Jay Walls begins his seventh season as head coach of the Midway University men's and women's cross country teams this fall. He also serves as an assistant with the Eagle track and field programs, working primarily with distance runners.
Walls was originally hired in December 2017 as the women’s track & field head coach but was elevated to head coach of the cross-country programs, a position he's held since the program's inception in 2019-20.
During his tenure as head coach of the cross country programs, Walls has led the Eagles to numerous meet victories including the 2021 River States Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship. After leading the men’s cross country team to their first conference championship in program history, Walls was named the RSC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year for his efforts.
In 2020, Walls led the women’s cross country team to a runner-up finish in the RSC Championship as they advanced to the NAIA Women’s Cross Country National Championship.
On the track & field side, Walls has sent numerous athletes to the NAIA Track & Field National Championships. He had two student-athletes earn All-American honors including Nevaeh Brown who took fourth in pole vault at the 2022 outdoor national championships, while Alexia Schofield took third in triple jump in the 2021 indoor national championships.
Walls has seen numerous student-athletes earn All-Conference honors over his tenure including the River States Conference Track Athlete of the Year and the River States Conference Newcomer of the Year. He also coached Jacob Kocis and Trinity Smith to All-American finishes at the NAIA Marathon in both 2023 and 2024. Kocis was the runner-up each year while the Eagle men placed third as a team during the 2024 race.
Originally from Louisville, Ky., Walls comes to Midway after serving as the assistant track and cross-country coach at fellow River States Conference member, Point Park University. He has served as an assistant with the Pioneers since August 2016.
Walls’ tenure with the Pioneers was a successful one as they produced one of the top track and field programs in the RSC. They earned a berth in the 2017 NAIA National Championship, while producing a National Champion in the 1500 meters.
Under the assistance of Walls, the Pioneers produced 16 All-Conference runners, five conference champions and a 4x800 relay team that won the conference title in the 2017 River States Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Prior to joining the staff at Point Park, Walls was a volunteer assistant distance coach for the University of Louisville for a year. While with the Cards, Walls assisted the program with an emphasis on the men’s cross country team as well as distance runners on the track side.
In 2015, the coaching staff was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Men’s Cross-Country Staff of the Year. Louisville also produced an All-American, three NCAA Regional track qualifiers, while also having four student-athletes named to the ACC Honor Roll.
Before serving as a volunteer assistant at Louisville, Walls returned to his roots at Butler Traditional High School. The Butler Traditional graduate returned to serve as the girls head cross country coach/boys assistant cross country coach as well as an assistant track coach.
Walls was with the Bears for over two years and produced New Balance Indoor, Outdoor, and IAAF World Youth Championship qualifiers. They also had state champions in 800m and 1600m, while seven student-athletes earned numerous All-State awards.
Walls got his start in coaching at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. He was the assistant cross country and track coach from 2003-05 and also served as a student-assistant with the Governors from 2000-01.
Walls holds a USATF Level 1 certification as well as a USTFCCCA Track and Field Technical certification.
He earned his Master of Arts in Coaching and Athletic Administration in 2017 from Concordia University Irvine, while earning his Bachelor of Science in Health and Human performance from Austin Peay State in 2003.
