NEWS: Northern Arizona Adds Standout D3 Distance Coach Jake Reed as Assistant

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Two weeks ago, Northern Arizona University announced the hiring of Jake Reed as an assistant distance coach. Reed will also operate as the head of men's distance recruiting for the Lumberjacks.

Reed joins Jarred Cornfield, the team's newest Director of Cross Country and Track and Field, after an eight-year tenure at Lynchburg. There, he built one of the best distance programs in Division Three.

Prior to taking over the Lynchburg program in 2017, the Hornet men had not achieved a team berth to the cross country national meet since 2012. The women, meanwhile, had not reached the cross country national stage since 1998.

Since 2021, however, both squads have qualified for the national meet in four-consecutive seasons under Reed's leadership. Their NCAA XC Championship finishes have been as high as 7th place on the women's side and 9th place on the men's side.

Lynchburg's men's team has shined particularly bright on the oval. In just the past two academic years, Reed has coached a national-title winning DMR, along with three individual national champions in Chasen Hunt, Tor Hotung-Davidsen and Sam Llaneza.

The latter two of those men also broke the four-minute mile barrier this past spring, while Hunt, who transferred to North Carolina this past offseason, holds the D3 national record in the outdoor 5k.

Reed joins NAU at an interesting moment in their program's lifecycle.

The Lumberjack men, who have won six national cross country titles in the past decade, enter the 2025 fall campaign ranked at TSR #14. The women have established themselves among the truly elite programs much more recently, but may find themselves in contention for a third-straight podium finish after 30 years without reaching that level.

Many of NAU's top athletes in recent history have been on the more aerobic side. The program's greatest successes have come on the cross country course along with the 5k and 10k distances on the track (specifically with the men).

But in recent years, the Lumberjacks have made some more headway in the middle distances, headlined by Colin Sahlman and the now-departed Maggi Congdon. With Coach Jake Reed's proven ability of developing top milers at Lynchburg, it's not unreasonable to think that the 800 meters, 1500 meters and 3000 meters could be greater areas of emphasis for this roster moving forward.