The 2026 USTFCCCA Central Region Men's and Women's Head Coach of the Year, Bryan Schiding, is entering his 18th year at Missouri Southern. As Director of Cross Country and Track & Field, he has built Missouri Southern into one of the premier NCAA Division II track & field and cross country programs. Under his leadership, the Lions have achieved sustained success at the conference, regional, and national levels, capturing multiple MIAA championships, consistently finishing among the nation's elite, and producing more than 200 All-American performances and 20 NCAA individual champions in cross country and track & field.
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Recent team accomplishments include third-place NCAA Outdoor Championship finishes for both the men's and women's teams in 2026, a fourth-place finish by the men's team at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and a fourth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships, further solidifying Missouri Southern as one of Division II's premier programs.
Schiding's primary coaching focus is the jumping events, where Missouri Southern has become a perennial national contender. With consistent representation at the NCAA Championships in the long jump, triple jump, and pole vault, the jumping events have produced more than 300 NCAA qualifying marks and 76 All-American performances. The pole vault program has become one of the nation's best, producing 142 individual NCAA qualifying marks and highlighted by Emily Presley's NCAA Outdoor National Championships in 2016 and 2017, along with her 2018 NCAA Indoor National Championship, helping establish Missouri Southern as a national power in the event.
Beyond the jumps, Schiding's student-athletes have elevated the entire Missouri Southern program through sustained excellence across men's and women's track & field and cross country. His teams have consistently ranked among the nation's best both academically and competitively, regularly finishing among the top 10 in the USTFCCCA NCAA Program of the Year standings.
One of Schiding's most accomplished athletes is Tyrone Smith, the Bermuda National Record Holder in the long jump. Smith was a finalist at the 2012 London Olympic Games and also competed in the 2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio Olympic Games. A five-time IAAF World Championships competitor, Smith recorded a personal best of more than 27 feet. During his collegiate career, he earned two NCAA Division II national runner-up finishes and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
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Prior to Missouri Southern, Schiding spent six seasons at Missouri S&T, where he developed one of NCAA Division II's top pole vault programs, coaching 30 NCAA qualifiers, 14 All-Americans, 74 NCAA Championship qualifiers, and athletes who set 61 school records. Prior to Missouri S&T, he spent three seasons at La Salle University, helping the Explorers capture five Atlantic 10 Conference championships while coaching the field events, sprints, and hurdles.
A former team captain at Bucknell University, Schiding graduated in 2000 after setting the school indoor long jump record. He won three conference championships in the long jump and triple jump and earned seven all-conference honors during his collegiate career. He also earned his MBA, with a concentration in marketing, from La Salle.
Schiding currently resides in Carl Junction, Missouri, with his wife, Stephanee, daughter, Lilyan, and son, William. Stephanee is also a longtime Missouri Southern employee and is entering her 11th year as an Associate Master Instructor in the Kinesiology and Exercise Science Department.
Individual Coaching Honors:
2026 NCAA Central Region Head Men’s Coach of the Year, Outdoor Track & Field
2026 NCAA Central Region Head Women’s Coach of the Year, Outdoor Track & Field
2022 MIAA Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year, Outdoor Track & Field
2021 MIAA Women’s Coaching Staff of the Year, Outdoor Track & Field
2021 NCAA Women’s Division II Regional Head Coach of the Year, Outdoor Track & Field
2020 MIAA Men’s Coaching Staff of the Year, Outdoor Track & Field
2020 NCAA Division II Regional Head Coach of the Year, Indoor Track & Field
2020 NCAA Division II National Head Coach of the Year, Indoor Track & Field
2016 NCAA Men’s Division II Regional Head Coach of the Year, Indoor Track & Field
2016 MIAA Men’s Head Coach of the Year, Outdoor Track & Field
2009 NCAA Division II Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
2009 Missouri University of Science & Technology Coach of the Year
2007 NCAA Division II Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, Outdoor Track & Field
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Program of the Year Standings:
2024 USTFCCCA Women’s Program of the Year- 11th
2023 USTFCCCA Men’s Program of the Year- 2nd
2022 USTFCCCA Men’s Program of the Year- 8th
2019 USTFCCCA Men’s Program of the Year- 8th
2018 USTFCCCA Men’s Program of the Year- 7th
2017 USTFCCCA Men’s Program of the Year- 3rd
2017 NCAA Festival Highest Women’s Team GPA, Indoor Track, 3.74
2015 USTFCCCA Men’s Program of the Year- 7th
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