Aug. 8, 2000
Columbia, Mo. - Former Missouri all-American half-miler Jared Wilmes (pronounced WILL-muss) has been named Head Cross Country/Assistant Track Coach for the University, as announced today by MU Director of Athletics Michael Alden. Wilmes, who has been associated with Mizzou for 10 years as a student-athlete, coach and staff member, succeeds Jeff Pigg, who in July was named Head Track and Field Coach at Illinois State University.
Wilmes, a Hopkins, Mo. native, competed at MU from 1990-95, and became a prize pupil under Head Track Coach Rick McGuire. Wilmes developed into one of the best middle distance athletes in Missouri history, as he went on to claim NCAA all-American honors four times at 800 meters. The three-time team captain was also a Big Eight champion at 800 meters, and claimed multiple wins at the prestigious Drake, Kansas and Florida relays.
A multi-time academic all-America award winner, Wilmes was a magna cum laude 1994 honors graduate at Mizzou, earning a dual degree in agriculture economics and business. He earned postgraduate scholarships from both the Big Eight and NCAA, and earned a graduate degree in 1998 in agriculture economics and recently finished course work toward his Ph.D. in management.
"I'm just unbelievably thrilled to have the opportunity to coach at Missouri," said Wilmes. "I'm grateful for the chance to continue to build on this program in which I feel so vested. My feelings for Mizzou began when I was young, and I was fortunate enough to be able live a dream and represent my state school. I feel indebted to the program for the opportunities its provided me personally, and I'm very excited to have the chance to build the same positive experiences for our men and women," he said.
Wilmes served as a graduate assistant coach for Missouri track and cross country for three years (1995-98), and stayed on with the athletic department for the past two years as an economic analyst in the Tiger business office. During his days as a graduate assistant, Wilmes was involved in all aspects of the program, including being heavily involved in recruiting many of the program's current junior and senior class members.
"Right now, our middle distance and cross country program is recognized as one of the nation's best," said Alden. "What people may not realize is that just 10 years ago, the men's program was in hard times, and Jared Wilmes arrived at Mizzou and put the program on his shoulders and helped carry it into national prominence. I think Jared is an excellent choice to lead our young men and women," he said.
"Jared Wilmes is the embodiment of all I stand for in sports," said MU Head Track Coach Rick McGuire. "It is one of my greatest thrills of my career to share in the leadership of this program with such a fine young man who will add greatly to the pride of Missouri Athletics," he said. "He has been a pivotal person in bringing our program into the upper echelon. He's a hard-working young man who believed every time he put on the Missouri singlet that he could compete with the best, and it's this passion that set him apart from other candidates," McGuire said.
Wilmes, 28, is married to the former Rebecca Davis, a two-time track all-American at Mizzou. He takes over a cross country program that has seen the Tiger women reach the NCAA Championships for five consecutive years, while the MU men have qualified each of the past two seasons.