Brian Biekert - Assistant Coach (Distance) - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Brian Biekert

Title:
Assistant Coach (Distance)
Email:

Updated: December 2025

Brian Biekert serves as an assistant coach for Tennessee men’s and women’s cross country and works with the Vols’ and Lady Vols’ distance runners during the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. He enters his second year with the program in 2025-26.

In his time on Rocky Top, Biekert has helped guide the Lady Vols to back-to-back appearances at the NCAA Cross Country Championships while assisting in the development of two individual men’s national qualifiers. Tennessee distance athletes under his guidance have combined for six All-SEC honors, 11 All-Region performances and one All-America certificate.

The 2025 cross country season marked continued postseason success for both programs. The Lady Vols finished seventh at the SEC Championships and runner-up at the NCAA South Region to earn their third consecutive NCAA Championships berth, highlighted by freshman Mary Nyaboke Ogwoka’s All-SEC and All-Region honors and a 24th-place finish at nationals to become Tennessee’s first cross country All-American since 2015. On the men’s side, Tennessee placed ninth at SECs and fourth at regionals, with Zouhair Redouane and Ty Steorts earning All-Region honors and Redouane advancing individually to the NCAA Championships.

Biekert has also played a role in Tennessee’s success on the track. Graduate student Zach Jaeger earned bronze in the steeplechase at the SEC Outdoor Championships, while the Vols and Lady Vols recorded 11 UT all-time top-10 performances during the 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons. Additionally, Vol rookie Gavin Genisio set Tennessee freshman records in the indoor 1,000 meters, indoor mile and outdoor 1,500 meters.

Biekert arrived on Rocky Top after spending two seasons at Southern Illinois as the head cross country coach and an assistant with track. During his stay in Carbondale, Illinois, he coached Ethan Senti to a Missouri Valley title on the grass in 2023, with Rachel Anderson headlining the women's performance with a third-place finish last season. Senti was also named the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year – the second year in a row he brought home the honor.

His Saluki runners also took home conference titles on the track in 2024 with Anderson winning the women's 3,000m steeplechase at the MVC Outdoor Championships in May. Anderson capped her collegiate career with second-team All-America honors in the steeplechase as she finished 16th at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Before his stint at SIU, Biekert was on staff at Tulsa, assisting the men's cross country team to its eighth straight American Athletics Conference title. The Golden Hurricane men advanced to the 2021 NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing sixth.

Well-traveled, he has also made coaching stops at Syracuse, Iowa State and Brown. While at Syracuse, he coached three second-team All-American runners and an honorable mention All-American in both the 10,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

At Iowa State, the Cyclones had six All-Americans under Biekert's leadership during the 2018-19 season.

"I'm really thankful for the opportunity to join the Tennessee cross country and track & field program," Biekert said. "In the short time I've been here I can already tell this is a special place. Our future is very bright."

Prior to his coaching career, Biekert completed his career as a graduate athlete at Iowa State. As a Cyclone, Biekert was named to the All-Big 12 Conference team in track & field. He anchored Iowa State's NCAA Qualifying Distance Medley Relay squad that took home first-team All-America honors and a third-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Biekert began his college career at Central Connecticut State, where he was a five-time Northeast Conference Champion.

A native of Groton, Connecticut, Biekert graduated from Central Connecticut State in 2014 with a degree in exercise science & health promotion before getting his master's degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Iowa State in 2015.