Bio

Long-time Simpson cross country and track and field coach Keith Ellingson returns for his fourth season as an assistant cross country and track and field coach for the Storm in 2016-17.

In addition to his cross country duties, Ellingson coaches throwers and pole vaulters in track and field. 

In his first term in Indianola, Ellingson led the Simpson track and field and cross country teams to unparalleled success from 1986-2001. During his time, he helped athletes earn 63 All-America certificates and set more than 20 school records.

Ellingson also brought Simpson to prominence on a national stage, guiding the men's cross country team to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Division III National Championship in 1986 and the men's track and field team to a fifth-place finish at the Division III Outdoor Championships in 1988. Simpson scored 35 points in the 1988 meet, which is still the best finish in school history.

After leaving Simpson, Ellingson was the head cross country coach at UW-Stout from 2001-02. He served as the President of the NCAA Cross Country Coaches Association from 1999-2000 and sat on the United States Track Coaches Executive Board from 1999-2001.

Ellingson graduated from Luther College in 1979 and earned his master's from Western Illinois University in 1985. Keith and his late wife, Kristi, have three daughters: Jessica (26), Catie (23) and Bailey (21). Catie was a standout runner at Simpson, graduating in 2013 as a six-time All-American in cross country and track.