WSU's Wayne Phipps gets new contract to lead Cougs until 2023...

PULLMAN—Washington State University interim athletic director John Johnson announced Tuesday that the contract of director of cross country/track & field Wayne Phipps (left/photo by Paul Merca) was extended until June 2023.

"Wayne has done a great job of continuing to build success in the cross country and track and field programs at WSU," Johnson said. "The three consecutive NCAA appearances by the men's cross country team and an All-America performance by a WSU woman this season are the most recent examples of his ability to lead the Cougars to Pac-12 and national prominence.”

Despite some early grumblings among Cougar alums about his hiring in 2014, Phipps, the 15th coach to head the men’s program and the second to lead the combined mens’ and women’s teams, has put the Cougar men’s cross country team in the NCAA championships three straight years.

Over the last two seasons, he’s mentored a pair of cross country All-Americans in Michael Williams and Vallery Korir, and had a trio of athletes—hammer thrower Brock Eager, heptathlete Alissa Brooks-Johnson, and 400 hurdler CJ Allen—earn outdoor All-America honors.

"It is an honor to be part of the WSU Athletics department and I am very excited to continue to work with my staff, my student-athletes and my administration as part of an exciting future of WSU track and field and cross country,” said Phipps in a statement released by the school.

NOTE:  The sports information office at Washington State University contributed to this report.