Jack Kegg enters his 11th year at the helm of the men' and women's cross country and track & field teams.
Coach Kegg took over Tech’s cross country program in the fall of 2011. During Kegg’s tenure, the Owls have established a consistent NAIA presence in cross country. His women’s teams have gone to the NAIA National Championships the last seven years, where they have finished in the top 20 each championship and in the top 10 on three occasions, including an eighth-place finish in 2016 and 2018’s National Championship.
The men have made the trip to nationals as a team Six times, where they have finished in the top 20 on four occasions, nineteenth in 2016, 15th in 2019, eleventh in 2017 and in 2020. Kegg’s cross country success extends beyond the national level, as the Owls have become one of the top teams in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). The women finished third three seasons in a row from 2014-2016. The Lady Owls then upped their game in 2017 to win their first conference team title, then made it a repeat in 2018, as conference champions with the second lowest score in conference history. The men have finished in the top five all of Kegg’s ten years at the helm with third place finishes in 2016, 2019 and a school best finish in 2020 of second, missing the conference title by four points. Because of his team’s successes, Kegg was honored with the NAIA Women’s Coach of the Year in 2018, as well as, repeating as NAIA West Region Coach of the Year and CCC Coach of the Year in 2017 & 2018.
Kegg has produced 16 NAIA cross country All-Americans during his time at Tech. On six occasions Tech runners have finished in the top 10 at nationals; Mark French’s tenth in 2020, Susie Garza’s fourth and Cindy Reed’s fifth in 2018, Cindy Reed sixth and Mark French eighth in 2017, Susie Garza sixth in 2015. In 2018 Cindy Reed was named West Regional NAIA Runner of the Year. Kegg’s success has not been confined to cross country trails, as the Owls have also succeeded in the classroom. Under Kegg, Tech student-athletes have picked up 255 CCC academic awards 88 in XC, as well as 108 national awards 39 in XC. In addition, the Owls have collected 44 NAIA Scholar-Team awards. Cindy Reed and Mark French made collegiate history when they were both awarded the NAIA National Scholar Athlete Award in Cross Country in 2017 this was the first time the recipients in both genders were from the same school in any division of collegiate competition.
Prior to coming to Tech, Kegg spent five years as the lead assistant coach for the men’s and women’s cross country and track & field teams at Eastern Oregon University. While at EOU, Kegg’s athletes collected 32 individual conference titles as well as 3 National Titles by Robbie Hayne in 2011: Indoor Pole Vault, Heptathlon, and Outdoor Pole Vault. Kegg helped guide the 2006 men’s track & field team to a tie for the Cascade Conference Championship. Kegg also coached the women’s cross country team to a conference title in 2007. While at EOU Kegg’s athletes earned 16 national academic awards.
Prior to Eastern, Kegg spent ten years as the head coach at Clackamas CC in Oregon City, OR. During his time at Clackamas, Kegg amassed 286 All-Americans, 39 academic All-Americans, 6 NWAACC Team Titles, and 4 National Junior Records: Including Trina Rogers 169’ 5” Javelin in 1999, David Leman’s 7532 point Decathlon in 2000, Becky Holliday’s 14’4” Pole Vault in 2001, and Sara Rowse’s 13’ 0” indoor pole vault in 2002.
Jack and his wife, Laura, are the parents of Nora (30), Eli (28), and Connor (24
