GAMBIER – With more than ten years' experience as an assistant at the NCAA Division III level, Julius Higginbotham was selected as the head coach of the Kenyon College Lords and Ladies track and field teams.
The announcement was made Monday by Jill McCartney, Kenyon’s Director of Athletics, Fitness and Recreation.
“I am very pleased to welcome Julius as our new head track and field coach. His energy and positive approach to coaching and life will help him transition to this new role and help him make impactful connections with student-athletes and colleagues at Kenyon,” McCartney said. “Coach Higginbotham knows the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) and what it will take to build a highly competitive program that can compete for championships.”
Since the 2012-13 season, Higginbotham served as assistant track and field coach at The College of Wooster, a fellow member of NCAC. In his time with the Fighting Scots, he helped coach 16 national qualifiers, eight of whom went on to earn All-America status.
In 2016, he assisted two national indoor qualifiers and was tabbed the NCAA Division III United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Assistant Coach of the Year for women's indoor track and field. More recently, he tutored a 2018 national qualifier in the high jump who also went on to sweep the NCAC's Field Athlete of the Year awards at the 2019 indoor and outdoor championships.
In addition to his track and field position at Wooster, he also served as an assistant football coach for five seasons and followed that up by working as the athletics department’s intramural director.
“I came to Kenyon to win,” Higginbotham said. “Coaching in the NCAC under the leadership of Coach Frank Colaprete (football) and Coach Dennis Rice (track and field) has given me the experience and confidence to lead Kenyon. My time at Wooster prepared me for this opportunity.”
Justin Newell, Kenyon’s Assistant Athletics Director who chaired the track and field search committee, said, “Julius stood out as a candidate who we knew from within the conference, someone we’ve seen providing energy and enthusiasm to his athletes. His role as a leader, not only on the track, but within Wooster’s athletic department and across campus, made him someone that we can rely on to build our future here at Kenyon.”
Prior to his work at Wooster, Higginbotham started his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, Heidelberg University, where he served as assistant track and field coach for two seasons.
While at Heidelberg, he was a 20-time all-conference honoree, 12-time national qualifier and 2-time All-America long jumper. He graduated in 2010 with a degree in psychology and later earned his master’s degree in education.
“My style of coaching is to enjoy the grind, to develop in others a passion for the sport, and to have fun,” Higginbotham said. “I believe that, at Kenyon, we can have a program that excels academically and athletically. We can compete for NCAC championships and ultimately gain national recognition.”
