University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Stephen Names Head Cross Country/Assistant Track and Field Coach
8/30/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Aug. 30, 2011
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss Track and Field Head Coach Kevin Stephen announced the hiring of former Texas A&M track and field standout Kevin Ondrasek as head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach for the Golden Eagle track program.
Prior to coming to Southern Miss, Ondrasek worked as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, Texas A&M, where he was part of three consecutive NCAA National Championships for both men's and women's program.
"I am really excited to add Kevin Ondrasek to our staff," Stephen said. "He brings a real passion for distance running, a wealth of knowledge about the sport and championship experience. In his time at Texas A&M, he experienced firsthand what it takes to build a national championship program. His scientific way of developing training programs will lead to long term success. With Kevin on staff, I hope to move our cross country program in the same direction as our track and field programs and be a force on the conference and national level."
Ondrasek was a four-year letterwinner for the Aggies from 2005 to 2009, competing in cross country and track and field. He was a member of the track and field teams that won back-to-back NCAA Outdoor National Championships. While competing in cross country, he was consistently among the top runners on the squad and was an NCAA qualifier. He posted personal best times of 3:58 in the mile and 3:41 in the 1,500 meters.
The North Richland Hills, Texas native was a four-year letterwinner at Carroll Senior High School where he was a two-time cross country district champion. He finished sixth in the mile (4:17.09) at the 5A state meet in 2005 and was 10th at the 5A state cross country meet two years in a row. He also qualified for Nike Team Nationals.
The third generation Aggie earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology in 2010 and is currently working on a master's degree in administration at Lamar. He is the son of Robert and Jane Ondrasek.
"I'm very excited to be joining the Southern Miss track and field program," said Ondrasek. "The move to Hattiesburg has been fantastic and the entire town has already proven to be one of the most welcoming communities I've ever been a part of. Southern Miss has so much to offer its student-athletes and with the recent top 10 finish at NCAA's, it is impossible not to feel a certain amount of momentum working in the Golden Eagles favor. I feel extremely blessed to be joining such a great program and look forward to working with a truly outstanding group of student athletes and coaches."
