HU Announces Hiring of Neideck

Huntington University athletic director Lori Culler has announced the hiring of Josh Neideck as the Associate Head Coach for Distance Running. Neideck will serve as the coach of the men’s and women’s cross country program as well as the long distance coach for the track program.

“My family and I are excited to join the Huntington University community and worship Christ by serving the cross country and track and field programs,” said Neideck. “We look forward to contributing to the athletic department under the leadership and vision of Lori Culler.

“God has worked in many ways to get us here and we are expectant to see His plan for this new chapter.”

Neideck most recently served as the men’s and women’s cross country coach and an assistant track coach at Cornerstone University. During his three-year stint in Grand Rapids, he guided the women’s program to two consecutive Top 5 finishes at the NAIA National Championships. Under his tutelage, both programs set new team time records.

While at CU, his athletes racked up 36 All-American honors which included a national champion performance. He was a part of five WHAC championship teams and on five occasions was tabbed WHAC Coach of the Year.

In addition to having garnered praises within the conference, Neideck’s success as a coach also drew national attention. In 2021, Neideck was named the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year and the previous spring he was deemed the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Women’s Assistant Track Coach of the Year.

“I’m incredibly excited to bring in and work with a coach who has the experience and vision that Josh has,” said Austin Roark, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. “His record of success speaks for itself and he will immediately make a positive impact on our cross country program and distance runners.

“Josh is the perfect coach to work with and lead our program into national contention. I can’t wait to get started.”

No stranger to the Crossroads League, Neideck’s coaching career began at Indiana Wesleyan after a successful four-year running career. As an assistant under long-time head coach John Foss, Neideck helped guide the men’s cross country program to a runner-up finish at nationals. His time at IWU also saw the men’s cross country and track and field programs earn NAIA National Program of the Year accolades.

Neideck also had a brief stop as an assistant at Taylor where he was part of the coaching staff that led the men’s cross country program to an NAIA national runner-up finish.

“We are thrilled to have Josh join our coaching staff,” said Culler. “He brings with him a variety of experiences in the Crossroads League, a strong faith commitment and demonstrated success at the national level. We’re looking forward to his leadership and the implementation of his vision for continuing to move the program forward.”

Neideck had a prolific running career at Indiana Wesleyan. During his four-year tenure in red and white, he competed in 11 NAIA National Championships where he piled up eight NAIA All-American honors which included anchoring the Wildcat 4×800 relay team that brought home a national championship in 2018. Neideck topped off his stellar collegiate career by being named the IWU Male Athlete of the Year as a senior.

Neideck graduated with a BS in nursing from Indiana Wesleyan in 2019.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 17 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 125 NAIA All-America honors and 449 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.