Kathleen Raske Named NMJC Women's T&F Head Coach

New Mexico Junior College is pleased to announce Kathleen Raske as the next head coach for the women's track & field program. Raske lands in Hobbs, NM after spending the past five seasons as the director of track & field at NCAA DIII LeTourneau University.

"Kathleen elevates the leadership in the women's track program here at NMJC to new heights," NMJC Director of Athletics Deron Clark said. "Kathleen's knowledge, experience and leadership will provide the young ladies in our program an established level of confidence and professionalism. NMJC is blessed to have Kathleen as our leader of the women's track program."

Raske will lead an NMJC women's track & field program that won their fifth outdoor national title this past May.

"I want to thank God for this incredible opportunity to coach and lead young women in the sport I love so much," Raske said. "I thank President Dr. Derek Moore and NMJC Director of Athletics Deron Clark for their trust in me to lead and compete for future NJCAA national championships. I look forward to serving the student-athletes at NMJC and the Hobbs community. I am excited to get started!"

Her family-focused, team-oriented philosophy has provided Raske with a plethora of successes throughout her career. She joins the Thunderbird's following a five-year Directorship at NCAA DIII LeTourneau University. 

Despite being a fledgling two-year old program without an on-campus track facility, Raske's teams thrived during her time there. Under her leadership, the program rapidly improved winning its first ASC Championship in the history of the program and third for the entire department. The program's accolades totaled: three All-Americans, 50 All-Region, 125 Program Records, and 64 Conference Athletes of the Week.

Raske brings 30 plus years of experience coaching high level talent to NMJC. Among those that Raske has coached include Warren Hazel from St. Kitts. His personal bests are 400/45.68, 200/20.81, 100/10.31. He was bronze medalist in the 400 at NACAC U23 in 2016 and competed in the 2017 World Championships, 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, and 2023 Pan American Games. 

Raske coached NCAA DI All-American Ronald Brookins who medaled at the 2008 World Jr. Championships and has personal best of 110H/13.42, 60H/7.75, 100/10.64, LJ/7.69m.

On the women's side, Raske recruited and coached Shafiqua Maloney (St. Vincent) at SIU in the 400/53.19 and 200/23.17w. Maloney went on to compete in the 2021 Olympic Games and 2022 World Championships in the 800. She won the 800m and was runner-up in the 400 at the 2021 NACAC U23 championships. Her personal bests and national records are 400/50.75, 800/1:58.69, and 1500m/4:14.60.  

Additionally, Raske coached two-time NCAA All-American Rebecca Williams in the 400H/54.98 while finishing fourth at the NCAA meet. She was 9th at the 1996 Olympic Trials ranking 20th in the world. Williams also had personal best of 100H/13.31 and Heptathlon/5,144.

Prior to LETU, Raske directed the programs at her alma mater Southern Illinois. While there she led the men's team to its highest NCAA finish in 33 years placing 14th at the 2017 indoor NCAA championships. 

Additional accolades SIU included two top 25 NCAA team finishes, three MVC runner-up and three third place team trophies, one Olympian (eighth-place finish), two Olympic Trials Medalist, three Olympic Trials participants, one World Championship participant, one Junior Pan-American Championship participant, two NACAC participants / two NACAC Medalists, one CARIFTA Games participant, one Bowerman Award semifinalist, one NCAA Champion, one NCAA runner-up, one NCAA Meet Record, one NCAA All-Time Best, one NCAA American Record, 15 NCAA All-Americans, 18 NCAA Championship Final Round participants, 49 NCAA Championship Preliminary Round qualifiers, one National Athlete of the Week, 13 MVC Championships MVPs, five MVC Championship meet records, 61 MVC Conference Champions, 118 MVC All-Conference, four MVC Cross Country All-Conference, 11 SIU School Records, and 121 All-Time Top Ten marks. 

Prior to SIU, Raske served as the Director of Track & Field/Cross Country programs at Sacramento State for 12 seasons.

She was named Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year 16 times, produced 15 NCAA All-Americans, eight USATF Junior All-Americans, 128 NCAA National Championship participants, 191 conference champions, and 483 all-Big Sky performers during her tenure.

The Hornets' men's and women's teams combined to win 17 Big Sky team championships under Raske and finished in second place eight times. Raske is the only woman to coach a Division I men's team to five conference championship titles in NCAA history in any sport. Prior to her arrival in 2004, neither program had finished better than fourth as a team at a conference championship meet.

