Marty Owens Named Guilford College’s Director of Track & Field and Cross Country

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College Athletics Director Sue Bower appointed Marty Owens as the Quakers’ first director of cross country and track and field Thursday. Owens comes to Guilford after completing 15 years as the head cross country and head track and field coach at Susquehanna University.

Marty Owens - Guilford College

Marla Lindsay, who served as Guilford’s interim head women’s cross country and track and field coach in 2017-18, will serve as one of Owens’ two full-time assistant track and field coaches. She will work predominantly with the Quakers’ sprinters, jumpers, and hurdlers.

“We’re delighted to have Marty Owens lead Guilford’s cross country and track and field programs,” Bower said. “He has a great record of recruiting students and helping them develop into highly successful students and athletes at the Division III level.”

As Susquehanna’s head men’s track and field coach, Owens mentored six NCAA All-Americans, 36 NCAA Championship Qualifiers, three conference champions, and seven U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic selections. In his 13 seasons as head coach, Owens also mentored 10 Landmark Conference Track Athletes of the Year, six Landmark Rookies of the Year, and six Landmark Field Athletes of the Year.

On the women’s side, the River Hawks produced 25 NCAA championship qualifiers and 11 All-Americans, including Emily Lepley, the 2005 NCAA Division III national champion in the 400-meter hurdles. Owens coached two USTFCCCA Division III Mideast Region Track Athletes of the Year and 11 USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees. Owens had four Landmark Field Athletes of the Year, three Rookies of the Year, and five Track Athletes of the Year.

Susquehanna’s cross country teams also enjoyed success under Owens’ watch. The men won five Landmark Conference titles and the women garnered two. Owens also coached 2003 All-American Ryan Gleason, the second harrier so honored in Susquehanna history. Overall, Owens coached 12 NCAA Championship qualifiers and 20 USTFCCCA All-Academic competitors.

Owens won the 2005 USTFCCCA Division III Mideast Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year as well as 14 Landmark Coach of the Year honors across the six sports he coached.

Owens is a competitive marathoner and triathlete who has twice qualified for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships. He graduated from Ursinus College in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in health, physical education and recreation. Owens is a USA Triathlon-certified level triathlon coach and is a Level II USA Track and Field coach for endurance.