Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's XC
- Title:
- Head Women's Track/XC Coach
- Email:
- sparks6@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.0262
The 2023-24 campaign marked the fourth season as the Director/Head Coach of Cross Country and Track & Field and 18th overall at Eastern Michigan University for Sue Parks. Beginning July 1, 2024, Parks opted to return to her hands-on coaching duties as the Associate Head Coach for the Women's Track & Field program, while remaining the Head Coach for Women's Cross Country. Parks is entering her 20th overall season with the Eagles in 2025-26.
Most recently in the 2024 cross country season, Parks led the Eagles' women's team to its third consecutive top-three finish at the MAC Outdoor Championships, as they placed third with 92 points. Parks mentored Paige Marchant to her second consecutive All-MAC First Team honor, as she placed fourth in 20:31.8. Marchant went on to earn NCAA Great lakes Region All-Region accolades with a 15th-place outing at the regional meet, crossing the finish line in 19:59.2. After former Eagle Esme Davies earned all-region honors in 2023, Marchant's all-region nod in 2024 marks the first consecutive seasons with an all-region harrier for the program since Natalie Cizmas did so, 2018-19.
Parks’ distance group excelled yet again at the 2025 MAC Indoor Championships, scoring 30 points between five events, accounting for roughly 39% of the Eagles’ 77 points. The scoring started with Marta Moreno’s second-place run in the 5000m in 16:37.91, earning eight points and an All-MAC Second Team distinction, before the Eagles’ DMR team placed sixth in 11:57.04, earning three points. 19 points were scored by Parks’ distance crew on day two, beginning with Marchant’s third-place (4:47.91), six-point outing in the mile in just her second meet of the season. Chloie Musta then grabbed silver in the 800m run in 2:09.11, also earning a second-team nod, and Moreno closed out the scoring, placing fourth in the 3000m run in 9:43.03, earning five points.
Moreno ran two program top-10 times in the indoor season, headlined by her 9:18.92 3000m run that stands fifth in program history while she also ran the 5000m in 16:31.78, a time that ranks eighth in program annals. Musta also wrote herself into the top 10 with her 2:08.26 800m that slots sixth on the program leaderboards. Overall, her distance team had four times that ranked inside the conference top-five and five that stood inside the top-25 in the Great Lakes Region.
In the outdoor season, her distance squad amassed 24 points at the MAC Championships with one individual champion and four other point-scoring performances. Sofia Ivanko won the 10000m to garner All-MAC First Team honors and mark the ninth win in the event in program history and the first since 2017 while Moreno followed in seventh for two more points to mark the second consecutive year the Eagles scored at least 12 points in the event. Her runners added points in all four mid-to-long distance events with a sixth-place finish in the 800m (Musta – 2:13.95), fifth-place finish in the steeplechase (Anita Zaro – 10:55.06), and fourth-place finish in the 5000m run (Moreno – 17:08.52).
Both Moreno and Musta ran new program top-10 marks as Moreno did so with the program’s fifth-fastest 5000m run in 16:12.80 and Musta clocked the sixth-best outdoor 800m in 2:08.08. In total, Parks’ crew ran three times that stood inside the MAC top-five, led by Ivanko’s 35:07.04 10000m run, and three that settled inside the Great Lakes Region top-25, paced by Musta’s 2:08.08 800m that ranked 17th.
The women’s track & field program earned its second straight and ninth overall conference championship as they placed first with nine individual and one relay title at the 2024 MAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. The title marked the second time in program history the Eagles have won consecutive conference titles, as they first did so in 2015 and 2016.
Parks played a pivotal role in the development of Marchant, who became the fifth woman in MAC history to win the 800m and mile at the indoor championships and the first since 2000 while becoming only the second to add the 3,000m title to her total.
Marchant earned Most Outstanding Track Performer for her efforts at the conference’s indoor championships, while Parks was named MAC Women’s Coach of the Year for the indoor season, marking her seventh time garnering the award. She was also named USTFCCCA Women's Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year for the third time in her EMU tenure.
The men placed second at the MAC Indoor Championships, scoring 140 points and earning three individual conference championships, to go along with nine top-three finishes.
Ryan Johnson was named MAC Men’s Freshman Field Performer of the Year as he claimed gold in the weight throw with a toss of 22.24m (73-00.00).
At the 2024 MAC Outdoor Championships, the women’s team placed second and the men took third.
The men captured four individual titles, highlighted by Almighty Williamson’s 13.53 time in the 110m hurdles, a clip that broke his own school record and the conference meet record. Johnson would again earn MAC Freshman Field Performer of the Year as he cruised to gold in the hammer throw with a 65.17m (213-09) toss.
Overall, 14 EMU student-athletes were designated All-MAC following the 2024 outdoor season.
Following the 2024 outdoor campaign, 11 Eagles took part in the prestigious NCAA East Prelims to earn the right to compete for a national championship.
