Jamen Helton joined the Hillcats in June 2023.
Helton arrives on College Hill after two seasons at NAIA University of the Cumberlands where he most recently was named Mid-South Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in both cross country and track and field. With the Patriots, Helton helped lead the men's cross country program to a second place finish at the MSC Championships after being ranked sixth in the preseason poll. This was the best finish the program has seen since the 2008 season. He coached five All-Conference honorees and had one NAIA National Championship qualifier.
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Helton came to UC after three seasons at NAIA Dakota Wesleyan. While with the Tigers, he served as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. Under his guidance, Dakota Wesleyan saw its first NAIA track & field champion.
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A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Helton ran for NCAA Division II Drury University as a distance runner, and still holds three top-ten times for the Panthers in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. He finished his collegiate career at Lewis University, where he qualified for the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships.
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Helton received a bachelor's degree from Drury in teaching education, later earning a master's degree from Lewis in instructional technology. He holds a USATF Level 1 certification and USATF Cross Country Specialist certification.
