Entering his fifth year as head coach of the Tennessee Tech cross country and track & field teams, Wayne Angel has already established himself as a pioneer of each of the three programs during his short tenure. Following the 2017-18 seasons, Angel's contract was extended through the 2020-21 athletic year.

In 2018, his first four years of building the program culminated in not one, but two historical seasons. In February, the indoor track & field team made school history, claiming its first-ever Ohio Valley Conference title by scoring more than 30 points more than runner-up Eastern Kentucky. The Golden Eagles scored 137 points, including a whopping 102 on the second and final day alone.

Tech claimed eight event titles during the event, led by a whopping three titles from senior Micayla Rennick. Named the OVC Female Indoor Track Athlete of the Year prior to the Championships, Rennick captured gold in the mile run, 800m run and 3000m run to also take home OVC Women’s Athlete of the Championship honors. Both were firsts in program history.

Angel was honored as the OVC Indoor Coach of the Year for the second straight year.

Less than three months later, it was the outdoor track & field team’s turn in making school history, capturing the program’s first-ever title. The Golden Eagles dominated the OVC Outdoor Championships, producing 151 points for an eye-popping 50-point lead over runner-up Murray State.

Once again, Rennick was the shining star for the Tech squad, medaling in all four events she competed in. The senior, who took home OVC Female Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year honors, was a cinch for the OVC Women’s Athlete of the Championship again after winning the 1500m and 10,000m runs and placing second in the 800m and 5000m runs.

She became just the third student-athlete since Athlete of the Championship was first awarded in 2005 – to win all four awards in a single year. Angel also captured the OVC Outdoor Coach of the Year award after his team became one of just seven OVC programs ever to sweep both the indoor and outdoor championships in a single season.

In the 2017 women’s cross country season, it was a newcomer to the squad that quickly set the tone for the team. Freshman Purity Sanga earned OVC Women’s Freshman of the Year after leading Tech in each of the four events she competed prior to the OVC Championships. She claimed a sixth-place finish in the league’s event, but it marked just the tip of the iceberg for her postseason run.

Sanga took the NCAA South Regional by storm, turning in an incredible eighth-place finish to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. She became the first women’s cross country student-athlete from Tennessee Tech to compete at the NCAA Championships and eventually earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors following the season.

On the men’s side, a sophomore who had already re-written the Golden Eagle record books as a freshman was dominant for much of the season. The owner of the school’s top times in the 6K, 8K and 10K, Gilbert Boit was unstoppable early, capturing first-place finishes in the team’s first three events.

He earned OVC Men’s Athlete of the Year and placed sixth at the OVC Championships. He followed it up with a 13^th-place showing at the NCAA South Regional, narrowly missing out on a bid to the NCAA Championships while earning All-Region honors.

In 2017, the indoor and outdoor track & field teams showed signs of things to come in turning, at the time, the highest finishes at the OVC Championships in program history. The indoor squad conquered behind brilliant performances across the board, finishing in second place and just 14 points behind Eastern Illinois. The result was the first OVC Coach of the Year honors for Angel.

The outdoor team turned in a day for the ages on the third and final day of the OVC Championships, jumping from 10^th to a third-place finish, the school’s highest, behind 91 points total points. Thanks to their spectacular times throughout the season, Na’Asha Robinson and D’Airrien Jackson were invited to take part in the NCAA East Preliminaries.

Robinson kept her season alive, becoming the first female runner in Tech history to advance to the NCAA Championships, qualifying in the 400-meter dash. She finished 15^th in the NCAA Semifinals.

As for the 2016 men’s cross country team, Boit established himself as the best runner in Tech history early as a freshman, going on to win OVC Male Freshman of the Year honors and the OVC Men’s Cross Country Championship. He went on to finish 11^th overall at the NCAA South Regionals, claiming a place on the All-Region team.

In 2016, the women’s cross country continued to trend up in its progress, earning its highest finish at the OVC Championships in six years. Rennick, a junior at the time, placed sixth at the league meet, turning in a school-record time for the 5K in the process.

Angel was named the head coach of the Tennessee Tech cross country and track & field teams in July, 2014.

He immediately made a splash, recruiting a sophomore runner from Florida A&M to lead the men’s team, Geoffrey Sambu. The newcomer gave Tech fans a glimpse of what was to come in the future, immediately establishing himself as one of the best distance runners in program history.

