AUSTIN, Texas — St. Edward's Athletics welcomes Chase Rathke as its new head cross country and track and field coach, Director of Athletics Dr. Jim Sarra announced.
Rathke is the fourth head coach in modern program history, bringing over six years of collegiate coaching experience and success across all three NCAA Divisions, as well as a decorated, All-American collegiate career as a track and field athlete for Tarleton State University during its time in the Lone Star Conference.
"We're thrilled to have Chase Rathke joining the Hilltop to continue to elevate the cross country and track programs," Dr. Sarra says. "He's helped elevate programs at each of his two previous stops, he's familiar with the Lone Star Conference and recruiting in Texas, and he knows what it takes to reach the levels we aspire to—competing for championships and setting the standard for excellence. Chase aligns with our mission to empower student-athletes as tomorrow's leaders through personal development and our Holy Cross values. His leadership reflects our commitment to accountability, integrity, and respect—core values that define who we are and what we stand for as a department."
Rathke joins St. Edward's after several successful seasons at his alma mater. Tarleton State hired Rathke in June 2022 to coach the distance runners and elevated him to interim head cross country and track and field coach in December 2023.
In Rathke's first season at Tarleton State, the Texans produced seven school records and 17 academic all-conference performances, with six individual event champions in the Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and three medalists at the WAC Indoor Championships. The men's cross country earned its first USTFCCCA regional ranking of its Division I era.
The following year, Tarleton State posted two WAC individual champions, 54 academic all-conference performances, and 24 school records while maintaining a cumulative team GPA of 3.05 or better for all the men's and women's cross country and track and field programs.
Before Tarleton State, Rathke helped transition UT Tyler from NCAA Division III's American Southwest Conference to NCAA Division II's Lone Star Conference. In UT Tyler's final year in the ASC, Rathke led the men's and women's teams to first and second-place finishes in the 2018 ASC Cross Country Championships.
The Patriots set 16 school records, produced 24 all-conference athletes, and claimed one individual champion during Rathke's tenure, qualifying for the 2020 National Invite after the Fall Championships were canceled due to COVID-19, and placing seventh.
Rathke began his coaching career at Center High School from August 2016 through May 2018, leading the program to its first back-to-back district titles and state championship appearances, producing its first four collegiate runners.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Fitness Management from Tarleton State in 2016. As a student-athlete, he was the 2014 NCAA Division II 1500-meter Outdoor Track and Field National Champion and 2015 Indoor Track LSC Athlete of the Year, with 11 All-LSC performances, eight conference individual championships, and six NCAA Division II All-American honors in indoor and outdoor track and field.
"I'm incredibly honored to be named the Head Track and Cross Country Coach at St. Edward's University," Rathke says. "I want to thank Dr. Sarra for this incredible opportunity and for believing in my vision for the program. I'm also deeply grateful to my wife, Kourtney, whose unwavering support makes it all possible. I can't wait to get to work and build something special here on the Hilltop."
St. Edwards' cross country opens its season on September 6 at the UT Tyler Cross Country Open.
