OLLU Promotes Brett Charlton to Cross-Country / Track and Field Head Coach
SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 12, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) Athletic Department has announced the promotion of Brett Charlton to head coach for the cross-country and track and field teams.
Athletic Director Tom Norris said, "What the coaching staff for track and field and cross-country has done the last four years while Brett has been here is impressive. The teams are among the top performers compared to all other teams at OLLU, and we look forward to continuing their winning traditions with Brett at the helm."
Charlton began his tenure at OLLU in 2020 as assistant coach for the men's and women's teams.
The cross-country teams have had much success throughout his four seasons. Both the men and women won the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) all four seasons and have gone on to compete at the NAIA National Championships.
He has coached three women and one man to individual nonconference championships and two conference individual medals for the men and three for the women.
During Charlton's tenure, the men's track and field teams won the conference meet in 2021 and 2023 and placed third in 2022. The women's teams placed second in 2021 and 2023 and fourth in 2022.
Charlton commented, "I'm excited for the opportunity to continue to grow the programs. Over the last four years, we've come a long way and have had much success. I look forward to working with our student-athletes to help them improve and strive for excellence. I'm especially grateful to be a part of the coaching staff at OLLU."
Under Charlton, track and field team members have earned NAIA All-American honors. In 2023, the 4x400m relay team finished fifth in the NAIA Outdoor Championships. In 2024, Hendrick Ramirez finished fifth in the 1500m at the NAIA Outdoor Championships and fifth in the mile run at the NAIA Indoor Championships. The 4x400m relay team finished seventh overall at the Indoor Championships.
Sixty-four of 68 indoor track and field records are from Charlton's teams, plus 92 of 108 of the outdoor track records are from his teams. In addition, 14 out of 28 men's cross-country records are from members of Charlton's teams, and 17 out of 26 women's cross-country records are from Charlton's teams.
Charlton came to OLLU from Eureka High School in Eureka, Ill., where he was an assistant coach for the men's track team from 2018-2020. His team was the state runner-up in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:18m. He also coached the 2019 high jump state champion and New Balance National's runner.
Charlton's personal journey is equally inspiring. He was a standout in high school, winning the 2014 Illinois High School Association 100m dash state championship.
He ran track and field at Illinois State University and played football and track and field at Eureka College from 2017-2019. He received the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference awards in the 100m, 200m and long jump.
Charlton has a bachelor's degree in Special Education and an endorsement in coaching and kinesiology from Eureka College, an NCAA D3 school in Eureka, Ill.
The 2024 cross-country season will begin Aug. 30 at the University of the Incarnate Word Twilight Meet. The teams will host three meets - the Saints Classic on Sept. 20, the West Side Classic on Oct. 12 and the Red River Athletic Conference Championships on Nov. 1. The indoor track and field teams will compete in a handfull of meets in December and continue through March of 2025. The outdoor track and field season will begin later in the spring.