Sambu recorded four of the five best 8K times in school history, breaking his own school record while finishing 13^th at the NCAA South Regional Cross Country Championships. It marked the highest finish in program history and his selection to the All-Region team was also a first for the program.

Prior to his arrival at Tech, Angel served as the head man at Florida A&M for four years. He also led multiple programs at Illinois, Iowa, Wichita State, UT Martin and Pike High School in Indianapolis.

At Florida A&M, Angel coached Kenyan Elias Chesire to two National Athlete of the Week honors in cross country. He had two Rattlers earn All-America honors in the long jump and triple jump. His cross country teams won two MEAC conference championships and a runnerup honor in the four years while at FAMU, earning him two Coach of the Year honors. He coached 15 individual MEAC champions, six outstanding performers of the MEAC Championships, 40 all-MEAC performers and two All-South Region award winners in cross country. His men's cross country team was ranked as high as eighth in the South Region of the United States in 2012 and 2013.

While at Illinois, Angel coached future (London) Olympian and 110m hurdles national champion Andrew Riley. Under his guidance, sprinter Gakologewang Masheto earned numerous All-American and Big Ten honors in the 400 meters. He also earned a spot on the Botswana Olympic team competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics; becoming the third Olympian that Angel has coached. In 2008, Masheto made headlines when he set the NCAA collegiate record in the 500-meter dash.

Angel established himself as one of the top middle distance and sprint coaches in the Big Ten while he was at Illinois. He coached six All-Americans who earned 17 total All-American awards, 30 individual Big Ten champions, one NCAA Regional champion, 70 All-Big Ten honorees and two Olympic Trials qualifiers. His mile relay unit took second place at LSU in the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2006. The Illini men's track team finished 23rd at the NCAA Championships that year.

Angel earned two Central Collegiate Coach of the Year honors and was a two-time sprint coach at World Scholar-Athlete Games in 1997 and 2001. He also served as an assistant sprint coach for Latvia at the 2001 World Track & Field Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Coach Angel takes great pride in having coached six 800-meter runners under 1:50 (1:46.43; 1:47.80; 1:48.20; 1:47.81; 1:49.54; and 1:48.89) and three 400-meter hurdlers who have run 50 seconds or better (:49.60; :49.81; and :50.01). His coaching prowess extends beyond the 400m and 800m. In 2005 and 2006, he coached two of the top mile relays in the country (3:06.79 in/3:04.64 out).

During his brief stint at Iowa as the head cross country coach and assistant track coach, he guided Hawkeye Sarah Arens to an NCAA championship berth and school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Angel also coached a nationally ranked distance medley relay group during that period.

At Wichita State, Angel was the head cross country coach and assistant track coach. He trained two of the nation's top 800-meter runners indoors, Viktors Lacis (1:48.63) and Solomon Birir (1:48.81), to appearances at the NCAA Indoor Championships. His middle distance runners were also dominant at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships as they swept the top three spots. Lacis, a two-time Olympian, also placed third at the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles with a time of :49.60, setting a school record and earning All-American honors. Lacis went on to win the Latvia National Championships in the 400-meter hurdles that year. Angel's Shocker women's cross country team was runnerup in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships and was ranked as high as 28th in the United States and third in the Midwest Region.

Before entering the college coaching ranks, Angel was a highly successful head track and field coach at Pike High School in Indianapolis, Ind., from 1993-1998. He led his 1997 girl’s team to an undefeated season (15-0), the Indiana State High School Championship and a No. 17 national ranking. The team was state runner-up in 1998. Angel's Red Devils won three conference and four regional championships during his tenure. He also received numerous Coach of the Year honors during this period.

Angel's collegiate coaching career began in 1998 when he became the head men's and women's cross country coach and assistant men's and women's track and field coach at UT Martin. He guided one first-team all-OVC performer and three school-record setters.

A Rantoul, Illinois native, Angel earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois where he was a two-time Big Ten champion and former school record holder in the 400-meter hurdles. He competed in two Olympic Trials (1980/Eugene. Ore. and 1984/Los Angeles). He is a three-time gold medalist at the World Military Games and a seven-time Inter-Service champion. He currently holds the Armed Forces record in the 400-meter hurdles (:49.92). The Golden Eagle coach is a member of two Halls of Fame (Parkland College Hall of Fame and the Rantoul [Ill.] High School Hall of Fame). He is also a Distinguished Honor Graduate of the U.S. Army's Air Assault School. He earned the elite and coveted Army Ranger tab as well as his Airborne wings.

