Brent Ericksen coached nine SLC All-Conference First-Team honorees with four unique athletes garnering the honors in track. Atop those honors, Dennis Kipngeno won Outstanding Running Events Performer. He coached three cross country runners to All-Conference honors while Kipngeno was named SLC Male Athlete of the year with Enock Kimutai earning Newcomer of the Year. It marked the second consecutive year the cross country program has seen someone qualify for the NCAA Championships.
He led the men's track and field to a program-high finish at the Southland Conference Indoor Championships in 2022 with 109.5 points, coaching 15 Islanders to All-Conference Honors. Fifteen more All-Conference Honors came during the Outdoor season for 30 total on the season. Ericksen brought in a successful crew for the two seasons as Trpimir Siroki qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships, marking the second consecutive season the Islanders have had representation, while also bringing in SLC Indoor Athlete of the Year, Outstanding Field Event Performer and Newcomer of the Year recognition. The team sent a program-tying record five athletes to the NCAA West Prelims. Four hurdlers were recognized by the USTFCCCA (United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) as the sixth best 110m hurdle quartet in Division I.
Coaching his third season on the Island, Ericksen coached Leonardo Ledgister to an All-American honor, placing sixth in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in an Olympic qualifying time. Within the Southland Conference, A&M-Corpus Christi saw 22 student-athletes earn All-Conference honors with Dennis Kipngeno earning SLC Outdoor Freshman of the Year. The team sent three to compete at the NCAA West Prelims with Ledgister traveling to the Championships.
In just his second year, Ericksen led the Islander women's cross country team to a Southland Championship in the fall of 2018. Allyson Girard won the individual title and garnered Runner of the Year honors while Ericksen was named Coach of the Year. Sashane Hanson became a four-time Southland Outdoor high jump champion and earned All-America honors for her 16th place finish at the NCAA Championships. The Islander men captured the team's highest finish at a Southland meet, placing seventh during the outdoor championships.
During the 2017-18 season, Ericksen's Islanders broke 23 school records, had a program-record five NCAA First Round national qualifiers and saw five student-athletes crowned Southland Conference Champions. Between cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field, the Islanders had 14 All-Southland Conference performers. In addition, the Islanders University fielded the conference's Indoor Female Runner of the Year, the Indoor Female Newcomer of the Year and the Outdoor Female Newcomer of the Year.
Over the course of his career, Ericksen has coached 143 All-Americans and led 16 individual national champions. Having coached at all levels in the collegiate structure, he is one of just two coaches to win national championships in different sports, in different divisions. Twice, Ericksen has been named National Coach of the Year en route to a total of 11 Coach of the Year honors.
Ericksen, who previously served as an associate head coach for the Islanders in 2007-08, returned to Corpus Christi in July of 2017 after a two-year stint as the Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Portland State. With the Vikings, he led the men's cross country program to his highest Big Sky finish in program history while matching the women's best finish in the conference. In track & field, Ericksen's athletes produced 84 new top-10 marks, including eight school records. He also had six athletes win Big Sky titles and seven NCAA qualifiers.
Following his initial stint on the Island in 2007-08, Ericksen went on to become the head coach at Southern Oregon. After three years leading the Southern Oregon programs, an NAIA National Championship and National Coach of the Year Award, he moved on to Morehead State where he helped the Eagles soar to new heights with 15 records in outdoor track. Another hallmark of Ericksen-led squads, Morehead State excelled academically with both teams earning NCAA Division I All-Academic recognition.
Other stops on Ericksen's path include the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where Ericksen led the outdoor track & field program to an NCAA record-setting 65-point margin of victory at the D-III National Championship. Ericksen also held a six-year tenure as the leader of the Cross Country and Track & Field programs at Texas A&M-Kingsville. While in South Texas, Ericksen produced five top 10 national finishes and 77 All-Americans. He also led the Javelinas to 10 national titles in sprint, hurdle and jump events.
Prior to taking over the Texas A&M-Kingsville program, Ericksen spent a decade as an assistant coach. He began his coaching career at Cal Poly before also making stops at Mount Marty College, Marquette, South Dakota State and Cal State Stanislaus.
Ericksen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education from Cal State Stanislaus in 1989 before earning his Master of Science in Human Movement and Sport from Cal Poly in 1992.
