Ashley Botham Joins Track and Cross Country Staff
8/9/2019 12:37:00 PM | Cross Country, Track and Field
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest director of track & field and cross country John Hayes has announced the addition of Ashley Botham to the track and cross country coaching staff. Botham will coach the Demon Deacon women's cross country and distance events.
"We are excited to welcome Ashley Botham to the Wake Forest family," said Hayes. "Her training philosophy, passion and competitive drive align well with our goals for the program, and we expect her to make an immediate positive impact. I am confident she will continue our record of improvement as we aim to be a top team in the ACC and NCAA."
"I am honored and excited to be joining such a prestigious and beautiful institution as Wake Forest University," said Botham. "As I went through the interview process with Coach Hayes and his staff, it quickly became clear that this opportunity was a great fit for my family and me. The program has a rich history of success, and I can't wait to meet the team and continue to build towards academic and athletic excellence."
Botham most recently served as head track and field and cross country coach at Purdue Fort Wayne. In two years leading the program, the women's track and field team broke seven indoor and eight outdoor school records, rewriting the top 10 lists in those events as well. In cross country, Botham was instrumental in guiding student-athlete Emma Rafuse to a 2018 Summit League Championship title and new league championship record. Rafuse went on to advance to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, where she finished 58th. It was the highest finish ever by a Mastodon at the national championship meet. Rafuse achieved additional success on the track, qualifying for the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships (East Preliminary) in both the 5K and 10K.
Botham joined the Mastodons in 2017 after serving as Indiana University PUI's top assistant for two years. As primary coach for the middle distance events, school records were broken in the 400, 800, 1500, 4x400 and Distance Medley Relay.
Prior to IUPUI, Botham was an assistant coach at Florida State University, directing the Seminoles' B team and helping FSU to a 12th place finish at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships. FSU finished second at both the ACC Cross Country Championships and South Region Cross Country Championships the same year while capping the season with a sixth place finish nationally in outdoor track.
A 2012 graduate of Grand Valley State University with a B.S. in exercise science and minor in psychology, Botham went on to earn a Master of Sport Administration degree in 2014 from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. As a student-athlete, she earned All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors and was a two-time NCAA Division II qualifier for GVSU before moving on to Belmont University. In her lone competitive season at Belmont, she earned Second Team Ohio Valley Conference honors in both track and cross country before serving as a graduate assistant during the 2013-2014 season.
Botham is currently a mentor for the USTFCCCA Female Coaches Mentorship Program. She and her husband Phil Bastron are proud parents to a Vizsla pup named Desi.
"We are excited to welcome Ashley Botham to the Wake Forest family," said Hayes. "Her training philosophy, passion and competitive drive align well with our goals for the program, and we expect her to make an immediate positive impact. I am confident she will continue our record of improvement as we aim to be a top team in the ACC and NCAA."
"I am honored and excited to be joining such a prestigious and beautiful institution as Wake Forest University," said Botham. "As I went through the interview process with Coach Hayes and his staff, it quickly became clear that this opportunity was a great fit for my family and me. The program has a rich history of success, and I can't wait to meet the team and continue to build towards academic and athletic excellence."
Botham most recently served as head track and field and cross country coach at Purdue Fort Wayne. In two years leading the program, the women's track and field team broke seven indoor and eight outdoor school records, rewriting the top 10 lists in those events as well. In cross country, Botham was instrumental in guiding student-athlete Emma Rafuse to a 2018 Summit League Championship title and new league championship record. Rafuse went on to advance to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, where she finished 58th. It was the highest finish ever by a Mastodon at the national championship meet. Rafuse achieved additional success on the track, qualifying for the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships (East Preliminary) in both the 5K and 10K.
Botham joined the Mastodons in 2017 after serving as Indiana University PUI's top assistant for two years. As primary coach for the middle distance events, school records were broken in the 400, 800, 1500, 4x400 and Distance Medley Relay.
Prior to IUPUI, Botham was an assistant coach at Florida State University, directing the Seminoles' B team and helping FSU to a 12th place finish at the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships. FSU finished second at both the ACC Cross Country Championships and South Region Cross Country Championships the same year while capping the season with a sixth place finish nationally in outdoor track.
A 2012 graduate of Grand Valley State University with a B.S. in exercise science and minor in psychology, Botham went on to earn a Master of Sport Administration degree in 2014 from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. As a student-athlete, she earned All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors and was a two-time NCAA Division II qualifier for GVSU before moving on to Belmont University. In her lone competitive season at Belmont, she earned Second Team Ohio Valley Conference honors in both track and cross country before serving as a graduate assistant during the 2013-2014 season.
Botham is currently a mentor for the USTFCCCA Female Coaches Mentorship Program. She and her husband Phil Bastron are proud parents to a Vizsla pup named Desi.
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