A former standout collegiate runner, John Simons returned to Milwaukee as an assistant coach for the start of the 2016 cross country season.
Working primarily with men's distance, Simons' group had one of the best years in program history in 2016-17. During the track season alone, Simons' events tallied an impressive 56 points at the Horizon League Championships between indoor and outdoor. That feat was highlighted with Milwaukee runners nearly completing a sweep of the medals in the outdoor 800m, taking second, third and fourth overall in an incredible photo finish.
Simons also helped Milwaukee to a fourth-place finish in his first cross country season, coaching Caleb Abfall to all-league honors.
Simons made an instant impact as a runner at UWM, being named Horizon League Newcomer of the Year in 2009 in cross country while earning second-team all-conference honors after placing ninth at the league meet. He also finished 62nd (32:40.78) at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships as a freshman.
On the track, Simons continued to shine, setting the school outdoor 5,000m record that stood until 2016. He was again named Horizon League Newcomer of the Year during the outdoor campaign.
Simons also ran collegiately at Minnesota, earning multiple All-Big Ten honors.
In all, Simons finished as a four-time All-American during his college career.
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