Head Cross Country Coach Austin Whitelaw is entering his third year at Eastern in 2026-27. Whitelaw became head coach of both men’s and women’s cross country programs July 1, 2026, after being at the helm of the men’s program for his first two years. He will also continue to serve as an assistant track and field coach, overseeing the distance athletes.

Most recently in the 2025-26 track & field season, the men’s team earned second place at the 2026 MAC Outdoor Championships with 148.5 points, while the women finished fifth with 75 points. Whitelaw’s distance crew scored 36 points, as Kian Wiles won the men’s 1,500m for the second year in a row in 3:48.30, and Ronan Codyre placed fifth. The 800m saw three Eagles score, with Wiles finishing third, Jimmy Geller taking fourth, and Carson McCoy placing fifth. Sam Peterson finished fifth in the 5,000m and sixth in the 10,000m to contribute seven points.

Also in the outdoor season, Wiles ran the second fastest 1,500m in program history with a time of 3:39.87 at the Wake Forest Invitational, and qualified for the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships First Round.

The distance squad contributed 48 total points to the men’s team’s 98 points to finish third at the 2026 MAC Indoor Championships. Whitelaw had champions in three events, as Wiles earned double gold in the mile (4:07.31) and 800m (1:52.47), and the distance medley relay team of Michael Hawkins, Ty Dailey, Codyre and Geller took the victory in 10:04.50, as well as a scorer in both the 3,000m and 5,000m (Peterson).

The women finished eighth with 40 points, as the distance athletes scored a total of six points in the 800m, with both Sophie Emin (fourth) and Christiana Coleman (eighth) earning podium finishes.

Wiles earned multiple spots in the indoor program record book throughout the season, running the fourth fastest 800m in program history with a time of 1:48.85 at the GVSU Big Meet, and the fifth fastest mile at Eastern, with a time of 3:59.78 at the Meyo Invitational.

The 2025 cross country season saw the men’s team finish sixth at the MAC Championships with 119 points, while the women finishes 10th with 296 points. Wiles earned All-MAC Second Team honors after finishing eighth, running the 8k in 24:33.2.

In his first indoor track campaign as an Eagle, Whitelaw’s men’s distance team garnered 38 points at the MAC Indoor Championships, accounting for roughly 31.5% of the Eagles’ 120 points as they took home individual MAC titles in the mile run (Kian Wiles – 4:11.90) and 800m run (Carson McCoy – 1:52.40) for 20 points. They were supplemented by a second-place showing in the distance medley relay for eight points, a third-place outing in the 800m by Jimmy Geller for six points, and a fifth-place showing in the mile from Lachlan Cornelius, capturing two points. Wiles and Joey Furlong each added one point in the 3000m and 5000m. Individually, McCoy was recognized as the MAC Track Athlete of the Week, Feb. 11, after running a conference-best 800m in 1:50.28, a time that stood 11th in the Great Lakes Region and was the fastest from a mid-major student-athlete.

His distance squad turned up the heat in the outdoor season. Wiles collected his second individual MAC title of the season as he cruised to first in the 1500m run in 3:48.96 at the MAC Outdoor Championships while Cornelius took the 800m crown in 1:50.13 as the race also saw McCoy finish third in 1:51.77. Wiles went on to compete in the first round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Jacksonville, Fla., as his personal-best 3:40.73 1500m time qualified him for the competition and ranks fourth in program history.

Continuing with program top-10 marks, Cornelius’ personal-best 1:48.38 outdoor 800m time currently stands eighth in program history and was the fastest outdoor 800m since former Eagle and United States Olympian Paul McMullen ran the distance in 1:46.48 in the 1995 campaign.

His Eagles were particularly dominant in the 800m and 1500m, as they held the top time in the conference and three of the top five in both events.

Whitelaw started his EMU tenure strong, as he led the men's cross country program to two consecutive first-place finishes at the Jeff Drenth Memorial (Aug. 30), and George Dales Invitational (Sept. 20). At the MAC Championships, Whitelaw coached the Eagles to a third-place finish (78 points) while Sam Peterson and Ronan Codyre earned their first respective All-MAC Second Team nods. Peterson finished the 8k race in eighth-place in 24:30.1, and Codyre crossed the finish line in 11th in 24:37.3.

Whitelaw brought three years of collegiate coaching experience with him to Ypsilanti, as he previously served as an assistant track & field/cross country coach as well as recruiting coordinator for the University of Connecticut (2022-24), after a one-year stint in the same role at the University of Tennessee.

