MINOT, N.D. -- The Minot State University Athletic Department named Sarah Fowler the new Head Coach of the Beaver Cross Country program. 

Coach Fowler on her excitement level to be joining Minot State Athletics. "Joining the staff at Minot State as the head cross country coach is a dream come true. It still hasn't sunk completely in yet. All I know is that I am thrilled about this new opportunity and cannot wait to get started! Mark has done such an incredible job laying the groundwork for this program over the past few years. I'm excited to join him and continue to take this program to the next level and see how far we can really go!"

Fowler was a volunteer coach in the Big Ten at Nebraska from 2017-19. She helped train the middle distance and distance runners and also assisted with recruiting. She was a part of the coaching staff that helped the Huskers win the 2019 Big Ten Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship. In cross country, Fowler helped coach two men's national qualifiers. Both the Nebraska men's and women's cross country teams improved their finishes at the Big Ten meets in her two seasons in Lincoln.

Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Mark Del Monaco spoke about the addition of Coach Fowler to the staff. "I am really excited about having Sarah join our coaching staff for next year. We had a very talented applicant pool but Sarah stood out as someone I have full confidence in helping lead our cross country program. She comes highly recommended by some of the best coaches both collegiately and post collegiately."

Coach Del Monaco continued about her depth of experience as a student-athlete and coach. "Her experience as a very successful student-athlete along with her coaching experience at Division I and Division II levels will greatly help our program as we continue to build and move forward. I have no doubt that this next chapter of Minot State Cross Country and Track & Field will be a great one with Sarah playing a big role with our men's and women's distance runners."

During her time at the University of Illinois-Springfield, Fowler trained cross country and middle distance/distance student-athletes, helped with team travel, and helped with recruiting as an Assistant Coach. In cross country, Fowler helped the men's team finish second at the conference meet, and the women's team come in sixth, both new program-bests. She coached the first two NCAA cross country qualifiers in program history, including Taryn Christy who earned All-American honors.

In the indoor season, Fowler assisted Christy as she earned All-Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) accolades with a runner-up GLVC finish in the 3,000m. Christy also became the first UIS track national qualifier in program history, and she earned All-American honors in the 5,000m.

She helped the Prairie Stars earn three national qualifiers from 2019-20.

As a student-athlete, Fowler was a nine-time National Qualifier, six-time All-American Honors, and Academic All-American Team Selection during her time at Ohio Wesleyan University. She was a decorated track and field athlete including eight-time Individual North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Champion, six-time NCAC Team Champion, two-time NCAC Cross Country Runner of the Year, and 2017 NCAC Outdoor Distance Runner of the Year.

Fowler earned the 2017 Nan Carney-DeBord Award for the Ohio Wesleyan Top Senior Female Athlete, as well as individual All-Ohio Champion four times, two-time All-Ohio Team Champion, and 2015, 2016 Ohio Division III Cross Country Runner of the Year.

Fowler graduated from Ohio Wesleyan in 2017 with a degree in Exercise Science and Psychology. She was named an Academic All-American while at Ohio Wesleyan. She earned her Master's in 2019 in Psychology from Capella University.

She begins her duties as Head Coach of the Cross Country team on July 1. 

About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.