The 2023 cross country season saw four Eagles earn All-MAC distinction as the women’s team finished second and the men slotted fifth at the MAC Cross Country Championships. Esme Davies went on to place 18th in the 6K in 20:53.6 at the Great Lakes Regional Meet, earning the program’s first all-region selection since 2019. To go with success on the course, Parks' team found similar success in the classroom as both the men’s and women’s cross country programs earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors with both squads posting at-least a 3.0 fall GPA.
The 2022-23 track and cross country seasons entailed a multitude of team success as well as a wide range of individual success for the Eagles.
Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams captured Mid-American Conference crowns in the indoor season. Nine members of the men’s team finished first in their respective events, while five female student-athletes captured a top-three finish as well. In the outdoor season, the men’s team finished third in the MAC, while the women ended their season one notch above, finishing second in the conference. Angel Gazaway showed out at the MAC Championships with a first-place finish in the 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, and a first-place finish running as the opening leg in the Green and White’s 4x400m team. Besides Gazaway, 11 other members of the women’s squad notched a top-three finish. For the men’s team, 15 student-athletes achieved a top-three finish at the conference championship meet, led by Baldvin Magnusson, who finished first in the 1500m and third in the 3000m.
The 2022 cross country season produced three All-MAC student-athletes as Magnusson and Toby Gualter from the men’s team garnered first-team honors, and Faith Rono from the women’s squad was selected to the second team. Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams clocked in at third at the MAC Cross Country Championships.
In 2021-22, the throwers and distance runners of EMU set the tone for the program. Baldvin Magnusson proved to be the best harrier in the conference, winning the mile, 3000m, and 5000m races at the MAC Indoor Championship to help the team capture its second consecutive team title. Magnusson followed this up by winning the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m races at the league’s outdoor meet. During the indoor season, Taige Bryant wrapped up his career with a sixth-place finish in the weight throw to earn First Team All-American honors. Meanwhile, teammate Newlyn Stephenson picked up a Second Team All-American nod, finishing 11th at the national meet. Additionally, Kadian Clarke became EMU’s first female to win the MAC weight throw competition, recording a toss of 20.33m. For her efforts leading the program, Parks was named the Great Lakes Region Men’s Coach of the Year for the second time in her career, awarded by USTFCCCA.
The 2021 cross country season saw the men’s program reach new heights, highlighted by the team’s 15th Mid-American Conference title in the last 17 years. Additionally, 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. 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., where he ultimately finished 223rd in the 10K.
The 2020-21 track & field campaign saw the men’s program capture the Mid-American Conference Indoor title and send two student-athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships. In the spring, thrower Taige Bryant and high jumper Quintella Johnson both qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. Bryant was the first DI thrower in program history to be named an All-American while Johnson was the second-ever female high jumper in EMU history to earn the distinction.
The abbreviated 2020 cross country season was historic for Parks as she mentored both the men’s and women’s teams. At the Mid-American Conference Championships, the men saw four harriers finish in the top-10 as the team bested Miami, 39-63. The men’s win was the 24th time in MAC history, and the 14th title in 16 years. Parks became the first female coach in MAC history to mentor a men’s championship cross country team. Andy Payne, Baldvin Magnusson, and Chris Devaney were First Team All-MAC selections as they went 2-3-4. Additionally, Toby Gualter placed tenth, earning him Second Team All-MAC status, and was named the conference’s freshman of the year.
EMU’s success reached new heights in 2020 as the Eagles claimed the top spot at the Indoor MAC Championships for their seventh indoor title, a new conference record. The Green and White saw three student-athletes place first in their respective events: Alyson Davis (60m Dash Final), Alysse Wade (60m Hurdles), and Quintella Johnson (High Jump). The trio was also named First Team All-MAC, while Brittni Mason received Second Team All-MAC honors.
EMU captured its fifth consecutive MAC Cross Country Championship in 2019. The Eagles scored a team total of 60 points, becoming the first women’s cross country program in MAC history to win five-straight team titles. The squad also boasted three harriers in the top 10 with Cizmas, Karlie Swanson, and Emily Smith all putting on an impressive display. At the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, the Green and White proved their mettle, placing ninth with 283 points as Cizmas rounded out the top 10. The Clinton Township, Mich. native earned a bid to the NCAA Championship where she ultimately finished 88th in the country. For Cizmas, her 2019 NCAA Championship appearance marked her fourth, making her the only Eagle to participate in four NCAA title races.
The 2018 season was a record year for the Eagles, solidifying the team’s mark in the Mid-American Conference record books with their fourth-consecutive conference cross country title. Cizmas became the sixth Eagle to capture the MAC Individual Championship, which ties Eastern for the second-most individual champions in the conference. Parks coached both Cizmas and co-captain Sydney Meyers to First Team All-MAC honors and newcomer Emily Smith to a Second Team All-MAC award, leading to her fourth MAC Coach of the Year nod while at the helm of EMU. Both Cizmas and Meyers would go on to qualify for the NCAA Championships, finishing side-by-side as Cizmas placed 74th with a time of 20:56 and Meyers claimed 75th with a mark of 20:56.2. The duo also improved their placements from 2017’s title race by over 70 places.
