Neil Houlihan heads into his second season as the Head Coach of the cross country and track & field programs in 2021-22. He officially began at Chapman on August 1, 2021.
In Houlihan's first season with the Panthers he led his bunch to breaking a multitude of school records along the way. His 2022 rookie campaign was capped off with a trip to Geneva, Ohio alongside Jesse McMillan to compete in the NCAA Division III Pole Vault National Championship.
Houlihan spent the last four years at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) as an assistant coach, working with sprints, jumps, hurdles, multi's, throws and middle distance runners. He was also active in recruiting and fundraising for the NCAA Division I program. While with UIC, he coached Peyton Wade to an 11th place finish in the high jump at the US Track & Field Championships in 2019.
"I am very excited and proud of Neil for his new position as Head Coach of the men's and women's programs at Chapman," commented University of Illinois-Chicago head coach Ashley Lucas. "There is no denying Neil's love and passion for the sport and for the relationships it brings with student athletes. He has a contagious energy and is consistently bringing out the best in his athletes and those around him. I have no doubt that he will be able to build something very special at Chapman and I am excited to see how the program develops. I will be cheering him on from Chicago."
Before joining UIC, he established the track & field and cross country program at Feather River College in Quincy, Calif. as its first Director of Track & Field. His first coaching experience came as a Graduate Assistant at NCAA D-III North Park University in Chicago, Ill. He was the sprints coach at North Park for two seasons, coaching a pair of All-Americans. His student-athletes at North Park broke 14 school records and he also established the program's social media presence.
As an athlete, Houlihan was an All-American sprinter at Mesa Community College. He transferred to the University of Arizona as a walk-on but became a full-scholarship athlete just one year later. He was an All-Pac 12 sprinter/hurdler and team captain in 2014 when the Wildcats placed fifth at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
In addition to his achievements on the track, Houlihan also obtained a USATF Strength & Conditioning Certification. He graduated from Arizona with a Bachelor's in Social, Behavioral and Human Understanding. He obtained a Master's in Counseling Psychology from North Park University and another in Educational Leadership from the University of Illinois. He is currently pursuing a third Master's in Kinesiology from UIC.
