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Mark Stanforth begins his 15th season as the head coach of the Air Force Academy's cross country program. In addition, he serves as the associate head coach of the Air Force track and field program, specifically working with the distance runners. Since joining the Academy coaching staff in 1992, Stanforth has expected consistency from his runners, and his expectations have brought about the results needed to be competitive in the Mountain West Conference and at the NCAA Division I level. The 2003 Air Force men's cross country team became the first squad other than BYU to claim the conference title, winning the Mountain West Conference championship. Six runners earned all-conference honors, including three first-team selections. The team went on to finish eighth at the NCAA Championships - its best national finish since 1967. The Academy's women's cross country team also proved that, under Stanforth's leadership and guidance, it could be competitive at the Division I level. The team collected five consecutive third-place finishes at the Mountain West Conference championships, which is the best team finish the women's program has had since joining a conference (Western Athletic) in 1996. Under Stanforth's leadership, the Air Force cross country program has garnered six All-Americans, four NCAA Division II women's national championship appearances, four NCAA Division I men's national championship appearances, two men's WAC championships, one men's MWC championship, one WAC individual men's champion, 21 all-conference selections (on 37 occasions), 14 All-Mountain Region selections and seven (four men and three women) national all-academic selections. Stanforth has coached his men's cross country teams to 13 top-three finishes in 14 years with the WAC and MWC. His 1994 and 1996 teams were the WAC champions and the 2003 team won the program's first MWC title. His peers have honored Stanforth as both the WAC and MWC Coach of the Year on four different occasions. The WAC honored him as the league's top coach in 1994 and again in 1996. He claimed his first Mountain West coaching award in 1999 and repeated that honor in 2003, after winning the conference title. While in the WAC, Stanforth was the only Air Force coach to lead a Falcon team to two outright WAC titles in any sport, and accomplished the impressive feat of qualifying a team for the national championships in each of his first four years as head coach (women's cross country). As a member of the 14-team Western Athletic Conference, the men's team had nine straight top-three finishes, with the last seven of those years coming under Stanforth's guidance. In 1996, he created a WAC championship team with just one senior and a handful of younger runners, while also guiding the Falcon women to a top-10 finish in their first-ever WAC meet. Before joining the Academy for the 1992 season, Stanforth served as the head coach for the men's and women's cross country and track programs for five years at the University of California-San Diego. Thirty-seven athletes earned All-America status while he was at UCSD. Before those years, the Tritons had never had a track and field All-American. Needless to say, both programs gained national recognition for their efforts. Stanforth's UCSD women's track team finished in the top six at the NCAA Division III Championships for four straight years, while both cross country teams finished in the top 12 nationally twice in a three-year period. In 1992, UCSD was one of only two institutions to have all four teams (men and women's track, men and women's cross country) place in the top 12 in the nation. Success has followed Stanforth throughout his entire coaching career. At Glendale Community College in Arizona, where he coached all four teams (head coach for men's and women's cross country, head women's track coach, assistant men's track coach) in a seven-year span, he earned NJCAA Region Coach of the Year honors twice for men's cross country. That program clinched the Region I Championship in 1981 and 1984, while capturing second place in 1980 and 1982. Two of those teams (1981 and 1984) were also the Arizona Community College champions, and two of his runners won state individual titles. He developed 19 NJCAA All-Americans (cross country and track) and 15 community college state champions in middle distance and distance track events. Before his stint at Glendale, Stanforth was the head coach of both programs at his alma mater, the University of South Dakota-Springfield, in 1977-78. While there, he orchestrated an incredible one-season turnaround for the cross country team, taking the squad from last place to second in the SDIC conference while utilizing the same athletes. A solid athlete in his own right, Stanforth earned 11 collegiate letters at South Dakota-Springfield, acting as team captain for the cross country, basketball and track teams. He earned his bachelor's degree from the university in 1972, graduating with a double major in mathematics and physical education. He also earned a master's in education from Northern State College in South Dakota and did additional graduate course work at Arizona State University. Stanforth and his wife, Pat, live in Colorado Springs. They have two sons, Nicholas and Daniel. |
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