Williamsburg, KY – Patriots athletics and head coach Randy Greer announced the newest addition of Jamen Helton to the cross country and track & field coaching staff.
 
Helton joins the Patriots from Mitchell, SD after three seasons at fellow NAIA institution Dakota Wesleyan. While with the Tigers, he served as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country.
 
"I would like to thank Coach Greer and the administration for this opportunity," Helton said. "This is a national-caliber program with a great record against in the conference. I am very excited to join a program with a history of success."
 
Under his guidance, Dakota Wesleyan saw its first NAIA track & field champion. Helton saw his athlete become a national champion in 2019 at both the indoor and outdoor championships, also named the GPAC and NAIA Field Athlete of the Year in both seasons as well.
 
In his first season at the helm, Helton also saw 20 school records set between cross-country and track and field, as well as 110 All-Time Program Top-10 performances. During the 2020 indoor season, he saw seven all-conference honors and three athletes qualify for the national meet. This year, two of his athletes have seen NAIA All-American recognitions and another pair have qualified for the championships later this month.
 
"It has been a lot of continued growth while at Dakota Wesleyan and I am excited to bring my distance expertise and recruiting experience to Cumberlands," Helton said. "With my distance background, I am looking forward to competing at a high level against the Mid-South and NAIA."
 
In college, Helton ran for NCAA Division II Drury University as a distance runner, to this day holding four top-ten times for the Panthers in the 3,000 meters, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. He finished his eligibility for track and cross country at Lewis University, where he earned a qualification to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
 
Helton received his bachelor's degree from Drury in teaching education, later earning his master's at Lewis in instructional technology. He has USATF Level 1 certification and USATF Cross Country Specialist certification.
 
Helton joins the Patriots coaching staff for the remainder of the 2021 outdoor track & field season and prepares for the upcoming cross country campaign.
 
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