Story courtesy of Jeremy D. Smith, Faulkner University

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Faulkner is adding its first NAIA championship level sport in more than a decade as it has tabbed Zachery Cook to launch its women's and men's cross country programs. The addition of the sport makes for the first such expansion by the Faulkner athletic department since it tabbed Reed Sutton to launch women's basketball in 2010. The move, announced Tuesday, returns long-distance running to Faulkner. The school previously fielded cross country teams from 1998 through 2006 when it primarily utilized athletes from other sports and competed in a minimal amount of meets. Under Cook's leadership, Faulkner will have its first full-time cross country coach and formal sport-specific scholarships.

In Cook, Faulkner found a coach with experience building private school programs. A graduate of Northridge High School in Tuscaloosa, Cook competed collegiately at Birmingham Southern College before transferring to Freed-Hardeman University.

He began his coaching career at American Christian Academy where he served as an assistant and helped lead the program to numerous individual and team state championships. From there, he launched the program at The Capitol School in Tuscaloosa where he served for seven years while producing a state championship appearance and an individual state champion.

"This is a great opportunity for me," Cook said. "I have been given the ability to share my passion of running with athletes that are wanting to compete at the collegiate level. This allows me the opportunity to start something new at Faulkner and a chance to bring in new students through the sport of cross country."

"Zac has the mission of Faulkner University at heart. He is looking forward to restarting this program and recruiting young men and women that will represent Faulkner in a positive light," Faulkner Athletic Director Hal Wynn, who served as head coach of the women's cross country program during its previous iteration, said. "I know that he and his family will become an integral part of the athletic department."

Wynn's tenure with the program saw Faulkner achieve its only national championship qualifier in Carlie Alexander.

As the program relaunches, Cook readies to move to the Montgomery area along with his wife, Katy, along with their 4-year-old son Everett and 2-year-old daughter, Nora Jane. What faces him upon arrival is the task of assembling a roster from the ground up and in short order as collegiate competition begins in five months.

"The key is to hit the ground running and to spread the word about this new opportunity for athletes. I need to reach out to current students, incoming freshmen, and prospective high school students to build a strong, competitive team. I am looking for athletes with a strong work ethic that are committed to the team and the vision of Faulkner University," Cook said. My vision is to establish a team of collegiate athletes who work as a team to be competitive in the SSAC. Most importantly it is to uphold the values of Faulkner University and to encourage excellence in the classroom; gaining skills and knowledge that can be carried beyond the sport."

Runners with interest in Faulkner University cross country are encouraged to contact Cook via the program's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FaulknerXC or the Twitter account @Faulkner_XC.