14 time NCAA Division II Southeast Region Head Coach of the Year and South Dakota native Jim Vahrenkamp, has been named head track and field and cross country coach at the University of North Dakota.

Vahrenkamp comes to UND from NCAA Division II Queens (N.C.) University. where he has spent the last nine years as director of track and field and cross-country and produced 21 South Atlantic Conference (SAC) team championships including two SAC triple crowns, 61 NCAA All-Americans to go along with a NCAA champion in five different individual events.

In addition to Queens’ 21 conference championships, Vahrenkamp’s teams finished second as a team in conference championships on nine occasions.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to lead the University of North Dakota track and field and cross-country programs,” Vahrenkamp said. “I want to continue to build on the body of work that previous coaches and student athletes have established. The investment in facilities is something that excites me. I want to share that investment with the region and the state as we work tirelessly to promote the sport of track and field.”

Prior to his time at with the Royals, he was an assistant track and field and cross country coach at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D from 2009-2012 where he was a part of two women’s Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference team championships as well as the 2012 women’s NCAA cross country championship team.

He spent the 2008-2009 season as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Emory University where he was part of the University Athletic Association coaching staff of the year after winning the conference indoor championship. Vahrenkamp also spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of South Dakota from 2006-2008.