University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Cross Country Adds Brian Biekert and Amy Rudolph as Assistant Coaches
August 19, 2024 | Track & Field, Cross Country
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Brian Biekert and Amy Rudolph have been named assistant coaches for Tennessee cross country and track & field, the program announced on Monday.
"I am really excited to have Brian and Amy coming into the program," head cross country coach Justin Duncan said. "I think they are going to be a great fit personality-wise and within the culture of the team. Both of them were head coaches at their previous schools and bring with them a wealth of maturity and experience. We are all on the same page and have a shared vision of where we want to take this program."
Biekert comes to Rocky Top after spending the past two seasons at Southern Illinois as the head cross country coach and an assistant with track.
During his stay in Carbondale, Illinois, he coached Ethan Senti to a Missouri Valley title on the grass in 2023, with Rachel Anderson headlining the women's performance with a third-place finish last season. Senti was also named the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year – the second year in a row he brought home the honor.
His Saluki runners also took home conference titles on the track in 2024 with Anderson winning the women's 3,000m steeplechase at the MVC Outdoor Championships in May. Anderson capped her collegiate career with second-team All-America honors in the steeplechase as she finished 16th at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Before his stint at SIU, Biekert was on staff at Tulsa, assisting the men's cross country team to its eighth straight American Athletics Conference title. The Golden Hurricane men advanced to the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing sixth.
Well-traveled, he has also made coaching stops at Syracuse, Iowa State and Brown. While at Syracuse, he coached three second-team All-American runners and an honorable mention All-American in both the 10,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
At Iowa State, the Cyclones had six All-Americans under Biekert's leadership during the 2018-19 season.
"I'm really thankful for the opportunity to join the Tennessee cross country and track & field program," Biekert said. "In the short time I've been here I can already tell this is a special place. Our future is very bright."
Prior to his coaching career, Biekert completed his career as a graduate athlete at Iowa State. As a Cyclone, Biekert was named to the All-Big 12 Conference team in track & field. He anchored Iowa State's NCAA Qualifying Distance Medley Relay squad that took home first-team All-America honors and a third-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Biekert began his college career at Central Connecticut State, where he was a five-time Northeast Conference Champion.
A native of Groton, Connecticut, Biekert graduated from Central Connecticut State in 2014 with a degree in exercise science & health promotion before getting his master's degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Iowa State in 2015.
One of her generation's great American distance runners, Rudolph has spent the past six seasons on staff at Iowa State, including the last three years as the head women's cross country coach.
At the close of the 2024 track and field season, Rudolph's runners had garnered nine All-America honors and 14 Big 12 titles.
Her first season in charge of Iowa State's women's distance runners saw Cailie Logue claim three Big 12 titles (cross country, outdoor 5,000m and 10,000m) and three other Cyclones earn All-America honors (Anne Frisbie, cross country; Erinn Stenman-Fahey, outdoor 800m; Amanda Vestri, outdoor 10,000m run).
Her development of talent beyond Logue showed during the 2022 track and field season, with Dana Feyen earning her first career Big 12 title at 5,000m, Janette Schraft continuing her progress in the steeplechase, and Madelynn Hill and Kiki Connell both making themselves into scoring options in the steeplechase at the conference level. In 2023, Schraft became the first women's steeplechaser to earn All-America honors and Cyclone women earned 11 All-Big 12 honors.
Rudolph led numerous women to see major time improvements, including Schraft's 23-second time cut in her steeplechase school record from 2023 to 2024. Schraft's 9:34.82 took possession of the bronze medal at the NCAA Championships and made her a Top 25 all-time collegiate performer. Schraft went on to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Seven of Rudolph's women advanced to NCAA West Prelims in 2024 while 10 top 10 program performances were set through indoor and outdoor season.
"I am extremely excited to join Coach Duncan and the staff at the University of Tennessee," Rudolph said. "I am grateful for the opportunity to work with amazing student-athletes and coaches and look forward to being a part of making history with this program."
Rudolph is a two-time United States Olympian (5,000 meters), seven-time World Championship team member and three-time USA National Champion. She was a finalist in the 5,000 meters (finishing 10th) at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Rudolph set an American record in 1996, running the 5k in 14:56.04.
She was a two-time (1997 and 2002) U.S. Indoor Champion in the 3,000 meters, a two-time (1998 and 1999) U.S. short course cross country champion and the 1998 U.S. 8-kilometer road racing champ.
As a collegian at Providence, she won two NCAA Championships (indoor mile and outdoor 1,500) in 1994, earned 10 All-American awards and was a three-time BIG EAST champion in the 3,000. Rudolph was inducted into the Friars' Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
Prior to coaching at Drake, she served as a volunteer assistant coach at Auburn for seven seasons (2010-17), while also serving as an assistant coach at Providence (2005-07) and Bryant (2004). Rudolph earned a Bachelor of Science degree (1995) from Providence in Health Policy and Management.
