HAYS, Kan. - Fort Hays State head track and field/cross country coach Justin Johnson has announced the hiring of Ben Bumgarner as an assistant coach with the program. Bumgarner will primarily work with distance runners.

Bumgarner transitions to the FHSU coaching staff after a three-year stint as an assistant coach at Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa. The Arcadia athletes he coached earned 22 all-conference honors and 14 all-region awards, while breaking 55 school records across middle and long distances. He helped guide both cross country teams to their best-ever finishes at conference and regionals, while leading one athlete to the 2023 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. Additional coaching stops included one season each at State College Area High School and Waynesburg Central High School.

"I could not be more excited to welcome Ben to our staff," said Johnson. "From the moment we started talking, it was clear he shares my vision for building a distance program that competes at the highest level in the conference, while moving towards a national presence. He's going to be a tremendous addition to our team, and our student-athletes are going to benefit immediately from his expertise."
 
A distance runner himself, Bumgarner spent five seasons competing in NCAA Division I for the Nittany Lions of Penn State before completing his collegiate career at West Liberty University of NCAA Division II. He competed at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships five times, finishing 32nd in 2019 before placing 53rd at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships that same year. In his time at West Liberty, he broke the 5,000m school record (14:23.78) to earn All-Region honors and honorable mention All-MEC status.
 
A native of Waynesburg, Pa., Bumgarner completed a bachelor's degree in kinesiology at The Pennsylvania State University in 2022 before earning a master's degree in coaching and athletic administration from West Liberty University in 2024.