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Cross Country
One name is synonymous with the strong Panther track and field tradition of success: Chris Bucknam. Now in his 25th season as head track and field coach and fifth season as head cross country coach and Director of Running Programs, Bucknam has helped UNI develop into one of the strongest running schools in the nation. Since his arrival in 1979 as an assistant to long-time head coach Lynn King, the Panthers have won or shared 35 conference titles. After being promoted to head coach in 1984, Bucknam has taken the Panther track and field program to new levels. He has produced two national champions and an outstanding 53 all-Americans in the 109 qualifiers he has sent to the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Bucknam has coached numerous athletes into the national spotlight. Joey Woody, a three-time UNI all-American and national champion in the 400-meter hurdles, continues to compete around the world. He placed second in the 400-meter hurdles at 2003 World Championships and was a member of the 1999 World Champion 4x400-meter relay team. Former UNI pole vaulter Jacob Pauli took the 2001 NCAA National Championship and is also a member of five all-American teams. Cedar Falls native Dirk Homewood became an MVC favorite under Bucknam's guidance. Homewood (2001-05) earned nine Valley Championships and three all-American honors. Bucknam coached back-to-back MVC men's cross country champions in Mate Nemeth (2000) and Balazs Csillag (2001). Csillag also earned three MVC Track Championships and was a two-time track all-American in the distance medley and 3,000 meters. Former long jumper and pentathlete Dianna Leftridge claimed six Valley Championships, a UNI women's record, and took all-American honors in the long jump in 1995. In 2002, Bucknam and his staff took their men's program to new heights when the Panthers placed 12th at the NCAA Indoor Championships. The five Panthers honored as all-Americans at the meet were fuel for Bucknam's fire. In the past six seasons he has coached 24 all-Americans. "Our ultimate goal with our athletes is to get them to reach their full potential individually and that is how we measure ourselves as a coaching staff," Bucknam said. "When we are able to do that and get everyone to do that at the right time that is when the championships come together." In 1991, Bucknam oversaw UNI's move to the Missouri Valley Conference, where the Panthers have since left their mark. In fact, in the 15 years since joining the conference, UNI has the best average finish in the league on the men's side, claiming 17 titles, 12 runner-up finishes, five thirds and three fourths. UNI has crowned an outstanding 213 Missouri Valley Conference Champions under Bucknam and has continually sent athletes to compete at the NCAA Championships. Bucknam's success is evident not only to UNI but to the nation as well. Bucknam was awarded District V Coach of the Year and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year in 1995 after the Panthers won the MVC Outdoor Championships. He boasts 17 Missouri Valley Coach of the Year awards and was honored as the United States Track Association's Midwest Regional Coach of the Year for the seventh time after the men won their 2006 MVC Indoor title and placed 18th at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He earned the honor again in 2007 following the Panthers' eighth consecutive Valley title and ninth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Bucknam's men's and women's squads combined to win 35 MVC titles in indoor and outdoor compeition in 2007. Prior to joining the Valley, Bucknam was named the top coach in the Mid-Continent Conference nine times. A native of Beverly, Mass., Bucknam attended Norwich University in Northfield, Vt., where he was a four-time letter winner in track, specializing in the middle distances. He was elected co-captain his senior year and graduated in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He earned his master's in physical education from UNI in 1982. Bucknam and his wife, Cindy, reside in Cedar Falls with their son, Eric, and daughter, Kate. The Bucknam File Education: - B.S. Physical Education, Norwich, 1978 - M.S. Physical Education, UNI, 1982 Coaching Experience: - UNI Assistant Men's Track and Field/Cross Country, 1979-1984 - UNI Head Men's Track and Field/Cross Country, 1984-Present - UNI Head Women's Track and Field/Cross Country, 1997-Present Coaching Honors: - United States Track Coaches Association Midwest Coach of the Year: 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 - MVC Indoor Coach of the Year: 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 - MVC Outdoor Coach of the Year: 1995, 1998, 2000, 2005, 2007 - MVC Cross Country Coach of the Year: 1992, 1997, 2000, 2001 - Mid-Continent Conference Indoor Coach of the Year: 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990 - Mid-Continent Conference Outdoor Coach of the Year: 1986 - Mid-Continent Cross Country Coach of the Year: 1984, 1987, 1988, 1990 Bucknam's Championship History MVC Men's Indoor: 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 MVC Men's Outdoor: 1998, 2000, 2005, 2007 MVC Men's Cross Country: 1992, 1997, 2001, 2003 MVC Women's Indoor: 2002 MVC Women's Cross Country: 2000 Mid-Continent Men's Cross Country: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988, 1990 |
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