From 1997-2003, Raske was the head coach of the women's track & field and cross-country programs at Central Michigan. At CMU, she coached three All-Americans, 19 conference champions, 49 all-league recipients, 20 NCAA championship meet qualifiers, and 53 school records were established.

In 2002, she led CMU to its first Mid-American Conference Team Championship. For her efforts, she was named MAC Coach of the Year, Great Lakes NCAA Regional Coach of the Year and Central Collegiate Coach of the Year. 

From 1992-1997, she served as an assistant coach at Miami University, overseeing the men and women in sprints and hurdles. Six of her athletes won Mid-American Conference titles and three advanced to the NCAA Championships, including two-time All-American hurdler Becca Williams, who was ranked 20th in the world in the 400h with a time of 54.98.

Raske's coaching career began at SIU in 1990, when she mentored the team's sprinters, hurdlers, and relay teams.

A respected teacher, Raske has extensive experience coaching at the national level. In 2009, she was named the head coach for Team USA at the World University Games. She was also the head women's coach for Team USA at its quadrangular meet against Great Britain, China, and Russia in 2006, and at the NACAC Games in 2012.

Raske is a member of the NACAC Coaches Working Group, is currently the Vice Chair for the Coaches Advisory Committee with USATF and on the USATF Women's Track & Field Committee. She is also a mentor for the USTFCCCA Female Coaching Mentorship Program and served on the executive committee of the Division I USTFCCCA for 10 years.

In addition to her committee responsibilities, Raske has lectured on the topic of hurdling and sprinting at coaching clinics throughout the United States and internationally. She is an active member of Athletes in Action and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In the summer of 2002, she led an AIA team to Thailand and Laos and in 2022 she was a lead clinician for an AIA National coach's clinic in Cameroon, Africa. She created and served as the faculty advisor for the FCA huddle at Sacramento State.

An NCAA DI All-American in the 100-meter hurdles at SIU, Raske set conference records in the 100-meter hurdles, 200-meter and 55-meter hurdles. She also competed in five U.S. National Championships, including the 1992 Olympic Trials in the 100-meter hurdles. Raske was named the Most Valuable Athlete of the Decade by the Gateway Conference and was inducted into SIU's athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.

Raske graduated from SIU with a double major in education and zoology. She is a certified strength and conditioning specialist with the NCSA and USTFCCCA and has earned Level I, II and Level III USA Track and Field coaching education certification. Raske was also a graduate of the inaugural IAAF/World Athletics Level 5 Masters of Coaching for sprints and hurdles certification program.

What they are saying: 

"What a tremendous hire for New Mexico Junior College! I have had the privilege of knowing Kathleen Raske for over 20 years. One thing I have always been so impressed with is how she treats her athletes and how they respect her. She exemplifies a "true servant" spirit to her profession and her daily walk in her spiritual life. She has been a pioneer for women's athletics and respected all over our profession. She has worked tirelessly within USATF and NCAA and USTFCCA serving our sport in several capacities including USATF Head Coach, Female Mentorship Program, and several Executive Committees over her career. Her expertise and knowledge will be so welcomed at NMJC. What she has accomplished in her career is simply amazing! Without a doubt, Kathleen is the perfect hire!"

Wes Kittley –  Texas Tech Director of Track & Field and Cross Country /formerly @ Abilene Christian University)

"Coach Raske is one of the best in the business as a coach and a leader. Her technical knowledge, combined with her passion for teaching, has made her highly successful throughout her career. She is one of the very best leaders in building a winning championship team culture resulting in 20 different team conference championship titles and NCAA awards. She knows what it takes to lead and develop young women to the top of the podiums. She is committed to each athlete, each team and will give her best every day towards their success. Coach Raske is a great hire for the New Mexico Junior College track & field program."

Beth Alford-Sullivan – UConn Director of Track & Field and Cross-Country /formerly @ U of Tennessee / Penn State Past President Board of Directors for USTFCCCA

Kathleen Raske

By the Numbers

3 NCAA Division 1 Top 25 Team Finishes

18 Conference Coach of the Year

38 All-Americans

226 NCAA Final and Preliminary Qualifiers

20 Conference Team Champions

300 Individual Conference Champions

703  All-Conference

1,496 All-Time Top 10