Angel is married to the former Tammy Johnson of Jefferson, City, Tenn. He has seven children – Brian, Danielle, Christie, Jason, Wayne, Geoffrey and Raven – and six grandchildren.

GOLDEN EAGLE AWARD WINNERS / MEDALISTS UNDER COACH ANGEL
2014-15
Men's Cross Country		Women's Cross Country		Indoor Track & Field		Outdoor Track & Field
OVC Male Runner of the Week 2X Geoffrey Sambu		OVC Female Runner of the Week Yeshi Dohrmann
All-South Region Geoffrey Sambu
2015-16
Men's Cross Country		Women's Cross Country		Indoor Track & Field		Outdoor Track & Field
				OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week Sarah Brandt		OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week D'Airrien Jackson
				OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week Na'Asha Robinson		OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week 2X Na'Asha Robinson
				OVC Freshman of the Year Na'Asha Robinson		OVC Freshman of the Year D'Airrien Jackson
				OVC Champion (400-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson		OVC Champion (400-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson
				OVC Champion (800-Meter) Sarah Brandt		OVC Champion (800-Meter) D'Airrien Jackson
2016-17
Men's Cross Country		Women's Cross Country		Indoor Track & Field		Outdoor Track & Field
OVC Male Runner of the Week 2X Gilbert Boit		All-OVC First Team Micayla Rennick		OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week 2X Micayla Rennick		OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week 2X D'Airrien Jackson
OVC Men's Freshman of the Year Gilbert Boit				OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week Na'Asha Robinson		OVC Champion (200-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson
All-OVC First Team Gilbert Boit				OVC Champion (200-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson		OVC Champion (400-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson
OVC Men's Athlete of the Championship Gilbert Boit				OVC Champion (400-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson		OVC Champion (400-Meter Relay) D'Airrien Jackson, Sharnique Leonce Crystal Liebenberg, Na'Asha Robinson
All-South Region Team Gilbert Boit				OVC Champion (4X400-Meter Relay) D'Airrien Jackson, Jaydean Joseph Sharnique Leonce, Na'Asha Robinson		USTFCCCA Outdoor All-American Second Team Na'Asha Robinson
				OVC Champion (Distance Medley Relay) Sarah Brandt, Jaydean Joseph Micayla Rennick, Madison Stremler
				OVC Champion (Pentathlon) Sharnique Leonce
2017-18
Men's Cross Country		Women's Cross Country		Indoor Track & Field		Outdoor Track & Field
OVC Male Runner of the Week 3X Gilbert Boit		OVC Female Runner of the Week Purity Sanga		OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week 2X D'Airrien Jackson		OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week Micayla Rennick
OVC Men's Athlete of the Year Gilbert Boit		OVC Women's Freshman of the Year Purity Sanga		OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week 2X Micayla Rennick		OVC Female Field Athlete of the Week  Khemani Roberts
All-OVC First Team Gilbert Boit		All-OVC First Team Purity Sanga		OVC Female Field Athlete of the Week Khemani Roberts		OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week 2X Na'Asha Robinson
All-South Region Team Gilbert Boit		All-South Region Team Purity Sanga		OVC Women's Track Athlete of the Year Micayla Rennick		OVC Women's Track Athlete of the Year Micayla Rennick
				OVC Women's Athlete of the Championship Micayla Rennick		OVC Women's Athlete of the Championship Micayla Rennick
				OVC Champion (60-Meter Dash) Lisa Wickham		OVC Champion (200-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson
				OVC Champion (200-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson		OVC Champion (400-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson
				OVC Champion (400-Meter) Na'Asha Robinson		OVC Champion (1,500-Meter) Micayla Rennick
				OVC Champion (800-Meter) Micayla Rennick		OVC Champion (10,000-Meter) Micayla Rennick
				OVC Champion (Mile Run) Micayla Rennick		OVC Champion (400-Meter Hurdles) D'Airrien Jackson
				OVC Champion (3,000-Meter) Micayla Rennick		OVC Champion (400-Meter Relay) D'Airrien Jackson, Na'Asha Robinson Ceirra Tate, Lisa Wickham
				OVC Champion (4X400-Meter Relay) D'Airrien Jackson, Khemani Roberts Na'Asha Robinson, Ceirra Tate		OVC Champion (4X400-Meter Relay) D'Airrien Jackson, Khemani Roberts Na'Asha Robinson, Ceirra Tate
				OVC Champion (Pentathlon) Khemani Roberts