Mike Owens, Head Coach

Mike Owens is beginning his seventeenth season as Head Coach of both the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams and eleventh of both the Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Teams.

During his tenure at Mars Hill Owens’ athletes have excelled on both the field of competition and in the classroom.  He has coached 14 Conference MVP’s, over 200 All-Conference performers, nine SAC Freshman of the Year and 15 SAC Scholar Athletes of the Year.  On the Regional level he has coached three Region Runners of the Year, 39 All-Region runners and 46 NCAA D-II Individual All-Academic Team members.  In addition his Women’s Teams have been named an NCAA D-II Coaches All-Academic Team in each of the last 12 seasons including twice finishing with the second highest GPA in the nation.  The Men’s Teams have been honored so six times.  Most importantly, seven of his former athletes have returned to work for Mars Hill College.

Overall his Men’s and Women’s Teams have earned 29 Conference Championships in addition to eight Southeast Region Championships.  Coach Owens has been honored as the Conference Coach of the Year 28 times as well as the NCAA Southeast Region Coach of the Year eight times in his career.

Coach Owens is an avid runner and has been running for over 25 years which includes participation in over 470 road races and 13 marathons.  He lives in Weaverville, NC with his daughter Rebekah who is a freshman at Mars Hill and their dog Baxter

Jon Stoehr, Assistant Coach

Jon Stoehr, a 2006 graduate of Mars Hill College,  is entering his second season as an assistant coach for the Mars Hill College Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field Teams.  Originally from Antigo, WI; Stoehr came to Mars Hill College as a student-athlete in the fall of 2003.

While a student-athlete at Mars Hill, Stoehr earned All-Conference 1st Team all 4 years and earned All-Region honors in his final 3 seasons.  Stoehr earned Freshman of the Year in 2003 and Conference and Region Runner of the Year in 2006.  Stoehr was also named an ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-American his senior year.

On the track Stoehr earned a school-record and NCAA Provisional qualifying mark in the 10,000 meter run in 2006.  In the same season, he also earned All-Academic honors.

Stoehr earned a Masters of Entrepreneurship from Western Carolina University in May 2009.  Stoehr remains active in his running, competing in marathons and road races.  Stoehr is married to the former Char’Lee Pickens—also an MHC Graduate.  They reside in Mars Hill with their dog Tucker.

#####