ROCKFORD, Ill. - Rockford University Director of Athletics Jason Mulligan announced today that James Diamond will be resigning his position as Rockford's head cross country coach effective at the end of April. Coach Diamond is leaving to accept a job in the Chicagoland area. A national search is currently underway for his replacement. 

"I am incredibly grateful to Rockford University, the athletic department and Jason Mulligan for entrusting me with the cross country programs," Coach Diamond remarked. "My goal has always been to be the best coach I can possibly be, and the opportunities Rockford has given me have definitely moved me closer to that goal."

"We would like to thank James for his hard work and efforts in working with our student-athletes," RU Director of Athletics stated. "Coach Diamond has always been involved in helping improve the experiences of our student-athletes, not only by coaching his team, but also serving as the advisor for Rockford's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as well as working with the Lang Health Center to help our students during COVID. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."

The RU cross country teams made significant strides during Diamond's time at the helm of the programs. In 2020, Dominick Welte became the first RU male runner to earn All-NACC honors since 2014 and the first freshman since 2008. One season later, Caitlin Bitunjac became the first RU female runner to garner All-NACC accolades since 2014 and also cracked the RU top ten 6k times with the fifth fastest time in program history. In 2022, Rebekah Starwalt also made it into the RU top ten 6k times, with the tenth fastest time. As a team, the RU men finished seventh at the 2022 NACC Championship, which is the Regents' highest finish since 2013.The RU men and women proceeded to cap off the 2022 season with twenty-seventh and twenty-ninth place finishes at the Midwest Regional, both of which were tops for each program in over a decade. 

"I am proud of the many PR's and improvements we have made over the past four years," Coach Diamond stated. "We have grown in both size and competitiveness, and I have no doubt that we have created one of the strongest team cultures in the conference. I will always look back fondly on my time at Rockford University and will remain a fan of RUXC. This team has built a strong foundation, and I am excited to see how it continues to grow!"