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Brian Appell begins his second year at the helm of Utah's cross country program. Appell, the 2001 Mountain West Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year, is expecting great things for the 2002 season. "An aggressive recruiting campaign has reaped tremendous benefits that will be visible for the next few years," boasts Appell.
Finishing third at the 2001 MWC Championships on the men's side and fourth on the women's side, Appell hopes to duplicate those efforts this season. Appell is also optimistic for berths by both teams to the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Ind. on Nov. 25. "Our schedule this season will afford us the opportunity to earn points toward competing at the NCAA's," says Appell.
Since joining the Utah program, Appell has continued to add to an already impressive record of success. He guided Teren Jameson to his second cross country All-America honor last season. Appell, who also helps during the track and field season, directed three athletes to provisional qualifying times during the 2002 track and field season. Jameson notched a time of 29:05 minutes in the 10,000 meters, while B.J. Christensen recorded an 8:49 time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Nephi Tyler posted a 3:43 time in the 1,500 meters. Jameson also finished 12th at the 2002 NCAA Track and Field Championships in the 10,000 meters.
Prior to joining the Utes, he was the assistant coach at Weber State University for four seasons. At WSU, Appell helped produce nine All-Americans. Rebecca Bennion and Jeremy Tolman both placed second in the steeplechase, while Joel Atwater took sixth in the 1,500 meters at the 2001 NCAA Track and Field Championships. Appell can also be credited with helping the men's cross country team finish 19th and the women's team 21st at the 2000 NCAA Track and Field Championships.
The California native has International experience to his credit as a private professional coach for the Olympic Games, which he has been doing since 1990. Appell owns and operates the High Elevation Training Facility in Albuquerque, N.M. The facility is an Olympic and Elite Athlete training center.
Appell was asked to serve as an Olympic coach for Mexico during the 1992 summer games in Barcelona, Spain. He coached six athletes from six different nations in the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Ga.
In 1993, Appell coached Luketz Swartbooi to a second-place finish in the marathon at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. That same year at the World Championships, he coached Olympian Carmen de Oliveira to an 11th-place finish and Olympian Olga Appell to a 14th-place finish in the 10,000 meters.
Before becoming a coach, Appell posted an impressive resume as an athlete. He was a three-time national qualifier in the 3,000-meter steeplechase while competing for Weber State from 1979-1982. He was also a five-time USATF national qualifier, and a member of the U.S. World Military Championship team from 1987-89.
Away from coaching, Appell enjoys playing volleyball and listening to music. He has spent the past 10 years teaching ESL and Spanish. Appell graduated from Weber State with bachelor's degrees in English, Spanish and child and family studies in '97, and is on track to earn a master's degree in education from WSU.
The Fountain Valley, Calif., native is married to two-time Olympic marathoner Olga Appell. She competed in the 1992 Olympics for Mexico and was a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team. The couple has a 15-year-old daughter: Monique.
