BIG WEST TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS - 2017 MEN | 2018 MEN | 2019 WOMEN | 2021 MEN
BIG WEST CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS - 2019 WOMEN
NCAA OUTDOOR ALL-AMERICANS - 24
BIG WEST TRACK AND FIELD INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS - 74

John Elders completed his his 33rd year as Cal State Fullerton's head men’s and women’s cross country, women's indoor track and men's and women's outdoor track and field coach. His involvement in the Titans' program, however, dates back to 1984 when he enrolled at CSF as a senior transfer and competed on both the cross country and track and field teams before serving as an assistant coach for three years prior being promoted to the head job in 1988.

He retired from Cal State Fullerton as the longest-tenured head coach in school history. Elders was tied with former fencing head coach Heizaburo Okawa (1982-2006) and former men's soccer coach Al Mistri (1981-2005) for 25 years of service at Fullerton. He won Big West Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2017 (men's), 2018 (men's) and 2019 (men's) and 2021 (men's) and he also won 2019 Big West Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.

During his coaching career, the Titans won five team Big West Conference Championships, the men won the 2017, 2018 and 2021 Big West Track and Field Championships while the women won in 2019. Then in the fall of 2019, the women claimed the Big West Cross Country Championship. He also coached two Big West Conference cross country individual championships as Mike Tansley was the top finisher in both 1992 and 1993. On the track and field side, CSF student-athletes won 75 individual or relay Big West titles.

In 2017, the men's squad claimed the first Big West Conference team championship in program history by scoring 133 points. The Titans entered the final event with a slim one-point lead on Cal Poly – 125 to 124 – as the squads were seeded fifth and sixth with similar top times of 3:16:33 and 3:16:40 in the 4x400 meter relay, respectively. However, the Titan quartet of Marcel Espinoza, Luis Matos, Thaddeus Smith and Zimmerman sped to a season-best 3:11.42 to finish in second place with eight points, while Cal Poly finished fifth (3:14.55) with four points. The four-point advantage widened CSF's final margin of victory to five.

Elders was named the 2017 Big West Conference Coach of the Year, the first time he has claimed the honor in his career. Darion Zimmerman, the 2017 Big West Track Athlete of the Year, was the first Big West athlete to win both the 200 and 400 meters at the conference meet since Boise State's Corey Nelson in 1999. The Oxnard, Calif., native won the 200 in 21.13 seconds, joining current assistant coach Marques Barosso (2006) as the only two Titans to achieve gold in that event.

The Titans then repeated as Big West Champions on the men's side in 2018, this time with a comfortable victory over Long Beach State in second place. Fullerton won four individual titles, two for each team, as the women's team took fourth place.

For 2019, the men's team came up just short of a three-peat, taking a runner-up finish in the team competition. However, the women's squad won the first track and field title in program history, besting UC Santa Barbara by 6.5 points in second place. Later in 2019, the women's cross country team won the first Big West Championship in program history. Fullerton won on the women's side with 44 points as UC Davis had 50 in second place and Cal Poly had 51 in third. And in the same competition the men's squad took second place, tied for the best finish in program history and the last time CSF took second place was in 1993.

In 2021, the men's team won with 163 points, just edging out Cal Poly's 157 points. The competition came down to the final event of the day, the men's 4x400-meter relay, and the Titans won the race and secured the program's third title in four years. On the women's side, the squad earned a runner-up finish with 149.50 points, trailing Cal Poly's 181.50 points in first place.

Since 2002, track and field competitors have participated at the NCAA Track and Field Championships on 23 occasions, while Heather Killeen competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 1994 and Ciara Short participated at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships in 2011. Fullerton was represented at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships by the men's 4x100-meter relay team. The quartet earned honorable mention All-America accolades. CSF was back with more student-athletes in 2019 as Samantha Huerta (800 meters), Iesha Hamm (high jump) and the men's 4x400-meter relay team all earned second-team All-America honors. Huerta returned to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2019 and she took 19th place in the 800 meters, capping off her career as won of the best middle-distance/distance runners in program history.

