Jan. 29, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - One of the best athletes in Oklahoma Christian University history will return to his alma mater as head coach of OC's cross country teams, school officials announced Monday.

Oklahoma Christian has hired former All-American Wayne Strohman to lead its men's and women's cross country programs. Strohman is just the fourth head coach in the 43-year history of OC's cross country programs, following Ray Vaughn, Sr., Tom Hibbits and Randy Heath.

Heath, who has led the cross country program for the last 38 years, remains as OC's track and field head coach. He was named Sooner Athletic Conference Women's Track and Field Coach of the Year last season, the latest of 11 conference or region coaching honors he has earned in his career. Heath is a member of the OC and NAIA Halls of Fame; he has coached 57 different athletes to NAIA All-America honors 121 times.

This is the second time in less than a year that Oklahoma Christian has added coaches to strengthen multiple programs. For the first time in five years, the men's and women's soccer programs operated under separate head coaches this past season.

"We are excited to welcome Wayne back to Oklahoma Christian, where he had so much success as a student-athlete," OC athletic director DeWayne Hall said. "We had great success reorganizing our soccer programs under separate coaches and we hope this move has a similar impact on our cross country and track and field programs. This will benefit our student-athletes in both programs and give us the opportunity to be nationally competitive every year."

Strohman takes over a cross country program that won 12 men's and five women's titles in NAIA District IX during Heath's 38-year tenure (21 with the women's program). The OC men's cross country team finished in the NAIA top 15 the past two seasons and the women's team was a top-15 team in 2005.

Strohman also will join OC's track and field coaching staff, working as an assistant under Heath and alongside assistant coach Jeff Bennett, another OC alumnus who placed fourth in the decathlon at the 1972 Olympic Games.

 "Oklahoma Christian has a rich and successful tradition in track and field and cross country," Heath said. "We want to build on that tradition and I'm looking forward to being able to work with the track and field program throughout the school year. Wayne will be an outstanding addition to the program and I'm excited about the future."

Strohman was a five-time All-American at Oklahoma Christian. He earned the honor in cross country in 1992 and 1993, in indoor track and field in 1993 and 1994, and in outdoor track and field in 1994. The NAIA named him as a Scholar-Athlete in 1993 and 1994. Oklahoma Christian inducted the Casper, Wyo., native into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.

He served as assistant track and cross country coach at Pittsburg State University and ran competitively in meets across the nation until 2004. He twice won the Wichita Marathon in addition to victories in the Dallas White Rock Marathon and Fort Worth Cowtown Marathon. He also is the Kansas state record holder for the 12K and half-marathon.

"I am honored, thankful and excited to return to OC, lead our cross country teams, work with Coach Heath and give back to the university I hold in such high regard," Strohman said. "I have strong feelings for OC's mission and a passion for cross country and distance running. Our goals are to ensure our student-athletes receive an outstanding collegiate athletic experience and attain their maximum potential as a student and athlete. We will train smart and hard, race smart and fast, and have fun as we strive to have premier cross country and track and field programs."

Strohman returns to Oklahoma Christian with almost a decade of experience in health and fitness management, most recently as Aquatic and Wellness Supervisor at North Texas Rehabilitation Center in Wichita Falls, Texas. In addition to his coaching duties, Strohman will serve as director of OC's fitness programs, including the aquatic center and multiple fitness centers.

A 1994 OC graduate, Strohman earned a master's degree in physical education from Pittsburg State. He is pursuing a doctorate in kinesiology/sports administration from Texas Woman's University.