Bethel University Athletics

Joe Stephens enters his seventh season as the head men's and women's cross country coach and assistant men's and women's track and field coach at Bethel. Stephens, who most recently finished a three-year stint with the University of Wyoming cross country and track and field programs, has coached seven-years on the Division I level, two-years in Division II and three-years in the NAIA. He was named head coach on June 23, 2015.

AT BETHEL
• Bethel men placed 4th at 2018 MIAC Cross Country Championships, the programs highest finish since 2012
• Bethel women placed 5th at 2017 MIAC Cross County Championships, the programs highest finish since 2010
• Both the 2016 Men's and Women's teams earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Awards, the men with a 3.54 team GPA and the women had the fourth highest team GPA in all of NCAA DIII at 3.75

RUNNER DEVELOPMENT
• Annika Halverson concluded her Cross Country and Track & Field career under Stephens as a two-time All-American, nine-time All-Conference and five-time All-Region finisher with five NCAA Championship appearances
• Halverson CoSIDA Academic All-America in 2018 and MIAC Elite 22 Honors in 2017
• Freshman Anna Hage earned All-Conference and All-Region honors in 2017
• Freshman Malakai Holloway earned All-Region and All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in 2018
• Tyler Bethke earned All-Conference Honorable Mention honors in 2017
• Ezekiel Lelinga named All-Conference in 2018 and 2019
• Ezekiel Lelinga earned All-Region honors in 2019 and competed in NCAA Championships
• Evan Hatton earned All-Region honors in 2016 and All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2018
• Matt Berens (9th) earned All-American honors at the 2015 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships
• Bethel men improved in MIAC Championships by four places to finish sixth in Stephens first season in 2015
• Bethel men placed second in 2018 at the prestigious University of Minnesota's Roy Griak Invitational, highest Griak finish in program history. Had four runners place in the top 10 of the Division III race
• Matt Berens individual champion at 2015 Roy Griak Inivtational 
• Annika Halverson qualified for 2018 Indoor Nationals in Mile with a time of 4:45.6
• Evan Hattan qualified for 2017 Outdoor Nationals in 800M with a time of 1:51.1
• Mollie Gillberg broke indoor 5000-meter school record in a time of 17:25.58 in 2016

BEFORE BETHEL
• University of Wyoming  - Women's track team moved from eighth to a Runner-up finish in the Mountain West Conference from 2013 to 2014
• University of Wyoming - Men's cross country team finished 40th nationally in Division I (2013)
• Colorado State University - Four-time women's cross country Runner-Up finishes in the Mountain West Conference (2008-2012)
• Colorado State University - Four-time Top-35 women's cross country national finishes in Division I (2008-2012)
• Colorado State University - Three track & field Division I All-Americans (2008 and 2012)
• Black Hills State University - Three Dakota Athletic Conference champions, two NAIA national qualifiers and two school-record holders (2005-2007)
• Fort Hays State University - Two Division II All-Americans in cross country and one 10,000m All-American in track (2003-2004)
• Fort Hays State University - Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Men's and Women's Team Champions (2004)

RUNNING EXPERIENCE
• Member of the 2001 Mid-Continent Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship team at Oral Roberts University
•  Two-time Cross Country Scholar All-American
•  Two-time Track & Field Scholar All-American
•  Member of the 2004 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship team at Fort Hays State University


 

Last updated 8/17/2021

Last Updated: 7/26/2019