Elders earned his CSF degree in 1988 in computer science with a minor in mathematics. A resident of Orange County since his childhood, he graduated form Villa Park High School and also attended Santa Ana College. He is actively involved in Athletes in Action and has spent considerable time in leading clinics for coaches and youth in places as far away as Costa Rica. He and his wife, Nicole, a former Stanford volleyball player, have two children. 

CROSS COUNTRY NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
• 1994, Heather Killeen (31st)

CROSS COUNTRY BIG WEST INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
• 1992, Mike Tansley
• 1993, Mike Tansley

CROSS COUNTRY YEAR-BY-YEAR
*Men's Cross Country: PCAA 1981-87, Big West 1988-present
*Women's Cross Country: PCAA 1985-87, Big West 1988-present  

WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
• 2011, Ciara Short, 400 meters (9th)

WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK YEAR-BY-YEAR
*began competing at MPSF Championships in 2014 

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
• 1994 Mike Tansley, 3,000-Meter Steeplechase (6th)
• 1995, Heather Killeen, 10,000 Meters (11th)
• 2002, Brandon Campbell, High Jump (6th)
• 2002, Brandon Campbell, Long Jump (16th)
• 2003, Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (15th)
• 2003, Giovanni Lanaro, Pole Vault (8th)
• 2004, Giovanni Lanaro, Pole Vault (8th)
• 2004, Joe Thomas, Triple Jump (21st)
• 2005, Jonathon Golden, High Jump (15th)
• 2005, Kurt Weber. Long Jump (25th)
• 2006, Matt Turner, High Jump (25th)
• 2006, Matt Turner, Long Jump (10th)
• 2006, Aaron Williams, Long Jump (19th)
• 2007, Jonathan Golden, High Jump (17th)
• 2007, Jordan Horn, 10,000 Meters (15th)
• 2008, John Golden, High Jump (18th)
• 2008, Garrett Myers, Triple Jump (DNF)
• 2009, Jonathan Golden, High Jump (15th)  
• 2009, Jameena Hunt, Discus (20th)
• 2009, Lauren Williams, 100-Meter Hurdles (24th)
• 2010, Ciara Short, 400 Meters (10th)
• 2011, Ciara Short, 400 Meters (5th)
• 2018, Men's 4x100-Meter Relay (21st)
• 2019, Samantha Huerta, 800 Meters (14th)
• 2019, Iesha Hamm, High Jump (11th)
• 2019, Men's 4x400 Meter Relay (12th)
• 2021, Samantha Huerta, 800 Meters (19th)

