Patrick Henner - Cross Country Coach - University of Georgia Athletics

Patrick Henner

Title:
Cross Country Head Coach/Assistant Coach - Distance
Email:
phenner@sports.uga.edu
Phone:
706-542-7915

Patrick Henner was hired as Georgia's cross country head coach and an assistant track and field coach in June 2022.

Henner began his first season as the Bulldogs distance coach two months after arriving in Athens and quickly collected his first All-Region competitor in cross.  Sam Bowers was 20^th at the 2022 NCAA South Regional and was the team’s top finisher at four of six meets during his first season under Henner.  While Chase Condra was Georgia’s first across the finish line at the SEC Championships, Henner continued the development of a host of underclassmen Bulldogs.  On the women’s side, Henner’s corps had four different top finishers as he welcomed nine new runners into the mix.

As the fall eased into the new year, Henner started his initial indoor campaign with the Bulldogs.  The distance and mid-distance crew made seven adjustments to the all-time top-10 lists, including a school record in the men’s 800 meters, and captured an SEC title and a First Team All-America certificate.

True freshman Will Sumner, who was named the conference’s Freshman Runner of the Year, was credited with a number of those accolades.  Setting a school record in the 800m (1:47.28) at the Music City Challenge, Sumner locked down Georgia’s first SEC indoor 800m title since 2012 and then went on to finish seventh in his featured event at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships.  Sumner’s impressive track debut began early as he became the No. 8 all-time collegiate performer in the 600m at the MLK Invite with a 1:15.32 early in the year. In addition, Sumner ran a leg on the runner-up 4x400m relay squads at SECs and Nationals.

Henner had another group better their career bests during his first season in red and black.  Clay Pender, Sumner’s training partner, registered a 1:48.89 at the same Music City meet while K.C. Heron made strides with a 2:23.47 in the 1000m, which ranks No. 2 in school history.  Also of note, Charlotte Augenstein dropped her 800m personal record to 2:11.58 on the women’s side and Sophia Baker had a breakthrough 9:53.20 in the 3000m at the same Music City meet.

Henner came to Athens after coaching Arizona State’s distance corps for two years.  Prior to his stop in Tempe, Henner had a three-year stay at the University of Southern California under now Bulldog head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert.

Henner guided Sun Devil freshman Dayton Carlson to finish sixth in the 800m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships final with a personal record 1:46.72.  Carlson arrived at Arizona State with an 800m personal best of 1:51.71.  In addition, Arizona State’s Vincent Mauri finished 18^th at Nationals.  Henner directed Mauri to personal bests of 1:49.40 and 13:39.13 as well as All-America Honorable Mention honors in 2022.

Year one of Henner’s tenure with the Sun Devils saw him push Mauri to a new level. The freshman set new personal records in the 8K, mile and 1500m.  Mauri was ASU’s top finisher at the Pac-12 Cross Country Championships where he took 22^nd in 23:35.3.  The freshman then went on to run 3:41.22 in the 1500m at the NCAA West Prelims where he took 15th, just missing the outdoor championships.  Henner’s runners also recorded three new all-time top-10 entries.

In three years with the Trojans, Henner brought in two recruiting classes and helped almost every cross country runner set their personal bests in the 6K.  In his two seasons working with the distance athletes, runners Robert Ford and Isaiah Jewett won consecutive Pac-12 men's 800m titles, and he placed two male and female runners into USC's all-time top 10 in the event.  Jewett claimed the Pac-12 title and All-America honors in the 800m during the 2019 spring season, and he also set USC's 800m indoor record.

At the 2019 USATF Championships, Jewett finished fifth in the 800m, missing a spot on Team USA for the World Championships by only .3.  Jewett went undefeated in the 400m and 800m indoors in 2019-20 and was a favorite to win the national title in the 800m prior to the 2020 COVID cancellation.

Under Henner's guidance, Nicolaus Jakowec set the school indoor 3000m record, and Jemima Russell set the freshman record for the 800m.  Henner also helped numerous Trojans crack the program's indoor and outdoor all-time lists.

Prior to USC, Henner was the director of track and field and cross country at Georgetown from 2007-15, and prior to that he had spent eight seasons as the Hoyas' head men's cross country coach and assistant coach for the men's and women's track and field team.

Henner's coaching resumé also includes a nine year stay at James Madison where he led both the men's and women's cross country teams to their first CAA titles, trained 28 track and field All-Americans and was twice named CAA Coach of the Year.  He began his coaching career at Blacksburg High in Blacksburg, Va., where both the men's and women's teams won state championships in 1984, 1985 and 1986.