"We're extremely excited to have Austin join our team,” said Best. “He has a lot of great connections to the state where he was one of the top high school runners, his mother is an Eastern Alum, his dad used to work at Eastern, and was coached by an Eastern alum in high school. We're excited to bring Austin home to the great state of Michigan, and for him to help our distance runners continue to be one of the top programs in the conference and in the region."

“I am honored to join the staff at Eastern Michigan University and take on this opportunity,” said Whitelaw. “EMU has the tradition, support, and resources to compete for championships. The history of EMU Cross Country/Track & Field is top tier, and with Coach Best’s and Coach Roberts’ guidance, will continue to earn accolades and countless seasons of success.”

Whitelaw raked-in the accolades in his time with the Huskies as they collected eight Big East team championships while the Huskies’ were named the Big East Coaching Staff of the Year eight times. Individually, he aided in mentoring two NCAA Second Team All-America members. Chloe Thomas was named Second Team Outdoor All-America in the 5,000m in 2024, after Mahamed Sharif earned the honor in the indoor season for the 800m.

In the cross country season, Thomas went on to compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships as an individual after she collected First Team All-Big East recognition. She also saw success on the national stage as she clocked two top-five finishes at the 2024 Canadian Olympic Track & Field Trials in the 1,500m and 5,000m.

Overall, Whitelaw guided 32 UConn student-athletes to scoring points at the Big East Track & Field Championships, with five earning medals as they finished in the top-three of their respective events. Furthermore, the southeast Michigan native led six student-athletes to break UConn program records.

Also acting as the Huskies recruiting coordinator, Whitelaw was responsible for all recruiting contacts as the coordination for official and unofficial visits.

Prior to UConn, he worked as an assistant track & field/cross country coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater, Tennessee. At Rocky Top, Whitelaw was a member of a coaching staff that earned two NCAA trophies in the 2022 campaign. That season, the men’s track & field team placed third at both the indoor and outdoor championships.

"We were exceedingly lucky to have such a great candidate as Austin throw his name in the hat for this position,” said Roberts. “He's eager and enthusiastic about the vision for the program, and has ties to the state and to our university. We're excited to welcome him home to Michigan, and we're as eager as he is for him to get started with the group."

At Tennessee, Whitelaw aided in the production of two NCAA Cross Country Championships individual qualifiers while also coaching one student-athlete to qualify for the NCAA Track & Field Championships in the 5,000m where she eventually earned Outdoor Second Team All-America status. Under his guidance, an additional seven Volunteers made their way to the NCAA Track & Field First Round Championships.

Whitelaw also paved the road to success in conference competition within the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as seven student-athletes scored points in the SEC Championships during his time in Knoxville.

Moreover, Whitelaw’s athletes set new standards at UT, with two student-athletes setting program records in the 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m run, respectively. Six freshmen also etched their names into UT history with freshman records. Similar to his position at UConn, Whitelaw was also responsible for bringing in talent as the recruiting coordinator within his primary event group.

Whitelaw joins Eastern having seen multiple angles of collegiate athletics, as he previously worked as an academic advisor at Florida State University, mainly working with the Seminoles cross country and track & field teams.

Whitelaw saw great success in his time lacing up the spikes. A 2011 graduate of Monroe High School, he was the 2010 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) cross country runner-up prior to signing his national letter of intent to attend Tennessee. In Knoxville, he was a 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships individual qualifier before punching his ticket to the NCAA Track & Field First Round Championships in the 5,000m in both 2015 and 2016.

The now Eagle hauled two degrees with him to Ypsilanti, and is in pursuit of his third. He earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Tennessee in 2016, before earning his master’s in sport management from East Tennessee in 2018. Whitelaw is currently working on his third degree, a master’s of business administration from Florida State.

Apart from hailing from southeastern Michigan, Whitelaw has deep ties to Eastern Michigan as his mother earned an undergrad and graduate degree from the institution while his father served on the EMU police force for 19 years.

The Austin Whitelaw File
Name:	Austin Whitelaw
Hometown:	Monroe, Mich.
College:	Tennessee - Bachelor's in Kinesiology, minor in Business - 2016, East Tennessee - Master's in Sport Management - 2018
Professional Experience
Year	School/Team	Position
2024-Pres.	Eastern Michigan University	Men's Head Cross Country Coach, Assistant Track & Field Coach
2022-24	University of Connecticut	Assistant Track & Field/Cross Country Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
2021-22	University of Tennessee	Assistant Track & Field/Cross Country Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
2019-21	Florida State University	Academic Advisor
2011-16	University of Tennessee	Student Athlete

	Name	Title	Phone	Email Address
	Austin Whitelaw	Head Coach	(734) 735-0622	awhitela@emich.edu
	Jenna Zydanowicz	Assistant Coach	734.487.0262	jzydanow@emich.edu

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