Year at Saint Mary's: 5th
With more than three decades of experience developing championship-caliber programs and athletes, Darren Schneider has established a remarkable record of success in collegiate track & field and cross country. His teams have consistently achieved national prominence, producing All-Americans, conference champions, and record-holders under his leadership.
Throughout his coaching career, Coach Schneider has guided his men’s and women’s teams to 30 NCAA Top-25 finishes at national championships in both track & field and cross country since 1995. His programs have reached the podium on numerous occasions, including:
- 2004 Men’s NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Runner-Up (2nd Place)
- 2004 Men’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Third Place (3rd Place)
- 2006 Men’s NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Third Place (3rd Place)
- His squads have captured two NCAA Division III MF Athletic Power Rankings National Championships — earning the 2004 Indoor and 2006 Outdoor titles.
In addition to these national team honors, Coach Schneider’s has directed his athletes to extraordinary individual success:
- 133 First Team NCAA All-American honors earned under his guidance
- 128 Conference Champions since 1995
- 12 NCAA Individual National Champions
- 2 Drake Relay Champion Relay teams (Men’s and Women’s Distance Medley Relay)
His teams have also been recognized for their excellence in the classroom, consistently earning USTFCCCA All-Academic Team Awards across both men’s and women’s track & field and cross country.Â
A two-time Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Coach of the Year (2002, 2007), he is known for cultivating programs that combine athletic excellence with academic achievement and personal growth.
Coach Schneider has an extensive background in coaching, including head coaching positions at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Texas A&M-Commerce (East Texas A&M University) and Minnesota State University-Moorhead. To begin his collegiate coaching career, Schneider had stints as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State University and Northeast Missouri State University (Truman State University).Â
Coach Schneider holds a Bachelor of Science (Exercise Science) degree from Northeast Missouri State University (Truman State) and he earned a Master of Sports Management Degree from the United States Sports Academy Â
