Henner Tabbed to Lead Sun Devil Cross Country

Traditions--Sun Devil Head Coaches

TEMPE - The Sun Devil cross country program has a new leader in veteran coach Patrick Henner. Henner joins the Sun Devils after three years at USC where he served as the cross country coach and assistant coach for the Trojans' distance program.
 
"I am very excited to join the Sun Devil track and field and cross country staff," Henner said.  "Many thanks go to head coach Dion Miller and senior associate athletic directors Don Bocchi and Scottie Graham. Their candidate search was thorough, professional and timely. My intention is to help coach Miller and the rest of the staff add new chapters of excellence to this program's already long and accomplished history."
 
"We wanted a veteran coach who was committed to winning, and Coach Henner checked all the boxes," coach Miller said. "We looked nationwide and I felt that with his background and the success he's had throughout his career, there was no doubt that he was the man for the job. We had great conversations throughout the process, and his commitment to being a team player and his ability to build champions secured our choice."
 
In three years with the Trojans, Henner brought in two recruiting classes and helped almost every cross country runner set their personal bests in the 6K.  In his two seasons working with the distance athletes, runners Robert Ford and Isaiah Jewett won consecutive Pac-12 men's 800m titles, and he placed two male and female runners into USC's all-time top 10 in the event. Jewett claimed the Pac-12 title and All-America honors in the 800m during the 2019 spring season, and he also set USC's 800m indoor record. Under Henner's guidance, Nicolaus Jakowec set the school indoor 3,000m record, and Jemima Russell set the freshman record for the 800m. Henner also helped numerous Trojans crack the program's indoor and outdoor all-time lists.
 
Prior to USC, Henner was the director of track and field and cross country at Georgetown from 2007-15, and prior to that he had spent eight seasons as the Hoyas' head men's cross country coach and assistant coach for the men's and women's track and field team. Henner's coaching resumé also includes a nine year stay at James Madison where he led both the men's and women's cross country teams to their first CAA titles, trained 28 track and field All-Americans, and was twice named CAA Coach of the Year. He began his coaching career at Blacksburg High in Blacksburg, Virginia, where both the men's and women's teams won state championships in 1984, 1985 and 1986.
 
What they're saying about Patrick Henner:
 
Chris Miltenberg
Director of Track & Field/Cross Country
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 
"Arizona State has made an incredible hire in bringing on Patrick Henner. Pat is truly one of the elite distance coaches in the country.  There is absolutely no one better at connecting with their student-athletes or understanding the mindset of high performers than him. Pat was my coach, he gave me my first big opportunity in coaching and continues to be the mentor I lean on almost every day for advice and guidance. The relationship we have to this day speaks to how much he invests in his athletes and the connections he builds. He will make an enormous impact at Arizona State and I'm excited to see him disrupt the distance running establishment in the Pac-12 and NCAA at the very highest level."
 
 
Mike Smith
Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
Northern Arizona University

"Pat Henner's arrival to ASU is a brilliant hire by Coach Miller and a huge gain for the program. Pat's coaching tree is expansive and I can tell you that the blueprints for my national champions at NAU were all taught to me by Pat. His track mind is one of the best in the game, and the athletes under his guidance will be working under the very best."