managed events such as two Altitude camps and a European camp each year. Operationally, he also directed high performance meets in the TrackTown Last Chance series in 2009, 2010, and 2012, as well as the TrackTown Elite Coach Clinics in 2010 and 2011. During his time at OTCE, the team had 11 Olympians, including one gold medalist and one silver medalist. The club also featured 18 competitors at the World Championships including one gold medalist and two silver medalists.

Rinker received his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and minored in Business and Coaching at James Madison University in 2008, where he was a three-time letter winner for the Dukes as a distance runner on the cross country and track and field teams. Rinker received his Strength and Conditioning Certification from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in 2017.

The Mark Rinker File
Name:	Mark Rinker
Hometown:	Brevard, N.C.
College:	James Madison - Bachelor's in Kinesiology, minor in Business and coaching - 2008
Professional Experience
Year	School/Team	Position
2021-Pres.	Eastern Michigan University	Men's Head Cross Country Coach, Assistant Track & Field Coach
2019-2020	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Volunteer Assistant Cross Country and Track & Field Coach
2017-2019	Louisiana State University	Assistant Coach of Cross Country and Track & Field Coach
2014-2017	Northeastern University	Assistant Coach of Cross Country/Track & Field and Recruiting Coordinator
2014-2015	ORRECO Limited	Vice President
2013-2014	ORRECO Limited	Account Manager
2008-13	Nike Oregon Track Club Elite	Assistant Coach