"I am really excited to have Brian and Amy coming into the program," head cross country coach Justin Duncan said. "I think they are going to be a great fit personality-wise and within the culture of the team. Both of them were head coaches at their previous schools and bring with them a wealth of maturity and experience. We are all on the same page and have a shared vision of where we want to take this program."
Biekert comes to Rocky Top after spending the past two seasons at Southern Illinois as the head cross country coach and an assistant with track.
During his stay in Carbondale, Illinois, he coached Ethan Senti to a Missouri Valley title on the grass in 2023, with Rachel Anderson headlining the women's performance with a third-place finish last season. Senti was also named the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year – the second year in a row he brought home the honor.
His Saluki runners also took home conference titles on the track in 2024 with Anderson winning the women's 3,000m steeplechase at the MVC Outdoor Championships in May. Anderson capped her collegiate career with second-team All-America honors in the steeplechase as she finished 16th at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Before his stint at SIU, Biekert was on staff at Tulsa, assisting the men's cross country team to its eighth straight American Athletics Conference title. The Golden Hurricane men advanced to the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing sixth.
Well-traveled, he has also made coaching stops at Syracuse, Iowa State and Brown. While at Syracuse, he coached three second-team All-American runners and an honorable mention All-American in both the 10,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
At Iowa State, the Cyclones had six All-Americans under Biekert's leadership during the 2018-19 season.
"I'm really thankful for the opportunity to join the Tennessee cross country and track & field program," Biekert said. "In the short time I've been here I can already tell this is a special place. Our future is very bright."
Prior to his coaching career, Biekert completed his career as a graduate athlete at Iowa State. As a Cyclone, Biekert was named to the All-Big 12 Conference team in track & field. He anchored Iowa State's NCAA Qualifying Distance Medley Relay squad that took home first-team All-America honors and a third-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Biekert began his college career at Central Connecticut State, where he was a five-time Northeast Conference Champion.
A native of Groton, Connecticut, Biekert graduated from Central Connecticut State in 2014 with a degree in exercise science & health promotion before getting his master's degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Iowa State in 2015.
One of her generation's great American distance runners, Rudolph has spent the past six seasons on staff at Iowa State, including the last three years as the head women's cross country coach.
At the close of the 2024 track and field season, Rudolph's runners had garnered nine All-America honors and 14 Big 12 titles.
Her first season in charge of Iowa State's women's distance runners saw Cailie Logue claim three Big 12 titles (cross country, outdoor 5,000m and 10,000m) and three other Cyclones earn All-America honors (Anne Frisbie, cross country; Erinn Stenman-Fahey, outdoor 800m; Amanda Vestri, outdoor 10,000m run).
Her development of talent beyond Logue showed during the 2022 track and field season, with Dana Feyen earning her first career Big 12 title at 5,000m, Janette Schraft continuing her progress in the steeplechase, and Madelynn Hill and Kiki Connell both making themselves into scoring options in the steeplechase at the conference level. In 2023, Schraft became the first women's steeplechaser to earn All-America honors and Cyclone women earned 11 All-Big 12 honors.
Rudolph led numerous women to see major time improvements, including Schraft's 23-second time cut in her steeplechase school record from 2023 to 2024. Schraft's 9:34.82 took possession of the bronze medal at the NCAA Championships and made her a Top 25 all-time collegiate performer. Schraft went on to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Seven of Rudolph's women advanced to NCAA West Prelims in 2024 while 10 top 10 program performances were set through indoor and outdoor season.
"I am extremely excited to join Coach Duncan and the staff at the University of Tennessee," Rudolph said. "I am grateful for the opportunity to work with amazing student-athletes and coaches and look forward to being a part of making history with this program."
Rudolph is a two-time United States Olympian (5,000 meters), seven-time World Championship team member and three-time USA National Champion. She was a finalist in the 5,000 meters (finishing 10th) at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Rudolph set an American record in 1996, running the 5k in 14:56.04.
She was a two-time (1997 and 2002) U.S. Indoor Champion in the 3,000 meters, a two-time (1998 and 1999) U.S. short course cross country champion and the 1998 U.S. 8-kilometer road racing champ.
As a collegian at Providence, she won two NCAA Championships (indoor mile and outdoor 1,500) in 1994, earned 10 All-American awards and was a three-time BIG EAST champion in the 3,000. Rudolph was inducted into the Friars' Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
Prior to coaching at Drake, she served as a volunteer assistant coach at Auburn for seven seasons (2010-17), while also serving as an assistant coach at Providence (2005-07) and Bryant (2004). Rudolph earned a Bachelor of Science degree (1995) from Providence in Health Policy and Management.
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