JMU Names Rebekah Ricksecker as Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Delethea Quarles announced Monday the addition of Rebekah Ricksecker as the head cross country coach and assistant track & field coach.

"We are extremely excited and look forward to the leadership of Coach Rebekah Ricksecker," said Quarles. "She brings great experience and knowledge that will benefit our Dukes' cross country program. We anticipate her arrival as we build and impact the Sun Belt Conference."

Ricksecker has over a decade of collegiate coaching experience, with eight years spent as a member of Liberty's track & field and cross country staff (2011-2019). From 2019-2022, Coach Ricksecker worked as the head cross country coach, head strength and conditioning coach, and adjunct professor at Sweet Briar College.

"I am so thankful to Coach Quarles for inviting me into the JMU Family and for the incredible opportunity to work with her and Coach McCown," said Ricksercker. "I am humbled for the chance to build on Coach Rinker's outstanding 23-year legacy and excited to develop such talented and motivated student-athletes. Go Dukes!"

As the head cross country coach at Sweet Briar, Ricksecker saw her team make large improvements. During the 2021 season, the average time improvement for varsity runners was 2:19 in the 6K. Coach Ricksecker also served as the school's head strength and conditioning coach for the swimming, equestrian, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey programs.

During her time at Liberty, Ricksecker helped the distance teams reach new heights. While serving as the interim head men's and women's cross country coach in 2018, both teams finished second at the ASUN Conference Championships, with Azaria Kirwa winning the individual men's title. The men's team went on to finish sixth at the NCAA Southeast Regional, its highest regional finish in 10 years. Kirwa earned an individual bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships where he placed 81^st out of 255.

Ricksecker's recruiting efforts helped build the strongest women's distance squad in program history, as the team finished 26^th in the country at the national title race in Spring 2021. It was the first cross country team in LU history to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

As an assistant cross country and track & field coach from 2012-2019, Coach Ricksecker contributed to 10 Big South Conference championships on the women's side. Additionally, her squads captured team titles at the 2018 and 2019 ECAC Indoor Track Championships. Ricksecker worked primarily with the women's program and implemented training for the men's program in the Fall of 2016 and 2018. During these eight years, Coach Ricksecker worked with four NCAA National Qualifiers, including three All-Americans.

Prior to earning a full-time position at LU, Ricksecker served as a volunteer coach for the Flames.

In addition to her strength and conditioning certification, Coach Ricksecker has also received certifications from the USTFCCCA in injury prevention and management and sports psychology.

Ricksecker was a standout student-athlete at Liberty where she claimed five Big South individual titles. On the track, she qualified for the NCAA East Regional Round in the 1500m race three times and boasts the sixth-fastest 1500m time in program history at 4:24.78. In her senior cross country season, Ricksecker finished 11^th at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, earning her all-region honors. Ricksecker was voted track and cross country team captain from 2008-2010.

Coach Ricksecker received a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Randolph College in June 2021. At Liberty, she earned a master's degree in English in December 2011 and a bachelor's degree in education in December 2009.

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