LONGVIEW, Texas -- LeTourneau vice president for athletics Dr. Tim Sceggel announced the promotion of Kevin Gideon to head men's and women's cross country coach.

Gideon spent the last two years as the top assistant with the cross country programs and coaching distance runners in track. He will retain his position as an assistant coach with the track program.

"I'm thankful to take this next step and continue pushing the cross country program forward," Gideon said. "Thanks to Dr. Sceggel for his support and encouragement throughout this process."

"I've been impressed by the development of Kevin over his two years on campus, and excited to see him promoted to the leader of the cross country program," Sceggel added. "He is a great discipler with a strong understanding of the technical aspects of the sport. As a result, we are thrilled to see the ways he will lead this program in the years ahead."

During his two years as an assistant with cross country, Gideon helped the men's team to a pair of top-four finishes at the ASC Championships, including a third-place finish in 2022. He guided David Dugan to ASC Freshman of the Year honors in 2022 and coached six All-ASC honorees over the last two years between the two teams. Gideon also organized the home cross country meets and was vital in the recruiting process.

"The vision for the cross country program is to create a unified team around the common goal of student-athletes being cultivated as disciples and pursuing excellence," added Gideon. "This means we are a team that is working hard in the classroom, pushing each other on our runs and in our faith."

Gideon's work will continue with the track program that has experienced success in distance events during his two years in the role. Gideon coached Spencer Gambrell to an ASC title in the 5,000-meter event in 2023 and has guided a pair of All-ASC runners in track.

"We are in a great spot as a team heading into this season," noted Gideon. "We have great upperclassmen returning and a good group of underclassmen who are hungry to improve. I am thankful and excited for the opportunity to coach each one of these athletes it is a blessing."

Gideon competed in track and cross country at Cedarville University, where he earned a degree in exercise science in 2020. He was an NCCAA Indoor All-American as part of the Yellow Jackets' distance medley relay team. 

Gideon finished his master's degree in kinesiology at Central Missouri in May 2022. While at Central Missouri, he helped coach the women's team to the 2021 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) indoor championship, earning MIAA Women's Indoor Coaching Staff of the Year honors. He coached two athletes to individual championships, collecting the 2021 MIAA 5000-meter and 3000-meter steeplechase titles.

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