Bio

Austin Roark enters his fifth year as Huntington University's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, having quickly elevated the Foresters into one of the NAIA's premier programs.

Since arriving at Huntington, Roark has overseen a remarkable stretch of success highlighted by 57 NAIA All-America honors, seven individual national championships, and one national championship relay team. In 2023, the Foresters earned national recognition as the USTFCCCA NAIA Fred Beile Women's Program of the Year after a historic season that included a 13th-place finish at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships, a runner-up finish at the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championships, and a sixth-place finish at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships.

Roark arrived at Huntington with an extensive record of success after spending eight seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana Tech, where he helped the Warriors capture 11 NAIA National Championships. Widely respected within the profession, he earned five USTFCCCA NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year honors and ten USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Assistant Coach of the Year awards during his tenure.

At Indiana Tech, Roark coached 12 individual national champions and mentored athletes to 92 NAIA All-America performances. His athletes also competed on the national stage beyond the collegiate ranks, with four qualifying for the USATF National Championships.

Prior to his collegiate coaching career, Roark spent four seasons at Eastern Howard High School, including two years as head coach. There, he coached seven state qualifiers, an IHSAA state champion, and helped athletes rewrite the record book with 11 school records. He also guided the program to its second sectional championship in school history and was recognized as an Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (IATCCC) Coach of the Year nominee.

A USATF Level II Jumps Certified Coach and SafeSport Certified coach, Roark holds an Associate of Applied Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Brown Mackie College, a bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership from Indiana Tech, and an MBA from Indiana Tech.

Roark resides in Swayzee, Indiana, with his wife, Kelly, and their children, Charli and Ripley.