Kittley Adds Distance Coach to Track and Field Staff
July 27, 2005 | Track and Field
July 27, 2005
Lubbock, Texas - Texas Tech track and field head coach Wes Kittley announced the hiring of Jon Murray, former head track and field coach at Abilene Christian, as the new head cross country coach and assistant track coach for the distance group.
Murray comes to Tech after five years as head coach of the Wildcat cross country and track and field program. Kittley was responsible for hiring Murray for the ACU staff during his tenure as head coach.
In five years as head coach for men's and women's track and field at ACU (2000 and 2002-05 seasons), Murray coached the Wildcats to 11 NCAA Division II national championships and eight Lone Star Conference championships (five men, three women). His Wildcat men's team was undefeated in 10 NCAA Division II indoor and outdoor national meets, and his women's team won the indoor title in 2000.
In cross country, Murray's Wildcats were undefeated in LSC men's cross country with 14 straight titles, and the women's team won the league crown in 10 of the 14 seasons (giving him a total of 32 league titles as a head coach). Both men's and women's teams finished as high as second in the nation in NCAA Division II cross country.
While he was serving as head cross country coach at ACU, Murray was also assistant coach for track and field in 1992-99 and 2001 seasons. During that time the Wildcats won 21 NCAA Division II national titles (seven women's indoor, five women's outdoor, six men's indoor and three men's outdoor on Kittley's staff).
He has been Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year in men's and women's cross country and men's track and field and president of the NCAA Division II Cross Country Coaches Association. As a head coach, four of his Wildcat track and field student-athletes won prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarships.
In 2005 he was named NCAA Division II Coach of the Year for men in both indoor and outdoor track and field after his Wildcats extended their winning streak in championship meets to eight. Under Murray the Wildcats won both indoor and outdoor titles in 2002-03-04-05 -- a streak matched only once previously in NCAA Division II history.