chattanooga MOCS

       At the helm of Chattanooga cross country and track and field, Bill Gautier established himself as one of the top coaches in the Southern Conference and perhaps the Southeast.  In 24 years at UTC, Gautier led his men’s cross country teams to five league titles and seven runner up finishes. His 1998 men’s SoCon Championship team also captured the South Region crown and made school history as the first UTC team to compete in the NCAA Championships. The Mocs were led by Nic Crider, who became the first Chattanooga runner to earn three straight SoCon individual titles. In 2012, Emmanuel Kirwa became the second, with his third straight SoCon Cross Country title.

       The women’s cross country team has seen similar success with six titles and five runner up finishes, including last season. Former distance runner Shannon Wommack is the most decorated Chattanooga runner in school history. She is a five-time All-American, four-time Southern Conference Indoor Track Performer of the Year, three-time Southern Conference Cross Country Runner of the Year, 2006 NCAA South Region Runner of the Year and the 2006 Southern Conference Women’s Athlete of the Year.

       Wommack became UTC’s first three-time qualifier for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, earning automatic qualifications at the NCAA South Regional in 2002, 2004 and 2005. Wommack also finished third in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, setting a new school record, while earning her second All-America honors in that event.

       In 2013, Teghan Henderson moved into the record books. She was named the SoCon Cross Country Female Runner of the Year and earned All-American honors, plaicng 20th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. She also qualified for the NCAA East Region Track and Field Championships in both the 5000m and the 10,000m after earning All- Freshman honors at the league finals. At Stanford she set the school record in the 5K and broke the SoCon record in the 10K.

       In 2007, Gautier saw another one of his runners, Lanni Marchant, earn the program’s second straight Southern Conference Women’s Athlete of the Year Award. In 2016, she qualified for both the 10,000 meter and marathon for Canada at the Olympics.

       Gautier’s first of two Indoor Coach of the Year honors came in 1998, when his women’s team claimed the title and his second in 2003, when his women’s team amassed the most points in school history for a third place team finish.

       Chattanooga has won numerous individual championships and top athlete honors over the years. Steven Kocsis wrapped up his junior season with a third top athlete crown winning two distance events at the conference championships and then earning an at-large bid to compete in the men’s 5,000 meters at the NCAA Championships, along with Wommack.

       In 2005, Wommack became the seventh Chattanooga track and field athlete to be awarded the A.C. “Scrappy” Moore Award since 1992. This award is given to the UTC student-athlete who best personifies the athletic department’s core values. Past track and field winners include Ian Mayne (2004), Amanda Lynch (1999), Anna and Catherine Wright (1998), Mary Jane Middlekoop (1997) and Michael Kyle (1995).

       During his UTC career, Gautier has been named the Southern Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year a total of 12 times. These have included eight times for women’s cross country [1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2015 (co)] four times for men’s cross country (1998, 1999, 2003, 2004) and twice for indoor track and field (1998, 2003). He earned All-Region honors in 1998, for his men’s cross country team.

       Prior to his arrival at Chattanooga, Gautier served as the head cross country coach and assistant track coach at Southeast Missouri State. In his six seasons at SEMO, his men’s and women’s teams won six conference titles in cross country. His teams also placed in the top five at the NCAA Division II Championships in both track and cross country five out of six seasons.

       Gautier was named the National Combine Coach of the Year in 1990, and was the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year for six consecutive seasons. He has coached 17 NCAA Division II National Champions and 56 All-Americans.

       Gautier earned his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and Business Administration from Western Kentucky in 1983, and received his Master’s in 1984. While at WKU, Gautier was a standout distance runner for the nationally-recognized Hilltoppers. He and his wife, Jan, have two daughters, Taylor and Sydney, who is a member of the cross country team.

Updated August 8, 2016