The American University track and cross country program, competing at the Division I level as a member of the Patriot League, has a history of excellence on the track and in the classroom.
Coming off record-breaking track and cross country campaigns — including multiple Patriot League champions, podium finishes, and men's cross country reaching the podium for the first time since 2013 — American continues to strive for competitive and academic ambition, as well as personal growth.
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Where Do We Run?
Contrary to popular belief, running in Washington, D.C., doesn't mean you're bound to city sidewalks. The DMV has a variety of prime running locations featuring paths, trails, soft surfaces, and beautiful views.
PROGRAM QUICK FACTS
- 31 NCAA Championship appearances
- 8 Patriot League cross country championships
- 97 individual Patriot League champions
- 4 NCAA champions
- 20 All-Americans
- 1 CoSIDA Academic All-American
- 255 All-Patriot League finishers
- 58 Academic All-PL selections
- 11 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors
- 617 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll recipients
- 8 Patriot League Coach of the Year honors
- 9 Patriot League Coaches of the Year
UNIVERSITY QUICK FACTS
- Location: Washington, D.C.
- Enrollment:14,311 (8,287 undergrads)
- Mascot: Eagles
- Colors: Red, white, and blue
- Home Facility: Bender Arena
- Athletic Director: JM Caparro
- University President: Jonathan Alger
- Average class size: 23
- Student-to-Teacher Ratio: 12:1
- 70+ Undergraduate Degrees
- 150+ Student Clubs and Organizations
- Acceptance rate is 29%, making AU "more selective" by U.S. News & World Report
- First university in the U.S. to be carbon neutral
PATRIOT LEAGUE
American competes in the Patriot League, which is located in the Northeast Region and is comprised of 10 private institutions for higher education.
American competes in the Patriot League, which is located in the Northeast Region and is comprised of 10 private institutions for higher education.
The Eagles have earned eight Patriot League cross country team titles since joining the conference in 2001. The program has featured nine individual champions in cross country, 48 in indoor track, and 40 in outdoor track.
2025: REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
The Eagles had a historic campaign in 2025, the Eagles broke program records 20 times and added 120 new times to the top-10 all-time list.
The women's sprints top-10 lists were overhauled both indoors and outdoors. Lorelei Bangit broke her own program records more than a dozen times, and earned Patriot League indoor and outdoor 400 meter silver medals as well as a bronze medal in the 4x100 relay. Tamara Dorval cemented herself atop the 60 meter and 100 meter all-time lists, earning PL scoring finishes in both events.
On the men's side, Carver Morgan swept the indoor and outdoor Patriot League titles in the 800 meters. Kaden Kluth became AU's first four-minute miler and went on to win PL gold in the 1500 meters. Both qualified for the NCAA First Round, AU's first regional competitors on the track since 2019.
HEAD COACH SEAN GRAHAM
Sean Graham is in his ninth year at the helm of the AU Track & Cross Country program. With a total of 17 years of Division I coaching under his belt, Graham has led the Eagles to success on both the conference and national level. Under Graham's tutelage, the Eagles have steadily been re-writing the program record books. In the 2025 track season alone, his athletes ran 120 new program top-10 times. Before he established himself as one of the premier coaches in the U.S., Graham was first one of the top distance runners in the country. An All-American finisher during his time at William & Mary ('03), he went on to compete post-collegiately with the Nike Farm team in Palo Alto, Calif., and the Nike Oregon Track Club Elite in Eugene, Ore., where he qualified for two U.S. Olympic Trials and was a top-10 finisher at three U.S. Track Championships.
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH / RECRUITING COORDINATOR ZACH PRESCOTT
Zach Prescott is in his fourth year at AU, joining the program for a second time after serving as volunteer assistant coach in 2020-21 then spending a year as the Director of Track and Field Operations at Navy. In his time at AU, he has coached several athletes to personal bests and conference scoring, and brought athletes like Patriot League XC Rookie of the Year freshman Shealyn Brochu to AU with immediate impact. No stranger to the Patriot League, Prescott had a successful career at Boston University, first as a walk-on and then as a scholarship student-athlete. As a senior, he was fifth at the Patriot League Championships in the 3000m steeplechase, picking up a new PR of 9:07.85. He was a six-time Patriot League academic honor roll selection and graduated in 2019 with a degree in business administration and management.
ASSISTANT COACH MADISON NEUNER
Madison Neuner joined American University in August of 2024 as an assistant coach and athletic communications assistant. In their first year with AU, Neuner, a steeplechase specialist, helped three steeplechasers run multiple personal bests throughout the season, including seeing senior Danny O’Neill place sixth in the steeple at the Patriot League Championships. Madison had a successful career as a college athlete, running for Northeastern University then as a grad transfer at Syracuse University. While at Syracuse, they contributed to the Orange’s first NCAA cross country Northeast Regional win since 2011, qualifying for the NCAA Championships. In outdoor track, they earned ACC First Team honors with a runner-up finish in the steeplechase. Their steeple PR of 9:48.82 qualified them for the 2024 Olympic Trials.
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
American University is 90-acre, private institution located in the Tenleytown neighborhood. AU has eight schools and colleges: School of International Service, School of Arts and Sciences, Kogod School of Business, School of Communication, School of Professional and Extended Studies, School of Public Affairs, School of Education, and the Washington College of Law. For more information about our academic programs, click here.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
American University is located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. On the banks of the Potomac River, bordering both Maryland and Virginia, Washington D.C. is one of the most visited cities in the world. For more information about Washington, D.C., click here.