Parks was integral in leading both Alsu Bogdanova and Jordan McDermitt to historic careers in the Green and White, aiding both runners in their paths to earning All-American honors. Parks directed both Bogdanova and McDermitt to All-American recognition in 2017 for their outdoor 5000m performances, in which Bogdanova placed second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Her accomplishments as a head coach are not only noticed within the MAC, named coach of the year more times than any of her conference track and field colleagues, but also are celebrated regionally, as she has been named Great Lakes Regional coach of the year twice in her career.
The 2017 Eagles’ Distance Medley Relay team qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, earning All-American recognition for their performance, while the 2018 DMR squad was ranked seventh in the nation for their medley efforts. Additionally, her 2018 4x1500m relay squad ran the third-fastest time in the NCAA, making Eastern one of just three schools with both relays ranked in the top-10 nationwide.
In 2017, the Green and White picked up right where they left off in 2016, as the team started its postseason capturing its third consecutive MAC Cross Country Championship with a team score of 45 points, which tied for the second-best team score in a conference title race in program history. Eastern also posted its second-best team score ever in an NCAA Regional race, notching a final of 146 points. Based on the combination of their incredible regular and postseason performances, the Eagles earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Championships for the third time in school history and second time in as many years, where they ultimately finished the season ranked 27th in the nation.
After a 2015 campaign that included the women’s cross country program’s first-ever MAC title, Parks continued her success in 2016, leading the Eagles to their best season in program history, including the program’s first student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors in Jordann McDermitt. The accomplishments collected from both the regular and postseason resulted in Parks earning MAC Coach of the Year honors for the second year in a row (third overall). Parks and her squad started the postseason off with a bang, winning the MAC title for the second time in program history and making the Eagles back-to-back MAC Champions and went on to finish fifth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Their fifth-place finish combined with a strong regular season, accented by multiple victories over top-ranked teams and a national ranking as high as No. 14, a program-best, the Eagles earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships for the second time in program history. Once at the championships, EMU did not disappoint as they finished a program-best ninth and saw McDermitt capture All-American honors with a program-best 24th-place finish at the NCAA Championship. This served as only the second time a student-athlete earned such honors in program history. The season was highlighted by a MAC Team and Individual Championship (McDermitt), four student-athletes earning First Team All-MAC and all-region honors (McDermitt, Alsu Bogdanova, Cizmas, and Meyers), two earning Second Team All-MAC honors (Gallein and Aldrich) and four harriers earning USTFCCCA All-Academic honors (McDermitt, Bogdanova, Cizmas, and Meyers).
2015 was a banner season for the Eagles, as the Green and White captured their first-ever Mid-American Conference Cross Country title in program history. The squad finished with a total of 55 points and placed three harriers in the top six. Leading the way was 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.
The 2014 season marked the women’s program’s first MAC Cross Country Champion since the 1997 campaign, as Victoria Voronko claimed her first conference crown. Additionally, she became just the second Eagle in program history to earn All-MAC first team honors. Sofie Gallein claimed third in the conference meet to garner First Team honors, and the pair ended the season on the national stage at the NCAA Championships, marking the first time two harriers have ever qualified individually for the Eastern program.
Under Parks, 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) before improving to fourth place in 2013 (111 points) and having a breakthrough season in 2014 with a runner-up finish with 69 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 cross country and track and field. She was named MAC Women’s Coach of the Year five times: indoor and outdoor track three times (1996, 1998, 2001); outdoor track once (2000); and cross country once (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.
Parks is not only a leader of cross country at the helm of the Eagles, but has worked tirelessly at the national level to promote the interests of the NCAA Cross Country community. She has served as the regional representative, at-large representative, second vice president, and vice president of the NCAA Division I Cross Country Executive committee throughout her career.
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 at 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, Brenda Sleeuwenhoek, in the NCAA Indoor Championships.
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 a 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 where she coached eight All-Americans in cross country and was selected as the Big Ten Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1986.
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 individual 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.
The Sue Parks File
Name: Susan Parks
Hometown: Ypsilanti, Mich.
College: Eastern Michigan University - B.S. - 1980; M.S. - 1988
Professional Experience
Year School/Team Position
2024-Pres. Eastern Michigan University Head Women's Cross Country Coach/Associate Track & Field Head Coach
2020-Pres. Eastern Michigan University Director/Head Coach of Cross Country and Track & Field
2006-2020 Eastern Michigan University Head Coach, Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field
1994-2006 Ball State University Head Coach, Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field
1990-1994 University of Arizona Assistant Coach, Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field
1988-1990 Michigan State University Head Coach, Women’s Cross Country; Assistant Coach, Women’s Track & Field
1987-1988 Eastern Michigan University Graduate Assistant, Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field
1984-1987 University of Michigan Head Coach, Women’s Cross Country; Assistant Coach, Women’s Track & Field
1982 Gabriel Richards H.S. Head Coach, Girl’s Track & Field
1979-1983 Huron H.S. Head Coach, Girl’s Cross Country
