Danny Stults enters his second season as the assistant distance coach for the Redbirds' track & field and cross country programs.
In just his first season at Illinois State, Stults has made an immediate impact on the program, helping guide five athletes to MVC individual championships, 17 All-Valley honors, as well as taking part in the men’s first MVC cross country team title in 19 years.
Under the direction of Stults, the Redbird men placed four runners in the top-five overall, led by senior Kevin Koski, who captured his first MVC individual championship. Koski would go on to earn the auto-bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, where he placed 99th overall.
On the track, Stults was instrumental in guiding four Redbirds to MVC individual championships, as Riley Wells (800 meter) and Jake Gillum (mile) notched titles in the indoor season and Jack Antsey (1,500 meter) and Grace Beattie (3,000 meter steeplechase) did so in the outdoor season. Stults also guided three athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary Championships in the outdoor season (Antsey, Beattie, Wells).
With stints at Bradley and Oklahoma State, Stults brings 11 years of Division I coaching experience to Illinois State and is a USA Track & Field Level I certified coach. Stults also serves as an USTFCCCA executive committee member for NCAA Division I cross country.
During his two-year tenure at Bradley, Stults made an immediate impact guiding the Braves to multiple team championships and individual accomplishments in both cross country and track & field. Bradley's cross country program claimed three Missouri Valley Conference team titles and set a Valley record for lowest points with 17 on the men's side while Stults was on staff. Additionally, Stults helped the Braves' men's cross country team to a runner-up finish at the 2018 NCAA Midwest Regional, qualifying the team for their first ever NCAA Cross Country Championship where they placed 24th as a team.
On the track, Stults coached three individuals and the 4x400 meter relay to school records, had a combined 27 All-Valley performances and saw two individuals and a relay be crowned MVC Champions.
Prior to joining the Braves, Stults spent three seasons (2015-18) as the Director of Operations for the Oklahoma State cross country and track & field programs. As OSU's Director of Operations, Stults assisted with all on-campus recruiting activities, helped plan and implement daily practices and served as the race director of the Cowboy Jamboree and the 2015 Big 12 Cross Country Championships. Stults also successfully bid and designed the course for the upcoming 2020 NCAA Championship.
From 2009 to 2012, Stults was a volunteer assistant coach where he helped the Cowboys to three-straight Big 12 men's cross country titles (2009, 2010, 2011), back-to-back National Championships in 2009 and 2010 and a national runner-up finish in 2011.
A two-time all-conference runner for Southeast Missouri State from 2004-09, Stults helped the Redhawks to three Ohio Valley Conference Championships. Stults earned bachelor's degrees in both economics and psychology in 2009 from Southeast Missouri State before completing his master's in business administration from Oklahoma State in 2011.
