Jeremy Provence has completed four years as head cross country coach and assistant game operations manager at the University of North Alabama, after spending four seasons as head men's and women's cross country coach at the University of the Ozarks.
Provence joined the UNA staff on May 2, 2018.
In 2018, Provence led both the UNA men's and women's cross country teams to solid performances in the program's first year of Division I and ASUN Conference competition. Women's cross country runner Emma Knight earned All-ASUN and Academic All-ASUN honors for the Lions.
In 2019, the UNA men had a 47-32 record, including winning the school's first home meet since 2007, defeating nine schools in the UNA Invitational. Peyton Ewoldt won two ASUN Runner of the Week honors as well as being Academic All-ASUN. Brandon Lee also won two ASUN freshman of the Week awards.
The UNA women were 48-37, finished fifth in the ASUN Conference and produced All-ASUN runners in Phoebe Moon and Kara Nix and Academic All-ASUN performers in Nix and Emma Knight. Lillian Humphries won two ASUN Freshmen of the Week honors.
Both the men and women earned 2019 NCAA Division I All-Academic Team honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
In 2020, the UNA men finished fourth in the ASUN Championships for their highest finish in three years in the league. Freshman Evan Allen earned Runner of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors, while Kara Nix earned Runner of the Week honors for the UNA women, while Sage Betts was Freshman of the Week. Nix also earned Academic All-ASUN honors for a second straight year.
In 2021, Nix earned CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors, to go along with academic all-conference and all-district awards.
Both the UNA men's and women's teams earned NCAA Division I All-Academic Team honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for the 2021 season.
A native of Winfrey Valley, Ark., Provence is an accomplished runner who received a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from the University of the Ozarks in 2012 and added a master's degree in Health, Leisure, and Exercise Science with an emphasis in Exercise Science from West Florida in 2014.
A collegiate runner from 2008-11 at University of the Ozarks, Provence owns the second-fastest 8K time (25:54) in school history. He participated in four NCAA III Regional races during his career and was named to the USTFCCCA All-Region Team in 2011 as well as earning All-American Southwest Conference honors that season.
A three-time member of the American Southwest Conference All-Academic Team, Provence is the only runner in men's program history at University of the Ozarks to earn Capital One Academic All-District honors and is one of only two runners at the school to be a member of the US Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team.
Provence began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant for the men’s and women’s cross country program at the University of West Florida in 2012. He then served as a graduate assistant at UWF in 2013.
He returned to his alma mater in 2014 as head coach of the women's and men's cross country program and the men's and women's indoor and outdoor track program.
Provence led the women's and men's track program to the school's first American Southwest Conference Championship appearance and seven of his runners competed in the NCAA regional cross country championships. He had 20 runners on the American Southwest Conference Cross Country All-Academic Team and his women's cross country program was awarded the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Women's Team Academic Award (2016).
He coached the American Southwest Conference Cross Country Sportsmanship Male Athlete of the Year as well as the winner of the ASC Women's Track Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year (2017).
During the 2017 cross country season, Provence coached the ASC's Men's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year, ASC Men's Cross Country Freshman of the Year, the ASC Men's cross country individual champion, three all-conference selections, three academic all-conference honorees, four ASC Runner of the Week selections and the women's team was honored as a USTFCCCA all-academic team.
In track in 2018, Provence coached two All-ASC honorees, the ASC Women's Track Athlete of the Year, the ASC men's co-high point athlete, five individual event champions and two athlete of the week winners.
Provence continues to run competitively and has numerous wins and top 10 finishes in nine mile, 25k, half marathon and marathon events.Â
In the 2022 Boston Marathon, Provence shattered his own PR time and finished 158th out of 25,314 participants with a time of 2:31:11. He averaged 5:46 per mile.
In 2019 he won the Little Rock Marathon with a time of 2:42:23.34 and then defended his title in 2020.
In 2021 he ran the Ouachita Trail 50 mile, setting a course record in 7:01:12, and the War Eagle Trail 50k, setting a course record in 3:44:33.
Jeremy and his wife Tina have a son, Sylas.
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