PORTLAND, Ore. — Josh Seitz, who won a national title with Portland State track & field coach Brent Ericksen while at Southern Oregon, has reunited with his college coach as he joins the Vikings cross country and track & field programs as an assistant coach in charge of distance events.
 
Seitz ran for Ericksen during the Raiders' national title-winning 2010 cross country season. Seitz also started his coaching career under Ericksen as an assistant for Ericksen at Morehead State during the 2012-13 academic season.
 
"Coach Seitz is a great addition to our program," Ericksen said of his new hire. "I know Josh very well as he not only competed for me as an athlete on my national championship team, but also worked for me for one season as an assistant coach at Morehead State.
 
"I am excited to get to work with him again. I know that we shared the same philosophy on what it takes to develop distance runners. I think the team will enjoy the perspective that he brings as we continue to take the next steps needed to develop the distance program here at Portland State."
 
Seitz joins the Vikings after working in multiple positions at Florida State since 2013. Seitz started as a volunteer assistant for the women's distance program at Florida State, before serving as an operations assistant and an interim full-time assistant within the women's program. Seitz also served as a volunteer assistant coach within the men's distance program during the 2016 cross country season, after taking a break from coaching while a Fulbright scholar in Kenya during the first part of last year.
 
Seitz worked with elite runners during his time at Florida State, including Colleen Quigley, the 2015 NCAA Steeplechase champion and world championship qualifier, who will join Seitz as a volunteer assistant on the Vikings' staff.
 
Seitz also coached Linden Hall to All-American honors in the 1,500 meters in 2015, and coached Georgia Peel, Pippa Woolven, Chelsi Woodruff and Bridget Blake to the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds.
 
Additionally, Seitz was integral in the recruitment of the distance athletes at Florida State, as he was the primary recruiting researcher for the women's distance program during his stint as an operations assistant, and served as the lead recruiter as a volunteer assistant for the men's distance program in 2016.
 
"I'm thrilled to come back home and work for Coach Ericksen at Portland State," Seitz said of his hire. "Having previously worked for him, I have full confidence in his leadership ability, and I know I will thrive off his competitive drive while helping to build the Viking program.
 
"As the distance coach, I look forward to training my student-athletes in the city where two of the world's most successful professional distance groups choose to be based. PSU is a great university, surrounded by amazing training options with an ideal climate for distance running."
 
Seitz inherits a promising group of men's and women's distance runners at Portland State following a successful 2016 cross country season. Alex Cisneros set the school record for the cross country 10k with his time of 30:29.8 at the NCAA West Regional, two weeks after he tied the best individual finish ever by a Viking men's runner at the Big Sky Championships while leading the Viking men to their best team finish ever. Sarah Medved also finished 10th on the women's side of the Big Sky meet, giving the Viking women their third All-Big Sky honoree in the past four seasons.

Additionally, senior Ben Richardson enters his senior track & field season in 2017 after earning All-Big Sky honors in both the indoor and outdoor 800 meters in 2016.
 
Seitz will also have the opportunity to mold a large group of young runners for the Vikings, as six of the 10 runners for the Viking men during the 2016 cross country season were freshmen, while six of the Viking women's nine runners during the cross country season had one letter or experience or less.
 
Seitz will coach his first meet for the Vikings next weekend, when the Vikings open the 2017 indoor season at the Ed Jacoby Invitational/Multi and UW Indoor Preview on Jan. 13-14.