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD BIG WEST INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
• 1991, Jesse Henderson (Triple Jump)
• 1991, Rob Vasquez (Javelin)
• 1992, Kristen Peters (3,000 Meters)
• 1992, Mike Tansley (3,000 Meter Steeplechase)
• 1993, Steve Frisone (5,000 Meters)
• 1994, Mike Tansley (3,000 Meter Steeplechase)
• 1994, Heather Killeen (5,000 Meters) 
• 1995, Heather Killeen (3,000 Meters)
• 1995, Heather Killeen (5,000 Meters)
• 1995, Heather Killeen (10,000 Meters)  
• 1999, Brandon Campbell (Long Jump) 
• 2000, Men's 4x400 Meter Relay
• 2001, Men's 4x400 Meter Relay
• 2001, Brandon Campbell (High Jump)
• 2001, Brandon Campbell (Long Jump)
• 2001, Anna Doty (Triple Jump)
• 2001, Ryan Gill (Javelin)
• 2002, Men's 4x400 Meter Relay
• 2002, Brandon Campbell (High Jump)
• 2003, Giovanni Lanaro (Pole Vault)
• 2004, Giovanni Lanaro (Pole Vault)
• 2005, Jennifer Clarke (Pole Vault)
• 2006, Marques Barosso (200 Meters) 
• 2006, Destany Cearley (400 Meter Hurdles)
• 2006, Matt Turner (Long Jump)
• 2007, Women's 4x400 Meter Relay
• 2007, Roberto Archibold (400 Meter Hurdles)
• 2007, Dinah Clark (100 Meter Hurdles)
• 2007, Chris Epstein (400 Meters)
• 2007, Kandace Wilson (400 Meters) 
• 2008, Roberto Archibold  (400 Meter Hurdles)
• 2008, Johnathan Golden (High Jump)
• 2008, Carolyn Ellis (3,000 Meter Steeplechase)
• 2008, Garrett Myers (Triple Jump)
• 2008, Lauren Williams (100 Meter Hurdles)
• 2009, Laron Brown (High Jump)
• 2009, Julianne Masciana (3,000 Meter Steeplechase)
• 2009, Julianne Masciana (5,000 Meters)
• 2009, Lauren Williams (100 Meter Hurdles)
• 2010, Carolyn Ellis (3,000 Meter Steeplechase)
• 2010, Ciara Short (200 Meters)
• 2010, Ciara Short (400 Meters)
• 2010, Lauren Williams (100 Meter Hurdles)
• 2011, Women's 4x100 Meter Relay
• 2011, Ciara Short (200 Meters)
• 2011, Ciara Short (400 Meters)
• 2011, Lauren Williams (100 Meter Hurdles)
• 2012, Women's 4x100 Meter Relay
• 2014, Women's 4x100 Meter Relay
• 2015, Tyler Hardge (400 Meter Hurdles)
• 2015, Steven Williams (High Jump)
• 2016, India Owens (400 Meter Hurdles)
• 2016, Eli Penick (100 Meter Hurdles)
• 2016, Darion Zimmerman (400 Meter Hurdles) 
• 2016, Men's 4x100 Meter Relay
• 2017, Darion Zimmerman (200 meters, 400 meters)
• 2017, Diego Courbis (400 Meter Hurdles)
• 2017, Men's 4x100 Meter Relay
• 2017, Bryn Williamson (Pole Vault)
• 2017, Laura Hamann (Triple Jump)
• 2018, Thaddeus Smith (100 Meters)
• 2018, Mason Guzman-Sanchez (110 Meter Hurdles)
• 2018, Men's 4x100 Meter Relay
• 2018, Samantha Huerta (800 Meters)
• 2018, Nicole Clark (Javelin)
• 2019, Mason Rollins (100 Meters, 200 Meters)
• 2019, Marcel Espinonza (400 Meters)
• 2019, Men's 4x100 Meter Relay
• 2019, Men's 4x400 Meter Relay
• 2019, Samantha Huerta (800 Meters, 1500 Meters)
• 2019, Iesha Hamm (High Jump)
• 2021, Charles Kelly (110 Meter Hurdles, 400 Meter Hurdles)
• 2021, Maya Occiano (400 Meter Hurdles)
• 2021, Men's 4x400 Meter Relay
• 2021, Sara Hollis, (3K Steeplechase)
• 2021, Naiah Boardingham (Long Jump)
• 2021, Iesha Hamm (High Jump)
 

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD YEAR-BY-YEAR

*Men's Track & Field: Big West 1989-present
*Women's Track & Field: PCAA 1986-88, Big West 1989-present   

PRESS
From the OC Register: Track and field brothers get the best of each other
Longtime CSUF track, running coach heads into new era
From the OC Register: 1970 defeat spurs cross country win in 1971

VIDEOS
2014 Cross Country Midseason Report
2014 Cross Country Season Preview  
CSF XC/Track ALS Ice Bucket Challenge  
2014 Track & Field NCAA Postseason Preview
2014 Track & Field Midseason Report  
2014 Track & Field Season Preview  
2014 Women’s Indoor Track Midseason Report  
2014 Women’s Indoor Track Season Preview
2013 Cross Country Season Preview
2013 Track & Field Season Preview
2013 Women’s Indoor Track Season Preview
2012 Big West Cross Country Championship
2012 Cross Country Midseason Report  
2012 Cross Country Season Preview