Phillips takes part in final meet; Track teams place in top-25

After 18 years in charge of the Cowley College track and field programs and more than 30 plus years of coaching, Mark Phillips took part in his last meet while guiding the Lady Tiger track and field team to a 14^th place finish and the Tiger men's team to a 25^th place finish at the NJCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships held in Levelland, TX.

Phillips was recently inducted to the NJCAA Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame as well as the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also named the 2021 Jayhawk Conference Outdoor Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year.

Among countless notable accomplishments, Phillips guided the men's track and field squad to six of the past 14 indoor conference titles and five of the past 13 outdoor conference championships. For the women's team, he led them to three of the past five outdoor conference titles. During the 2020 season, Phillips and the women's team finished 10th at the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at Liberty University. 

The head coach has sculpted the Cowley program into the well-rounded team it is known for today after many years of dedication to his student-athletes. In his final season as head coach of the men's and women's teams, Phillips recently led the men to their first Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division Indoor Championship in eight years. As a result, the longtime coach was named the men's indoor coach of the year after last being named NJCAA Region VI Coach of the Year in 2018.

"I would to thank Tom Saia for hiring me here at Cowley in 2003," Phillips said. "I would also like to thank Shane Larson for everything he has done for the program. I would like to thank all my assistant coaches too. Starting with Rob Hays and Rob Wood. Also, Ryan Turner, Vince DeGrado, Courtney Gougler, Sarah Doyle, Kevin McDougal, Dan Adler, Glenn Edwards, and Cameron Rieth. I would also like to thank the Board for naming the track facility after me. I am Humbled and Honored by this. Lastly, I would like thank everybody for the wonderful years at Cowley College. It was the best 18 years of a career."

Leading the women's team at nationals was sophomore Lubna Suied, who received All-American honors in the 1,500-meter run, 5,000-meter run, and 10,000-meter run. Sophomore Zinara Lesley was also named an All-American in the 1,500-meter run, while Channa Hines was named an All-American in the pole vault and Kayla Noear earned All-American honors in the discus.

The Men's 4 x 800 meter relay team of Dawson Crawley, Nathaniel Hubbard, Edwin Olvera, and Goran Duijsters earned All-American honors as did Matt Higdon in the hammer throw and Kolby Caster in the decathlon.