Clarksville, Ark.-Jackie Bacon was named the new assistant men's and women's cross country and men's and women's distance track coach at the University of the Ozarks, it was announced by Athletic Director Jimmy Clark Thursday.
Bacon, a native of Ozark, Missouri, will serve as the program's Social Media Director and lead fundraiser. Bacon comes to Ozarks after a multiple-sport collegiate career. Bacon played basketball at Harding University for two seasons, helping the program to a pair of Great American Conference regular season championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Prior to Harding, Bacon played two seasons at Avila University, leading the team to the NAIA National Tournament. She also played one season of softball at Avila.
She is an active member of the Arkansas Road Runners Club of America and completed her first half marathon in April, finishing fourth in her age group and was the tenth female overall with a time of 1:37:32.
"The addition of Jackie to our coaching staff will enhance the athletic experience for our cross country and track student-athletes," said head coach Jeremy Provence. "She brings enthusiasm and is ready to help promote each program using her public relations experience. I believe this will give our program a distinct advantage in recruiting, allowing us to bring in student-athletes who understand the culture that is currently being set in place and the direction the program is heading in the future. I look forward to working and sharing ideas with Jackie and building championship level programs."
Bacon's public relations experience includes serving as the Media Coordinator for Youth Baseball Nationals and as a Co-Director for Searcy Kids Track Night, a non-profit organization in Searcy, Ark., that encourages fitness at an early age. Bacon helped the youth running initiative raise over $2,800 and increased the number of participants to 155.
She received her bachelor's degree in public relations from Harding University in 2015.
She and her husband, Nathan, were married in 2013.
