Tracy Jex enters his sixth year as the head coach of the Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track & Field teams in the fall of 2021.
Tracy joined the Cougar family in 2015 and served one year as the Assistant Men's and Women's Track and Field Coach before taking over as the Head Coach in 2016. Since being named head coach, Jex has been named AMC Coach of the Year 11 times between the men’s and women’s cross country and track & field teams.
During the 2015-16 cross country and track and field seasons, Jex helped the Cougars to another successful year on the course and track. The men's cross country team logged their first ever perfect score in the fall and won their third conference title in four years. They also boasted the first ever field event All-American in program history.
In his first season as the head cross country and track and field coach, Jex led the men’s team to their first conference triple crown as the Cougars were AMC Cross Country Champions for the fourth time in five years, AMC Indoor Track and Field Champions, and AMC Outdoor Track and Field Champions. On the women’s side, he led the team to a fourth place finish in the AMC Cross Country Championships, and third place finishes in both the AMC Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He helped coach 10 NAIA All-Americans between the indoor and outdoor men’s and women’s track and field seasons as well as the first ever individual NAIA National Champion in Columbia College history.
Jex was able to carry over the momentum from his first season into his second season as he led both the men's and women's teams to AMC Triple Crowns. The men's side took their fifth cross country title in six years on their way to earning a second place finish at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships. They followed that up with their second straight indoor and outdoor track and field titles to earn their second straight AMC Triple Crown. The women's team won their second cross country title, as well as their first indoor and outdoor track and field titles earning them their first AMC Triple Crown. Jex helped coach 12 NAIA All-Americans between cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track, including a two-time NAIA National Champion, bringing his total to 22 in just two seasons.
In the 2018-19 season, the women’s cross country team claimed the AMC title, and the men’s team’s claimed the AMC Triple Crown for the third straight year in a row. In addition, the men’s 4x800 meter relay team finished as the NAIA National Championship Runner-Up. Jex helped coach eight NAIA All-Americans between cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track, bringing his total to 30 in his first three seasons.
In the 2019-2020 season, Jex led the men’s cross country and track and field teams to the AMC Triple Crown. The men’s cross country team took home the AMC Championship for the fourth consecutive year under Jex. The Cougar men’s cross country and track and field teams produced one All-American, 15 All-Conference athletes, while Jex was also the AMC Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year. Additionally, the women’s cross country team earned an AMC cross country championship title. Between the women’s cross country and track and field teams, 14 athletes were named All-Conference.
Coming off the 2020-21 season, the men’s cross country and track and field teams conquered the AMC Triple Crown yet again. As a result, the men’s teams produced one All-American and 21 AMC All-Conference athletes while the Cougar coaching staff took home AMC Outdoor Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year. The women’s cross country team won their fourth straight AMC Championship consisting of four AMC All-Conference athletes. Women’s track and field also had 11 AMC All-Conference performers.
Jex began his career at Hannibal-LaGrange in 2011 after serving as the head coach at Colorado Christian University.
During his four seasons at Hannibal-LaGrange, Jex has seen 51 school records broken and has coached 32 NAIA national qualifiers, 43 individual conference champions, 12 NAIA All-Americans, one NAIA national champion, and 13 NAIA-Daktronics scholar athletes. He has also coached several athletes to conference honors including three for newcomer of the year, two for runner of the year, two for field athlete of the year, and one for freshman of the year.
In 2012, Jex helped HLGU gain its first ever women's track NAIA All-American as well as the school's first women's cross country NAIA All-American. He has also coached the first ever HLGU NAIA national champion during the 2013 indoor track and field season.
Jex ran two years of cross country and track at Western State Colorado University before transferring to Colorado Christian University in 1999. He also ran for the cross country and track teams at Colorado Christian and graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in history.
In 2009, Jex earned his Master of Arts in human performance and physical education with an emphasis in coaching from Adams State University.
Updated 8-13-21
