Track and Field Adds Parker Cowles to Coaching Staff
9/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Sept. 23, 2015
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force track/field and cross country program added Air Force graduate Parker Cowles to its coaching staff, head track and field coach Ralph Lindeman recently announced. Cowles, a member of the Academy's Class of 2009, will serve as an assistant track and cross country coach, as well as the program's Director of Operations.
"Our entire staff is really excited to welcome Parker and his family to our coaching family," Lindeman said. "He will play a huge role in increasing our staff's effectiveness with our cadet-athletes, by managing much of the administrative side of our program. I'm particularly excited to hire an alum of USAFA and our track and cross country programs. As an alum, he truly understands the values of this institution and the vision of our program. I vividly recall Parker's uncompromising work ethic as a cadet-athlete, and I know he's brought that same work ethic to his previous two coaching jobs as well."
Cowles returned to the Academy after spending two seasons as the primary cross country and distance coach at Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas.
While at Barton, he helped rebuild a women's cross country program that hadn't fielded a complete team since 2003. In just one year under his direction, the Lady Cougars finished sixth in the conference, eighth in the region and 27th in the nation. He also helped the men's squad improve to finish fourth in the conference, sixth in Region VI and 15th in the nation.
Prior to his stint at Barton, Cowles spent three years as an assistant coach at Idaho State University.
During his tenure with the Bengals, his distance runners collected two Big Sky championship titles and 16 all-conference accolades from the Big Sky (five cross country, two indoor track, nine outdoor track). Six of his athletes were NCAA Division I West Regional Qualifiers, while the women set new school records in the 3000-meter steeplechase, 3000-meter run, indoor 5000-meter run, outdoor 5000-meter run and 10,000-meter run.
He saw Erica Wendt-Richardson become the first ISU runner to win the Big Sky Conference Cross Country Championship title and Bradi Hutchison earn a Big Sky title in the indoor 5000-meter run. He also helped the women's cross country team to its highest finish in program history (second) at the 2011 Big Sky Championships. In addition, Audrey Urlacher finished seventh in the 5000-meter run at the U.S. Junior National Championships.
Cowles graduated from Air Force in 2009 with a Bachelors of Science in American History.
As a distance runner for the Falcons' track and cross country teams, Cowles competed in six Mountain West Championship meets, claiming a pair of podium finishes at the conference meets. He also finished second in the 10,000-meter run at the 2008 Drake Relays and clocked the (then) ninth-fastest 10,000-meter time in Academy history.
After graduation, he was stationed at Columbus AFB, Miss., where he worked in public affairs, coordinating public relations events and scheduling media coverage for the annual Columbus AFB air show. He also wrote articles for the base's weekly paper, Silver Wings.
Cowles is married to the former Emily Kash and the couple has one son, Kirby.
"It's been over five years since I've been back to the Academy, so I'm excited to be back," Cowles said. "I'm ready to get going and work with the caliber of student-athlete that is here at USAFA."
