Williamsburg, KY – Patriots Head Coach Bradley Sowder is bolstering his staff with the additions of Cody Durbin and James Overholser, who will both serve as assistant coaches for UC's track & field and cross country program.

"I'm thrilled to add Coach Durbin and Coach Overholser to our coaching staff," said Coach Sowder. "They are eager to get work done and invest into the program."

Coach Durbin will work with track and field athletes, specializing in jumps, multi, and pole vault. Coach Overholser will work with cross country and track and field, assisting with middle- and long-distance runners.

Durbin joins the Patriots after serving as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Northern Iowa for the past two years.  Prior to his time at UNI, Durbin was a student-athlete at Iowa State University where he earned All-Big XII honors four times in the high jump and helped guide the Cyclones to the 2020 Big XII championship title.  Durbin has a Bachelor's degree in Physics with a minor in Military Studies from Iowa State University and a Master's degree in Kinesiology and Sports Performance from the University of Northern Iowa. He also has USATF Level 1 certification.

Overholser joins the coaching staff after spending the last year competing for UC. Overholser had a solid career for the Patriots earning Second-Team All-Conference in cross country and Academic All-Conference in track. Overholser raced in six meets during the cross country season, posting a personal best time of 26:04.8 at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge. He placed 16^th at the MSC Championships, eighth at the Berea/Centre Jamboree, and 15^th at the NAIA Pre-Nationals Invitational. Overholser competed in four meets during the indoor track season, finishing tenth in the 5K at the MSC Championships and 12^th in the 3K. He competed in five meets during the outdoor season pacing a season best 10K of 33:06.51 for fourth place at the MSC Championships. Before coming to UC, he spent three years at Kentucky Christian.

UC's cross country team have already showed their skills, as both the men and women took home first place overall in the first meet of the season. They look to repeat this success next week as they travel to Hunstville, AL for the Southern Showcase hosted by Jacksonville State University.

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