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Geoff Wayton has helped the Rose-Hulman cross country programs rewrite the record books in his eight seasons on the Fightin’ Engineer coaching staff. He also serves as the distance coach and sprint relays coach for the nationally recognized Rose-Hulman men's and women's track and field programs.
Wayton led the men's and women's cross country teams to their first sweep of both Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championships in 2017. The historic season included the first men's Little State team championship and best women's Little State team finish in program history. The double wins in cross country served as a catalyst for the first double-triple crown in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference History.
The men's cross country team has captured HCAC championships in five of the past seven seasons, including the 2020-21 campaign. Wayton also helped the men’s cross country team earn its first NCAA Division III National Championship appearance since 1974 in the fall of 2014. The men’s squad finished third in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional to qualify for the 2014 National Championships.
Wayton is also an experienced meet director, having played an instrumental role in transforming Terre Haute into Cross Country Town USA. He directed the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Wayton also served as the Meet Director for the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional Championships from 2007-15. In the fall of 2015, Wayton served as Meet Director for the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships.
On the women’s side, in his first season at Rose-Hulman (2013-2014) Wayton coached Ryann-Rebecca Montgomery to the program’s 2nd individual HCAC championship in cross country, and the highest individual place (3rd) at the NCAA Division III Great Lakes in program history. Montgomery went on to place 71st at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships.
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Wayton's Record at Rose-Hulman
| Year |
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HCAC Men |
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HCAC Women |
| 2013 |
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2nd |
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6th |
| 2014 |
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1st |
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5th |
| 2015 |
|
1st |
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6th |
| 2016 |
|
2nd |
|
4th |
| 2017 |
|
1st |
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1st |
| 2018 |
|
1st |
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3rd |
| 2019 |
|
2nd |
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3rd |
| 2020 |
|
1st |
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2nd |
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In 2014, Ryann-Rebecca set Rose-Hulman school records in the Mile (4:59.65) and 3,000 meters (9:59.38), while becoming the second woman to represent Rose-Hulman at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championships. Outdoors, Montgomery set school records in the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter runs, and finished the year with four individual HCAC individual crowns.
On the track, Wayton's distance runners have posted 17 school records during his first eight years on campus. At the conclusion of 2021’s Outdoor HCAC season, Wayton has coached 73 individual HCAC champions.
Wayton has coached 5 school-record sprint relays during his time at Rose-Hulman. The women’s 4 x 200 meter relay broke the school record indoors in 2016, then won the HCAC title the following indoor season (2017). The women’s 4 x 200m relay successfully defended their title in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. 2019’s team set a new school record of 1:46.44. The men’s 4 x 200 meter relay broke the school record in back-to-back years at the HCAC indoor championships in 2016 and 2017. The 2017 team also broke the All-Time HCAC record (1:30.35). The 2019 Men’s team returned to top of the podium by winning the HCAC title in 1:31.88. Outdoors, the Men’s 4 x 100 meter relay broke a 32 year old school record in 2017 and the women won the 4 x 100 meter relay at the 2018 HCAC Championships. The 2021 Outdoor 4 x 100m relay returned to the top of the podium once again.
Wayton came to Rose-Hulman after spending the last eight seasons on the coaching staff at Indiana State University. At Indiana State, Wayton served on the staff of 13 Missouri Valley Conference Championship teams. Working primarily with sprints and relays, Wayton coached 12 individual Missouri Valley Conference champions, 96 All MVC performers, 14 NCAA Mid-East regional qualifiers, and NCAA East Preliminary Round Qualifiers in the women’s 100m, Women’s 200m, Women’s 4 x 100m relay, Men’s 200m, Men’s 1500m, Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase, and Men’s 10,000m.
Wayton coached Katie Wise to the finals of the 100m dash at the 2013 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field championships, and Jeremiah Vaughn to the prestigious Drake Relays 1500m title in 2012. In his own running career, Wayton became the first Indiana State distance runner to capture an individual league title at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, was twice named all-district in cross country, and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Centennial Team in 2007.
Coach Wayton has been fortunate to serve on the staff of 39 conference championship teams at both Indiana State University (Missouri Valley) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference). Rose-Hulman has won the HCAC “Triple-Crown” (Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track and Field Championships) six times since 2014. Rose-Hulman’s Cross Country and Track and Field programs accomplished the rare “Double Triple-Crown” in 2017-2018 by winning both the Men’s and Women’s HCAC Triple-Crowns.
A native of Linwood, New Jersey, Wayton is a 1995 graduate of Mainland Regional High School where he was all-state in cross country three times, won a state championship in the 3200 meters, and was South Jersey Runner-of-the-Year in 1993.
Wayton is married to former Indiana State cross country All-American Jessica Crowder-Wayton. Geoff and Jessica are the proud parents of Kurt Michael Wayton, age 8, and Stella Whitney Wayton, age 1.
Coach Wayton is actively involved in the Terre Haute community and presently serves as Jr. Warden at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Terre Haute. He currently serves on the board of Wabash Valley Riverscape, Manna from Seven, and serves as President of the Lincolnshire/Woodshire HOA.
