Greg Hipp is in his sixth year as Missouri State's cross country coach and the Bears' distance coach for track and field. He starts his seventh year as a member of the Missouri State staff after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant for both cross country and track and field.
Under Hipp's guidance, MSU cross country won the 2004 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship. With runner-up finishes in 2005, 2006, and 2008, Hipp's cross country teams have finished outside of the MVC's top two teams only twice; once with a third-place finish in 2007 and a fifth-place finish in 2009. Hipp's teams have also finished among the NCAA Midwest Region's top 10 during four of his six seasons, and the 2008 season saw MSU finish as the top-ranked team in the state of Missouri.
Hipp was named MVC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2004 after guiding Missouri State to their fourth-straight MVC cross country championship and a fifth-place regional finish. That team featured four All-MVC selections, including Casey Owens, who won her second individual MVC championship in three years. Owens also earned All-Region honors as she qualified for the NCAA Division I National Championship for the second-consecutive year.
Missouri State can boast the most All-MVC cross country athletes and honors since Hipp's arrival to the conference. Ten of Hipp's athletes account for 15 All-MVC cross country honors, while three of his athletes have earned the title MVC Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Owens earned that honor in 2004, sophomore Pasca Cheruiyot did so in 2008 and Terry Phillips won this season.
In addition to Owens, three more of Hipp's runners have earned All-Region honors. Kristin Wolkey did so in 2005 while a pair of MSU harriers, Pasca Cheruiyot and Terry Phillips, were named to the All-Region team in 2008. Cheruiyot was third at the Midwest meet in 2008; the highest ever regional finish by an MSU runner. That finish qualified her for the NCAA Division I National Championship, becoming the first MSU sophomore to accomplish that feat. Phillips was also named to the All-Region team in 2009, becoming only the third MSU athlete to win the award twice. Only Owens has more All-Region honors.
Hipp's runners have continued to rewrite the MSU cross country records. MSU's top five all-time cross country performers for 5K and four of the top five for 6K have all run for Hipp. As a senior in 2004, Owens set the MSU 5K (17:25.00) and 6K (20:46.00) records. Wolkey had her turn at the top of the 5K list in 2006 (17:23.00) before sophomore Cheruiyot claimed both the 5K and 6K records during the 2008 season with bests of 16:57.00 and 20:27.00, respectively.
On the track, the Bears have remained a force in the MVC and the NCAA during Hipp's five years as the program's distance coach. Hipp's runners have accumulated 40 All-MVC honors, nine MVC individual titles, been MVC runner-ups 14 times and have placed third 14 times. With three NCAA All-Region and one NCAA All-America track honors, Hipp's runners have compiled 12 NCAA Regional and nine NCAA National Championship qualifying performances from the 800-meter up to the 10,000-meter.
In 2005, Hipp guided Owens to one of the finest seasons in MSU history. On top of four league titles, Owens set two MVC all-time records (16:15.00 5,000m indoors, 33:32.00 10,000m outdoors), three MVC championship meet records and qualified for the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships where she was named to the All-America team. As the top collegiate finisher at the USA Championship Owens placed ninth in the 10,000-meter (33:32.00), setting MVC and state of Missouri collegiate records. Owens was also named to Team USA for an international road race event in Chiba, Japan.
Also notable under Hipp has been Missouri State's success in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. In 2008, Jamie Vest qualified for the NCAA national championship, placing 26th, while Phillips was the fourth-ranked Junior (19 & Under) steeplechaser in America. During Phillips 2009 sophomore season, she became an NCAA National Championship Qualifier herself, placing 20th nationally.
The 2008 and 2009 seasons were banner years for Hipp's middle distance runners, as Asher Kyger broke the outdoor 1500-meter school record (4:26.20 - 2008) and the indoor Mile record (4:48.67 - 2009). Also in 2009, MSU's distance medley relay team broke the MVC championship and all-time records running 11:24.02, the 18th fastest performance in the nation.
The cross country teams have seen a great deal of success in the classroom under Hipp as well. Hipp's cross country teams have received all-academic recognition by the USTFCCCA each season, including boasting the seventh-highest GPA in the country in 2006. MSU distance runners have also earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America awards three times since 2004.
A native of Charlotte, N.C., Hipp came to MSU after one season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Appalachian State University. During that season his men and women swept the Southern Conference cross country titles, while five earned All-Conference honors.
Hipp also serves on the cross country committees for both USATF and the USTFCCCA. Hipp has earned his USATF Level II certification. A 2002 graduate of Appalachian State, Hipp earned his master's degree in education from Missouri State in 2004.
