Former NJCAA national champion coach Kathy Graham is entering her first year as the Director of Cross Country/Track & Field at Whittier College.
Graham has led various cross country and track & field programs across the nation since 2005. She comes to Whittier following a stint as the head coach of the Highland Community College cross country and track & field teams out of Highland, Kan. Prior to her time at Highland, Graham spent six years at Ranger College (Ranger, Texas), where her women's cross country program won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship in 2020. She has also spent time leading and assisting programs at St. Katherine University out of San Marcos, Calif., Gillette College out of Gillette, Wyo., Odessa College out of Odessa, Texas, Cuyamaca College out of El Cajon, Calif., and San Diego Christian College.
The 2020 NJCAA National Cross Country Coach of the Year brings more than 23 years of experience in developing young people into leaders who have excelled both individually and as part of a team, in athletics, academics, and life. Her teams have not only earned academic, state, and national recognition, but many of her former athletes have gone on to complete their Bachelor's and Master's degrees with honors. Today, they are leaders in various fields, including coaching, education, law enforcement, foster care, missionary work, aeronautical engineering, and more. At her various stops, the San Diegoan has coached 16 NJCAA All-Americans, 27 Coaches' Association All-Americans, 35 NJCAA Academic All-Americans, and her athletes have won 75 Academic All-America Coaches' Association Awards. In 2020, her national champion women's team at Ranger also had the highest GPA in the nation.
The veteran coach holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in kinesiology from San Diego State University. She graduated magna cum laude, and was chosen as the Outstanding Student for the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts. As such, she was chosen to give the commencement address at her graduation. She also holds a CSCS certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Graham and her late husband have five grown children, and countless grandchildren.
