PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark Director of Physical Education & Athletics Mark Pietrok announced the appointment of Chris Reed as the Lewis & Clark College Head Men's and Women's Track & Field Coach on Wednesday. 
 
Reed comes to Palatine Hill after spending the past decade at Seattle Pacific University. During his decade working with the Falcons, Reed served as the lead distance and cross country coach and was promoted to the status of associate head coach in 2019. 
 
"I'm incredibly excited to bring Chris on board as our new head track & field coach," Pietrok said. "He stood out in an extremely competitive field and has all the qualities we were hoping to find in our next coach. I know he's going to be a great asset to our department and will create a fantastic environment for our student-athletes to compete and succeed in."
 
Over the course of Reed's tenure, Seattle Pacific won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Indoor Track & Field Championship four times (2015, 2017-19) and the GNAC Outdoor Track & Field Title five times (2015-16, 18-19, 21). He also led the women's cross country program to the NCAA DII National Championship Meet three times (2015, 18-19). In their most recent trip to Cross Country Nationals, Reed guided the Falcons to a 12th place finish out of 34 teams – which marked their best result at the National Championship Meet since 2009. 
 
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead the Lewis & Clark Track and Field program," Reed said. "I want to send a huge thank you to Mark Pietrok, Sharon Sexton, and Angela Dendas-Pleasant for their thoughtful approach throughout this process and for their faith in my leadership. And of course, none of this was possible without my guidance from - and friendship with - Karl Lerum at Seattle Pacific. Many others to thank, of course, but Karl has been among my biggest advocates. I will sincerely miss working with him."
 
During his time in Seattle, Reed coached a multitude of conference champions and All-Americans in both cross country and track & field. He also took a leading role in coaching the programs pole vaulters from 2016-2018. Reed helped organize and run home meets including serving as the meet director for the 2022 NCAA DII Cross Country National Championship Meet. 
 
He also took on a leadership role within the cross country coaching committee. Reed has served on the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) DII Cross Country Executive Committee since 2016. He was the vice president of the committee from 2019-2022, before taking over as president in 2022. Reed also worked as the chair of the USTFCCCA West Region Cross Country Poll from 2014-2023 and served as the GNAC Representative on the NCAA Coaches Connect program from 2018-2023. 
 
"As a lifelong resident and coach in the Pacific Northwest, I have long known that Lewis & Clark is a special place," Reed noted. "The academic environment, the breathtaking campus, and the top-notch Track and Field facility attracted me initially. And as I got deeper into the process, it was the people here who really sold it for me. Every member of the Search Committee was extremely welcoming, further solidifying my deep desire to be a member of the L&C community. This is a place that people want to be: a place that is Inclusive, a place that cares for its community, and a place that seeks to provide - and succeeds in providing - an enriching experience for its students, faculty, and staff. Lewis & Clark is a place I am excited to recruit to as it is a place I truly believe in.
 
I am looking forward to cultivating a unified Track & Field team, one where our members can seek excellence without coming at the expense of their overall student-athlete experience. In me, the Pioneers will have a coach who believes in their talents and will not shy away from communicating that; we have the potential to be very good. But more importantly, they will be led by someone who sees - and celebrates - their whole person. I am eager to have MY life enriched by all that they offer to the program, the campus community and - hopefully - the world around them."
 
Prior to his time at Seattle Pacific, Reed worked as an assistant coach at his alma mater: Western Oregon University. He mainly worked with the program's distance runners and helped in the recruitment of NCAA DII record holder David Ribich. Ribich set the DII Indoor Track & Field record in the 1,000m and 3,000m and the Outdoor Track & Field mark in the 1,500m. 
 
As a student-athlete himself at Western Oregon, Reed qualified for NCAAs five times and was named an All-American twice. He was named the 2011 USTFCCCA West Region Men's Indoor Track & Field Student-Athlete of the Year and finished his career as the owner of five school records. He still sits first overall in Wolves outdoor program history in the 5,000m (14:21.14) and the 10,000m (29:44.77).