Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's XC
- Email:
- sparks6@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.0262
A familiar face is returning to direct the Eastern Michigan University women’s track and field and cross country programs.
Sue Parks, a former EMU track great, a member of the EMU Athletic Hall of Fame and the daughter of legendary men’s track coach Bob Parks, has been named the head coach for the women’s track and field and women’s cross country teams by EMU Athletics Director Derrick Gragg.
"We are very excited to have someone with the outstanding track background of Sue Parks join our staff as the head women’s track and field and cross country coach," Gragg said. "Sue has been a champion both as a collegiate runner and as a coach on the track and field and cross country national level. She has developed top programs at every stage of her coaching career and we are confident that her coaching success will continue here at Eastern Michigan University."
Currently, Parks serves as the President of the Women’s Cross Country Coaches Association (WICCCA), the organization is in charge of all NCAA cross country proposals and in that post she is responsible for directing the regional representatives and presiding over the national meeting at the NCAA Championship.
Parks enjoyed tremendous success in her 12-year tenure at Ball State, winning eight Mid-American Conference titles and finishing runner-up 10 times in track and cross country. She was named MAC Women’s Coach of the Year" five times, in indoor and outdoor track three times, in 1996, 1998, 2001, in outdoor track once, 2000, and in cross country once, in 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.
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 in 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 in the NCAA indoor track championship.
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 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 she coached eight All-Americans in cross country and was selected as Big Ten women’s cross country Coach of the Year in 1986. Her other coaching stints including serving as the head women’s track coach at Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard in 1982 and the head women’s cross country coach at Ann Arbor Huron High School from 1979-83.
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 invitational 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.
