In November of 2024, the Franciscan Athletic Department was proud to announce that James Walters has been named as the Head Track & Field Coach / Associate Head Coach of Cross Country. He was set to be the sixth Head Coach for Track & Field since the inception of the program in 2009.
In the 2024-25 season, Walters helped lead 10 All-PAC performances between the men's and women's teams through the indoor and outdoor seasons. The Women's DMR was the lone First Team All-PAC honoree. Lauren Dosch led the way individually, as she earned All Great Lakes Region honors in the 800m in the indoor and outdoor seasons. She also was named the John Lemal Female MVP at the end of year Franciscan Athletics Awards banquet, as the best femail Franciscan athlete across all teams.
He came to Franciscan with a wealth of training experience with high school, collegiate, and professional athletes over the last 10+ years. Walters ran at the NCAA Division I level at Indiana State for their Cross Country and Track & Field programs.
Most recently he worked at the STRONG Lab at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton Ohio. There he developed programs to optimize Airmen's strength and running performances. Coach Walters ran Walters Athletics LLC over the last 10 years. He represented and trained professional runners, including multiple Kenyan athletes, who competed at the Olympic level. He has also coached at his alma mater, Indiana State as a Junior Varsity Coordinator and Volunteer Assistant Coach for their Cross Country and Track & Field programs. He has also served as a high school track & field coach in Ohio, Indiana, and Kenya at various points over the years.
"Coach Walters is a great fit for Franciscan and brings a wealth of coaching experience to the program," said Head Cross Country Coach
Dr. Daniel Kuebler. "I'm looking forward to working with him in cross country as the kids are going to greatly benefit from his knowledge and expertise."
Updated 5/28/25
