Office of Student Life & Athletics

Coach Taylor begins his campaign as the Indiana Northwest Men's and Women's head cross country and track coach after spending a season as an assistant coach at the University of Southern Indiana, one of the top NCAA DII programs in the country. While at USI, Taylor helped the men's cross country team to a 13th place finish at the national championships and a GLVC championship. In the spring, Taylor was in charge of the men's and women's mid-distance crew that produced 8 national qualifiers, a school record, and a 3rd place finish in the women's steeplechase at the outdoor national championships.

Prior to Southern Indiana, Taylor coached the boy's mid-distance and distance track group at Portage High School in Portage, IN. During his only season in 2006, his group produced 8 state qualifiers and 6 all-state athletes at the state level. He also qualified a 3200m relay team, a 6400m relay team, and 2 athletes in the 5000m to the Nike Outdoor Nationals that included a 3rd place finish and school record (15:02.98) at 5000m.

Before his time at Portage High School, Taylor coached the boy's and girls cross country and track & field teams at Wheeler High School in Valparaiso, IN. In his 3 years at Wheeler, he coached 7 all-state performances and three school records.

In the 2001-2002 school year, Taylor was a volunteer assistant coach for the men's cross country and track & field teams at Ball State University.

A Portage, Indiana native, Coach Taylor is a 1997 Portage High School graduate where he was a 5 time all-state athlete and twice a 3rd place finisher in the 1600m run at the Indiana state track & field championships. Also, Taylor was a member of the 1993 and 1995 state runner-up cross country teams.

Coach Taylor's college career began at Ball State University where he was 5th place in the mile at the Mid-American conference meet. After 3 semesters at Ball State, Taylor transferred to Indiana University to run for the Hoosiers. There he was a 7th place finisher at the Indoor Big 10 Championships and was a member of the 2000 NCAA D1 national cross country championships qualifying squad. Taylor was an exercise science major for his undergraduate studies, and an alpha beta academic student-athlete award winner at Indiana.