Ben Barber enters his third season in the fall of 2022 as Men's & Women's Head Cross Country/Track & Field Coach for the MU Lions. Hired in January 2021, Coach Barber has quickly elevated the program with his roster building efforts and energy as well as begun putting the sprints, hurdles and relays side of things on the map in the Cascade Conference. Barber also serves as an Admissions Counselor on campus.
He coached our first ever NAIA Indoor National Qualifier in the men's sprints in March 2022. Freshman Roderick Soto finished 20th overall in the Men's 400m in South Dakota. In May 2022, Coach Barber guided the men's team to 4 All-CCC performances. Soto became our first ever CCC Champion by winning both the 400m and 200m. The all-true freshman 4x100m relay of Lawson McAlister, Daniel Dixon, Jacob Ribac and Soto finished 3rd. Dixon was runner-up in the Men's 100m. His athletes have broken or set over 20 records in both indoor and outdoor track & field.
Barber competed collegiately and graduated from Greenville University in Illinoise (NCAA DIII) from 2012 to 2015. He competed in cross country, indoor and outdoor track including at the NCCAA (Christian College) Indoor and Outdoor National Championships meet all four years. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association has awarded him certification in Technical Track & Field Coaching in 2021.
He and his wife, Briana, live in Portland. The Barbers recently competed and finished the 2021 California International Marathon in December.
