Wayne State University Athletics

Rondell Ruff is in his second season as the head coach for the men's and women's cross country teams as well as the women's track & field programs during the 2016-17 academic year after being hired in August of 2015.

Seventeen (17) members of the WSU women's indoor track and field team were recognized with GLIAC All-Academic accolades for the 2016-17 season.

Kierra Johnson won two events at the Findlay Oiler Opener in Dec. 2016 to earn GLIAC Track Athlete of the Week honors.  The following month, Karrington Seals won the GLIAC Track Athlete of the Week award for her performance at the Hillsdale Winter Opener.  At the 2017 GLIAC Championships, Seals won the 60m hurdles in a time of 8.51, the second-fastest time in school history.  At the NCAA Championships, Seals recorded the highest finish in program history at the national championships by placing fifth in the 60m hurdles.

In the Fall of 2016, two of his men's cross country runners earned Academic All-GLIAC recognition with Irvin Wyche being named to the Academic Excellence team and Sawyer Smith receiving All-Academic Team honors.  Wyche also received USTFCCCA (United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) All-Academic accolades along with women's cross country runner Jackie Feist.  Jordan Baker and Leah Coonrod each were named to the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for the 2016 cross country season, while Kristen Long and Morgan Sawgle each earned a spot on the GLIAC All-Academic Team.

The Warriors had 15 student-athletes receive Academic All-GLIAC honors for the 2016 outdoor season, including five who were on the All-Academic Excellence Team for maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

WSU had five USTFCCCA All-Region selections for the 2016 outdoor season in Dazmonique Carr (100m and 400m), Elizabeth Herriman (javelin), Gabrielle Herriman (javelin), Seals (100m hurdles).  In addition, Seals earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition for her 10th-place finish in the 100m hurdles.

The women's indoor track and field program placed a total of 15 student-athletes on the two conference academic teams for the 2015-16 school year, including seven on the Excellence squad.

Two of his student-athletes received USTFCCCA All-Region honors for the 2016 indoor season (Seals in the 60m hurdles and Kierra Johnson in the 60m dash).  Seals followed that by becoming the first women's indoor track and field All-American in program history by placing eighth in the 60m hurdles event at the NCAA Championships.

In 2015, four men's cross country runners were recognized with Academic All-GLIAC honors.  Wyche and Tim Szymanski both earned a spot on the All-Academic Excellence squad, while Ruben Cardenas and Pat Miller were selected to the All-Academic Team.

Kayla Balfour, Coonrod and Anne Okonowski were all named to the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for the 2015 cross country season.  Chelsea Johnson and Haley Reynolds both received All-Academic Team accolades.  In addition, Balfour was honored with USTFCCCA All-Academic recognition, while Coonrod received the Athletic Deans' Award from the College of Nursing for the 2015-16 academic year.

Before WSU, Ruff served as the assistant track and field coach at Army for four seasons (2011-15). Ruff primarily worked with sprints, middle-distance groups and the relay teams.

His first year at Army brought numerous successes, highlighted by records and Patriot League event titles. Ruff guided the women's outdoor 4x800m relay squad to shatter the Academy record set in 1985. On the men's side, three relay teams claimed conference championships titles.

The successes continued under Ruff in 2012-13 as his cadet-athletes garnered nine more event titles in the indoor and outdoor Patriot League Championships. Four out of the nine came from the 4x400-meter relay teams.

In 2013, he mentored Clyde Wilson to a First Round NCAA Championship bid in the 800m run which was the first time since 2011 Army had a middle-distance runner at a national meet. Ruff guided Wilson back again to the National Championships in the 800m in 2014.

In Ruff's third season, his athletes posted two indoor school records in the men's 60m and men's 200m. His men's squad was victorious at the conference championships, claiming five event titles.

Prior to his arrival at West Point, N.Y., Ruff spent two years (2009-11) as a graduate assistant at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. He coached the jumps, sprints and relays for the Red Flash.

In 2011, Ruff's women's indoor and outdoor track and field teams earned its best finishes since 2005 (indoor) and 2003 (outdoor) at the Northeast Conference Championships. Under his leadership, the Red Flash women's squad broke six school records.

Ruff, a 2006 graduate of the University of Michigan, competed on the cross country and track teams for the Wolverines (2002-2006). The Detroit native served as captain for both squads in 2005-06.

A former walk-on, Ruff won two Big Ten indoor distance medley relay titles (2002, 2005) before clinching the Indoor National Championship title in 2005, where he ran 2:56.3 in the opening 1200m leg. He received All-America accolades in the DM under coach Ron Warhurst as the quartet became the third relay team to join the list of NCAA Champions in Michigan's history.

Ten years after his senior season, Ruff is still listed in the Wolverine record book. The distance medley relay team from 2005 continues to hold second place (9:28.12), while he is seventh in the 800m run (2005) with a time of 1:50.41.

Throughout his career, Ruff placed in the top-10 at four Big Ten Indoor Championships and two outdoor championships, including a first-place finish in the distance medley relay during his freshman year.

After graduation, he returned to Ann Arbor to serve as a volunteer assistant coach for the cross country and track and field teams in 2008-09. He has worked at Michigan's track and field camps.

Prior to his time as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Ruff spent the 2007 season as the head coach at Henry Ford High School in Detroit.