Olympic athlete new head of men's, women's track

Three-time U.S. Olympian Jim Spivey has been named interim head coach for men's and women's cross country and track & field.

Spivey competed for the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team in 1984, 1992 and 1996. In 1984, he posted the fastest time (3:36.06) to date by an American in an Olympic 1,500-meter run final, en route to a fifth-place finish. In 1992, he recorded a time of 3:35.35 in the semifinals, which is the fastest mark ever run by a U.S. team member in the Olympic 1,500-meter run competition.

Spivey's international success also includes a silver medal in the 1,500-meter run at the 1987 Pan American Games and a bronze medal in the same event at the 1987 World Championships. He is one of just three U.S. runners to have qualified for all five World Championships (1987, '89, '91, '93, '95).

Spivey ranked among the United States' top eight competitors in the 1,500-meter run from 1980 to 1994, with four No. 1 rankings. He also ranked among the top 10 1,500-meter runners in the world seven times from 1984 to 1993. In addition, he has stood among the nation's top six in the 5,000-meter run every year since 1993.

In Switzerland in 1987, Spivey posted a time of 4:52.44 in the 2,000-meter run, which is the current U.S. record in that event.

During his collegiate career at Indiana University, Spivey claimed 13 Big Ten titles and was a two-time NCAA champion. A member of the IU Hall of Fame, he received his B.A. in business and marketing in 1983.

During 1996-97, Spivey served as assistant cross country coach at North Central College.