Loras College Athletics

Bob Schultz returned to Loras in 2005 to serve as the head men's and women's cross country and track and field coach. Prior to his role as head coach, Schultz was an assistant coach for the Duhawks from 1991-94. He earned his master's degree in physical education from Loras in 1994. Schultz is entering his 18th season as the Duhawks cross country coach.
 
2022 marked another successful season for Coach Schultz and the Loras Cross Country program.  Women’s Cross Country finished 2^nd in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C), 4^th in the Midwest Regional, and earned an at-large bid to Nationals where they finished 18^th.  Senior Kassie Parker finished 1^st both at the A-R-C Cross Country Championships and the NCAA National Championship, finishing with a time of 21:06:50, earning All-American status.  Parker was also named a the USTFCCCA Female Athlete of the Year and was a finalist for The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) DIII Honda Athlete of the Year.  Brianna Renner and Kaylee Osterberger also finished with All-Conference Honors. 
On the Men’s side, Schultz led the Cross Country team to another successful season.  The men finished 2^nd at the A-R-C Championships, 3^rd in the Midwest Regional, and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA National Championships where they finished 20^th.  Luke Guttormson, Wyatt Kelly, and Julian Watson finished with All-Conference honors. 

The women’s team saw tremendous success in 2021, led by Kassie Parker becoming the program’s first women’s cross country national champion and was named the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) and USTFCCCA Regional and National Athlete of the Year. She was also the program’s first women’s cross country USTFCCCA Scholar Athlete of the Year. She set the course record at the NCAA Division III National Championship in Louisville, Ky. (20:11.1) and set the school record earlier in the season, running 20:10.9. Parker also ran the school record for 5,000-meters in 17:41.94 at Luther College. The Duhawks posted a second-place team finish with two All-Conference performers at the conference meet, led by conference champion Parker and Ellie Osterberger finishing 15^th, and placed fourth at the regional meet with Ellie Osterberger and Parker both collecting All-Region finishes. The Duhawks also earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors with a team GPA of 3.54, earning the team award for the 27th-straight season.

The men’s cross country team finished second at the A-R-C Championship with three runners earning All-Conference honors in Ryan Harvey, Luke Guttormson and Julian Watson. The Duhawks placed fifth at the NCAA Division III Midwest Region Championship with four All-Region Runners in Harvey, Joey Schultz, Evan Jamrozy and Wyatt Kelly and secured an at-large bid to the national meet where they finished 29th. The Duhawks have won conference four of the past eight years, the NCAA Midwest Region Championship two of the past five seasons and qualified for the National Championships seven of the past ten seasons. 

After serving as Loras head track & field coach from 2005 to 2013, Schultz wisely passed on the reins of the program to Matt Jones who has led the Duhawks to three consecutive NCAA Division III outdoor track and field titles and the program's first indoor national championship in 2022.  Schultz’s new role was assistant coach working with the middle distance and long distance runners.  During his time as head coach, Schultz received a wide array of honors including the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (now the A-R-C) and NCAA Central Region Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2022 in men's indoor track and field. He has coached Parker to win three individual titles indoors and outdoors and and a total of 24 All-America honors in track and field. He led the men to the IIAC Indoor Championship in 2007, the Outdoor Championship in 2005 and two top-ten NCAA Indoor & Outdoor finishes. Schultz also led the women to a fifth place finish in 2007 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Loras Track & Field had a combined 60 All-Americans in men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field at Loras, including three NCAA Division III Champions during that nine-year period.
 
Loras is Schultz's third different head coaching stop. He came to Dubuque from Lewis University in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, which is his alma mater and a power in NCAA Division II. Schultz spent three years coaching at Lewis, where he was the head men’s and women’s cross country and track coach. Schultz guided the Flyers to four Great Lakes Valley Conference titles in track and field and two in cross country.
 
Schultz has also previously served as the head coach at Elmhurst College, an NCAA Division III school in his hometown of Elmhurst, Ill. There, he headed the cross country and track and field programs for eight years. Under Schultz’s leadership, the women’s cross country team went from last in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) when Schultz arrived to CCIW Conference champions and finished seventh at the National Championships in his final season. The men’s program showed significant improvement as well moving up from last in the CCIW to second in that same eight year period.
 
Schultz completed his undergraduate degree from Lewis University in 1991 after a successful career as student-athlete. He was an All-Conference runner in cross country and was a varsity member of Lewis' first NCAA Championship Qualifying team in 1988. In high school, Schultz ran for national powerhouse, York, where he was a varsity member of the 1986 IHSA State Championship Team.

Schultz and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of two sons who have run and currently run for the Duhawks, Joey ('22) and Justin (’24). They reside in Dubuque.