Head Coach Greg Lautenslager

Greg Lautenslager begins his third year as the Head Coach of the Cross Country & Track Program at Hill College.

During his second year at Hill College, he led the men’s team to win the 2022 North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference (NTJCAC) Championship. The team finished third in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region V meet and 11th in the NJCAA Championships.

Lautenslager returned to Texas after a 20-year coaching career in New Zealand, where he was the coach of the National Academy of Distance Running. He led the team to 12 national titles with 306 national medals. During his time there, the team also set four national records with one runner who went to the 2016 Olympics. Eighteen athletes received full scholarships to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 schools and 21 represented New Zealand overseas.

Lautenslager began his coaching career at the University of North Texas (UNT) in 1998. In four years, the team won seven Big West and Sun Belt Conference titles. During his time there, he was named the Sun Belt Conference Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. Under Lautenslager’s direction, the distance runners led the UNT team to its first conference track and field title in 26 years. Two runners went on to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Track and Field Championships.

While attending Texas Tech University, he won 28 races and held the school record for the 5,000 meter for 30 years. He qualified for two NCAA Cross Country Championships and two NCAA Track and Field Championships. He also qualified for four appearances at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials.

After college, Lautenslager competed for Nike in both Eugene, Oregon, and Boston, Massachusetts, before completing his career in Dallas with the Asics Track Club. He later toured Europe competing in track meets in Switzerland and Paris, winning the 5,000 meter race and placing second in the 10,000 meter, respectively.

Lautenslager was inducted into the Texas Running Hall of Fame and the Mesquite Athletic Hall of Honor. He has written two novels, Following the Flame and Ghosts of the Gridiron.

Lautenslager’s three sons, Craig, Jeff, and Jared, are all accomplished runners as well. Jared, who won All-American cross country honors for Hil College, is now running for Manhattan College in New York. 

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Flickr Photos

Cross Country

NJCAA National Meet (11th place finish)

NJCAA Region V Meet (3rd place finish)

NJCAA NTJCAC Champions

Honorable Mention All-American: Jared Lautenslager

NJCAA 2022-2023 All-Academic Second Team (3.80 - 3.99 GPA): Jared Lautenslager and Lyndon Orr