ELON, N.C. – Elon University Director of Athletics Jenn Strawley and Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mark Elliston announced the hiring of Mark Rinker as the Phoenix's head cross country coach/assistant track & field coach on Monday, July 1. Rinker arrives to Elon after spending the past four seasons as an assistant track coach and head cross country coach at Eastern Michigan.
 
"Mark is an accomplished coach who stood out among a very strong pool of candidates," Strawley said. "He has more than 15 years of experience, knows competitive success and is committed to the holistic development of student-athletes. I look forward to watching the continued success of our cross country programs and distance runners under Mark's leadership. Please join me in welcoming Mark and his family to Elon."
 
During his time at Eastern Michigan, Rinker helped the Eagles to five total team conference titles including four indoor MAC championships and the 2021 Cross Country title for the EMU men. Additionally, he has coached 19 individual MAC champions, 38 All-MAC selections, two NCAA Cross Country Championship qualifiers and one NCAA All-American in track. He was named the 2021 MAC Cross Country Coach of the Year and is a three-time MAC Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year while earning MAC Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year laurels in 2023.
 
"Mark is a proven leader who has had success at each of his stops throughout his career," Elliston said. "He is driven to win and has a caring demeanor, which makes him a perfect fit for our teams. I'm excited to have him on board and he is ready to build upon the championship tradition in our cross country and track & field programs."
 
Prior to his arrival to Eastern Michigan, Rinker was a volunteer assistant coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a focus on cross country and distance events in 2019-20. While at UNC, he was also tasked with recruiting alongside Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Chris Miltenberg. He assisted the Tar Heels to have their highest combined team finishes at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Cross Country Championships in the previous decade.
 
"I am appreciative of Director of Athletics Jenn Strawley and Coach Mark Elliston's confidence through this transition," Rinker said. "I am very excited to come home to North Carolina and to work with the staff and student-athletes at Elon! I am looking forward to getting to know the student-athletes and to continuing the championship tradition so many coaches and student-athletes have worked tirelessly to establish."
 
Before his stint in Chapel Hill, Rinker spent two years at Louisiana State University as an assistant coach for cross country and track and field. In Baton Rouge, he oversaw the men's and women's cross country and middle distance and distance programs.
 
Under his tutelage of the middle distance and distance groups, Rinker helped generate 10 All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) performers and helped guide 10 student-athletes to top-10 marks in the school's record book. The men's track and field team also won the SEC outdoor championship in 2019, the first men's outdoor conference title since 1990. On the national stage, the middle distance group produced four NCAA championship participants and three NCAA All-Americans. In 2019, LSU was the only program to feature two qualifiers in the 800m at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships. Both track teams saw incredible success throughout 2019 as the men placed third at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while the women placed third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
 
Prior to his time in Louisiana, Rinker was a member of Northeastern University's cross country and track and field coaching staff. Rinker's athletes were a catalyst in the Husky men taking home three straight CAA Outdoor Championships during his tenure from 2015-17, including four different athletes being crowned CAA individual champions under his watch.
 
Before entering the world of collegiate athletics, Rinker served as the vice president of North America for ORRECO Limited. As VP, Rinker oversaw the expansion of ORRECO into North American professional sports markets. From 2008-13, Rinker worked directly with the head coach of Oregon Track Club Elite (OTCE) to coach 25 professional Nike sponsored athletes in national and international competitions. Additionally, he oversaw the strength and conditioning programs of the distance runners on the team.
 
Rinker received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology and minored in business and coaching at James Madison University in 2008, where he was a three-time letterwinner for the Dukes as a distance runner on the cross country and track and field teams. Rinker received his Strength and Conditioning Certification from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in 2017.
 
He and his wife Lauren have a six-year old son, Sebastian, and a two-year old daughter, Charlotte.