Ashford Track & Field/Cross Country Camps
Coaching Staff
Tyson Graham
Assistant Coach
Following a series of coaching moves effective in mid-2009, Graham enters his third season at the controls of an emerging Ashford cross country program this fall while contributing to the track and field team's rapid development as an assistant coach.
Graham recently completed USATF Level II Certification in Endurance over the summer of 2010, taking place in Philadelphia, Pa. He also serves as the Midwest Collegiate Conference men's and women's cross country chairman.
Graham also takes on multiple roles as an Associate USATF Racewalk Official and as an active USATF Iowa Racewalk member in addition to his responsibilities at Ashford.
In the short time Graham has taken over the Ashford program, he has overseen the development of NAIA National Championship qualifiers, Andrew Drinkall and Doug Powers. Four student-athletes under his guidance have reached the record books with top-10 performances and two teams have been noted with plenty of Academic All-MCC selections.
In the track and field season Coach Graham oversees the 800-meter through marathon runners and also serves as the racewalk coach. Graham has been a part of 13 school records, three conference records and numerous all-conference performance/academic accolades, while at Ashford. He also has had eight qualifiers at the NAIA National Championships in track & field in the past two seasons, including an NAIA All-American performance.
Graham brings a successful background to the Saints' programs where he was last a Head Girls' Cross Country/Assistant Track and Field Coach in Brooksville, Fla., at Nature Coast Tech High School.
Graham also started the cross-country squads from scratch while serving as a physical education and health instructor at Brooksville Elementary School in Florida.
Graham also coached at BGM Community Schools (Brooklyn, Iowa), Northern University Schools (Cedar Falls, Iowa) and Grace Christian Schools (Hudson, Fla.).
Graham participated in track and field and cross country while at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, graduating in 2004. Graham is currently listed as a top 10 performer all-time in the 10,000-meter run at Northwestern. He pursued a second degree at the University of Northern Iowa and ran with the UNI Track Club in 2006.
Graham resides in Clinton with his wife, Carolyn, and his sons, Noah and Emerson.
The Graham File
- Assistant Boys and Girls Cross Country Coach - Northern University Schools (2005)
- Assistant Boys Basketball Coach/Head Boys Volleyball Coach/Assistant Boys Track and Field Coach/Head Boys and Girls Basketball Coach - B.G.M. Community Schools (2006)
- Head Girls Cross Country Coach/Assistant Girls Track and Field Coach - Nature Coast Tech (Fla.) High School (2007-08)
- Head Track and Field/Cross Country Coach - Ashford University (2008-09)
- Head Cross Country/Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)\
Sheena James
Assistant Coach
James was part of a series of coaching changes and joined the Ashford University track and field staff as a full-time assistant coach in 2010. This marks her fourth year with the school after serving in a volunteer assistant capacity prior for the Saints.
James also monitors and observes the day-to-day responsibilities of the Golinvaux Fitness Center, the official weight-training center for Saints' student-athletes.
In addition to working with the track and field program as a throws specialist, James serves as Ashford's strength and conditioning specialist, working with select Saints' intercollegiate athletic programs.
A 2003 graduate of Clinton High School, James still holds the River Queens' record in the shot-put. She was a Drake Relays' champion and a state champion while at Clinton High School.
James was a four-year letterwinner in both track and field and swimming and diving. Upon graduation, she attended Purdue University, where she received a Bachelor's of Science degree in movement and sport science.
A four-year letterwinner for the Boilermakers, James held the indoor and outdoor record for shotput and also earned an individual Big Ten Conference title in outdoor shot-put with a distance of 15.98 meters.
James resides in Clinton.
The James File
- Volunteer Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2008-09)
- Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)
Audra Adams
Assistant Coach
Adams was added to the rising Ashford track and field program as a part-time assistant coach in January of 2010. She serves the team as a sprints specialist.
Adams graduated from Western Illinois University and is a former Central DeWitt Saber. At the collegiate level, she won back-to-back conference titles in the 100-meter dash and also set the Missouri Valley Conference record in that event for the Leathernecks.
In 2008, Adams was inducted into the IGHSAU Track and Field Hall of Fame for her nine state championships in the spring events (five individual, four relay) and her key role in the Sabers' team championship in 2002.
She is also the university's Employee Relations Representative and is married to AU track and field Head Coach Chris Adams. Together, they reside in Camanche with a daughter, Annalynn.
The Adams File
- Assistant Boys and Girls Track and Field Coach - Davenport Assumption High School (2008-09)
- Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)
Russell Harris
Assistant Coach
Harris, who has a high-profile career to his credit at Wartburg College, is in his second year assisting the Ashford men's and women's track and field programs while also serving the University in the admissions department.
Harris was a three-time NCAA Div. III All-American and a three-time national qualifier for the Knights in the high hurdles, leading Wartburg to a conference championship. He served as a two-year captain and was selected as the 2010 NCAA Div. III Indoor Central Region Athlete of the Year.
During his prep career at Lyons Township High School, Harris was a two-time conference and regional champion in the high hurdles. He also assisted Wartburg's Strength and Conditioning program as an intern before coming to Ashford.
Harris, a native of LaGrange, Ill., graduated with his degree in Fitness Management from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. He currently resides in Clinton.
The Harris File
- Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)
Raven Cepeda
Graduate Assistant
Cepeda officially joined the Ashford track and field staff as a graduate assistant coach in late December of 2010. His unique experiences and unparalleled success while at the University of Northern Iowa and at the national level is an unquestioned asset in the Saints' quest for all-around achievement.
Cepeda, a native of Beloit, Wis., was a standout at the University of Northern Iowa, leaving the Panthers' record books decorated as a five-time All-American, six-time NCAA qualifier, four-time regional qualifier, 16-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection and eight-time MVC champion.
Cepeda recorded the fourth-highest score in NCAA history at the time in the heptathlon in 2007, placing third at the national indoor championships in Fayetteville, Ark. He also competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., and captured a North America, Central America and Caribbean Athletic Association Championship (NACAC), also in the same year.
The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Cepeda as the Midwest Region Field Athlete of the Year following his junior campaign. He also has numerous titles in the prestigious Drake Relays and owns a handful of Missouri Valley Conference records.
Cepeda obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Movement and Exercise Science from the University of Northern Iowa in 2008. He currently resides in Clinton and will be pursuing his Master's degree in Organizational Management during his tenure at Ashford.
The Cepeda File
- Student Assistant Track and Field Coach - University of Northern Iowa (2008-09)
- Graduate Assistant Track and Field Coach - Ashford University (2010-Present)
