Successful programs tend to stay in-house for coaching changes, which is precisely what Colorado State head track and field coach Brian Bedard had in mind with the promotion of Andrew Epperson to cross country and distance head coach, a move he announced Wednesday.
After 10-year CSU cross country and distance head coach Art Siemers announced his retirement back in April, everyone knew who'd be the rightful heir to the Ram distance coach throne. Epperson has been as assistant at CSU under Siemers' tutelage for five years since 2017 – a span which has produced the program's only back-to-back top-10 national finishes for men's cross country, a Mountain West title in men's cross, two NCAA appearances for women's cross after a 13-year hiatus and seven total conference track titles.
"Coach Epperson aka "Eppy" has earned the opportunity to lead the CSU cross country and distance program," Bedard said. "He's been a servant leader to our program for five years while demonstrating his ability to coach, recruit and build trust and report with the student-athletes. Coach Siemers mentored Andrew for this opportunity and I look forward to seeing his imprint on the program over the years."
The Siemers-Epperson connection started well before 2017 though and just down the road in Golden, Colo., at the Colorado School of Mines. Epperson, a two-time NCAA Division II All-American in cross country for the Orediggers, was coached and recruited by none other than his predecessor. Siemers was the head coach for cross country and distance from 2002-05 before taking the helm of the whole program from 2005-2012 until he started at CSU. Meanwhile, Epperson completed his mechanical engineering degree in the fall of 2013 and used his last eligibility in track the following spring. While kicking around some engineering jobs and pursuing a master's degree at Mines – mechanical engineering with a biomechanics focus – Epperson stayed connected with his old program as a volunteer coach. By spring 2015, Epperson had two degrees in hand, but couldn't step away from the sport.
In the fall of 2015, Epperson joined the Orediggers full-time as an assistant coach under a Siemers, but this time not Art. After Art left for the Rams, his younger brother, Chris, was elevated from an assistant role to be the interim and eventual head distance coach of Mines. Epperson proceeded to spend the next three years with his alma mater, helping lead the 2015 men's cross country program to the school's first-ever NCAA championship in any sport, as well as the school's first indoor conference title in men's track and field in 2016. Aside from the men's cross title, the Oredigger men had two other top-five national finishes, while the women finished in the top 20 each season during Epperson's tenure. In all, Epperson coached his distance athletes to 46 total All-America honors, including 11 cross country runners and 35 members in track and field.
Epperson, originally from Houston, graduated from Cypress Springs High School in 2009.
"I am thrilled to step into the head coaching role and lead the Rams this fall," Epperson said. "I want to thank Coach Bedard for trusting me with this responsibility and his confidence in my progression as an assistant. I would also like to thank Art Siemers for his guidance and trust over the last five years as his assistant, and nine years I have known him as a coach and friend. I have been fortunate to have been a part of the Ram championship culture and look forward to continuing the distance teams' momentum. Siemers has provided me with a fundamental love and understanding for the sport, which I intend to keep paying forward to the student-athletes. I eagerly await the upcoming cross country season and look forward to my new role at Colorado State."
Since reuniting with Art in 2017 at CSU, the two showed consistent success. To start, the men's cross country team led by individual champion Jerrell Mock won the Mountain West title for the first time in school history and then proceeded to place ninth at nationals in 2017 and 2018 for the best two-year period in the program's history. The women's side started to show strides in the 2020-21 COVID spring cross season when the Rams earned their first trip to nationals since 2007 and finished 23rd. The Rams made it back-to-back NCAA appearances with their 17th-place finish this past fall in 2021.
The distance Rams have accrued two indoor conference individual champions and eight outdoor conference individual champions since Epperson's first track season in 2018. Additionally, the coaching duo has directed four All-Americans – Jacob Brueckman, Cole Rockhold, Grant Fischer and Eric Hamer – to 10 honors between the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Most recently, Brueckman finished 14th in the 1,500 meters at NCAAs in early June.
Hamer's 2021 campaign was memorable in and out. He reestablished his 5K school record in his runner-up performance at NCAA Indoor Championships, garnering the Mountain West Men's Indoor Student-Athlete of the Year Award. The outdoor season came in stride. Hamer swept the conference 5K and 10K to earn the MW Outstanding Performer of the Meet en route to helping the Ram men win their fourth-straight conference title. At nationals, he doubled the 5K and 10K, resetting school records in both, and placing fifth in the latter to sure up the MW Outdoor Student-Athlete of the Year Award.
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