Coaches: Oversees all events; Distance
Coach Scott Houle is in his 21st season as the head cross country and track & field coach at Utah Valley University in 2024-25. As the head coach at Utah Valley University, Houle has won a total of 38 conference championships. He has been recognized for his efforts by being named the men's and women's Western Athletic Conference and Great West Conference Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field Coach of the Year an impressive 38 times.
Houle has also produced 79 Track & Field NCAA Qualifiers, two women's team qualifiers for the Cross Country Championships, six individual NCAA Cross Country National Championship qualifiers in Joshua McCabe (twice), Jason Lynch, Tyson Lambert, and multiple qualifiers for the first time in 2020-21 in Maddie Bench Empey and Britain Reynolds. For the first time in program history in 2022, the women's cross country team made the first of two straight team appearances at the NCAA Championships. In 2022, the program had its first cross country All-American in Everlyn Kemboi.
He has coached a total of 80 Individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees, 25 All-Academic Cross Country teams, and 26 All-Academic Track and Field teams. The 2009 men's cross country team led the way by achieving a No. 7 national academic ranking with a team GPA of 3.63. Houle has been the cross country and track & field coach at UVU since 2004-05.
Houle came to UVU via Orem High School. While at Orem from 1993-2004 he was the head cross country, track and field and girls basketball head coach. During that time his girls basketball team played for three state championships and was nationally ranked twice. His cross country and track and field teams finished second 10 times along with cross country being nationally ranked 5 times. In 2002 the Orem High girls cross country team won the Utah State Championship Title.
Prior to coaching at Orem High, Houle was an assistant girls’ basketball, boy's and girl's track and field and cross country coach at Mountain View High School in 1992-93. In 1991-92 he was an assistant coach in women's basketball at SUU and an assistant coach for cross country and track and field at SUU. Additionally, in 1989-91 he was an assistant girls’ basketball coach at Cedar City High School.
Houle graduated from Southern Utah University in 1993 with a Bachelors degree in physical education and special education. In 2002 he received his Masters from BYU in education leadership. Houle is married to Jana Houle, who is also a graduate from SUU with a bachelor degree in home economics and marketing. She also received a Masters degree from the University of Phoenix in educational counseling. In 2014-15 Jana was recognized by Michelle Obama as the State of Utah Counselor of the Year and a finalist of United States Counselor of the Year. Jana received her second Masters degree from SUU in educational administration and is currently an assistant principal at Skyridge High School in Lehi. They have two daughters, Skotie who is married to Joshua Steele, and Brylie who is a college student at UVU.
Outside of coaching, Houle enjoys spending time with his wife and kids and being outside. Coaching runs in the Houle family. His brother Mark coaches cross country and track and field in Sebeka, Minnesota. Dave Houle was the head coach in cross country and track and field and women's basketball at Mountain View High School in Orem for 25 years. Dave has won 67 State Championships, seven National Championships and was sponsored by both Adidas and Nike. Kirk Houle was an assistant cross country and track and field coach at Mountain View HS and was been key in the success of cross country and track and field programs. Eric Houle has been the head cross country and track and field coach at SUU for the last 24 years, Houle’s nephew Nathan Houle is the Head Cross Country Coach at Idaho State University.
HOULE'S ACCOLADES
40 Conference Championships
26 Second-Place Finishes
40 Coach of the Year Awards
Women’s Cross Country Championships
'07, '08, '09, '10, '11, '12, '15 (WAC), '16 (WAC), '21 (WAC), '23 (WAC), '24 (WAC)
Men’s Cross Country Championships
'07, '09, '10, '11, '12, '13 (WAC), '14 (WAC), '15 (WAC), '18 (WAC), '19 (WAC)
Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championships
11-12, '25 (WAC)
Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championships
11-12, 14-15 (WAC)
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships
07-08, 08-09, 09-10, 10-11, 11-12, 12-13, 23-24 (WAC)
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships
07-08, 08-09, 09-10, 10-11, 11-12, 12-13, 14-15 (WAC), 18-19 (WAC)
NCAA All-Americans
Outdoor Track and Field
Second Team
Michael McPherson, Decathlon (2014)
Nicholas Taylor, 100m (2016)
Everlyn Kemboi, 10k (2022)
Honorable Mention
Trac Norris, 3,000-meter Steeplechase (2015)
Nicholas Taylor, 200m (2016)
Aaron Johnson, Long Jump (2022)
Adam Bunker, 3,000m Steeplechase (2022)
Hannah Branch, 10k (2022)
Indoor Track and Field
Michael McPherson, Heptathlon
Larry Still, Pole Vault
NCAA Cross Country All-Mountain Region
Josh McCabe 2010
Josh McCabe 2012
Cliff Nielson 2012
Tyson Lambert 2017
NCAA Academic National Ranking
2009
#7 in the Nation Men’s Cross Country 3.63
USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams
Men’s Cross Country
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Women’s Cross Country
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Men’s Track and Field
2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Women’s Track and Field
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
USTFCCCA All-Academic (Individuals)
80
NCAA Regional Individual Qualifiers
79
Individual events qualified to the NCAA Regional Championships
74
All-Academic Independent Conference Individuals
46
All-Academic Great West Conference Individuals
339
All-Academic Western Athletic Conference Individuals
547
WAC Joe Kearney Award
Michael McPherson, 2014-15
WAC Stan Bates Award
Tyson Lambert, 2017-18
Andre Jones, 2020-21
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
Sally Hansen
Trac Norris
Mike Keith
Tyson Lambert
ESPN Academic All-District team
Jacob Buhler
Karinne Bentley
Individual All-Independent Conference First and Second Team Honorees
93
Individual All-Great West Conference First and Second Team Honorees
269
Individual All-Western Athletic Conference First and Second Team Honorees
436
Great West Conference Performance Honors
Cross Country (11)
2012 Women’s Freshman of the Year
2012 Men’s Freshman of the Year
2012 Male Athlete of the Year
2011 Men's Freshman of the Year
2010 Women's Freshman of the Year
2010 Male Athlete of the Year
2009 Female Athlete of the Year
2009 Women's Newcomer of the Year
2009 Men's Newcomer of the Year
2008 Women's Newcomer of the Year
2008 Men's Newcomer of the Year
Indoor Track & Field (7)
2012 Men's Freshman of the Year
2012 Men's Athlete of the Championship
2012 Women's Athlete of the Championship
2011 Men's Most Outstanding Performance
2010 Men's Newcomer of the Year
2009 Male Athlete of the Year
2009 Men's Newcomer of the Year
Outdoor Track & Field (9)
2012 Female Performance of the Meet
2011 Female Athlete of the Year
2011 Female Newcomer of the Year
2010 Male Athlete of the Year
2010 Male Newcomer of the Year
2010 Female Athlete of the Year
2009 Female Athlete of the Year
2009 Male Athlete of the Year
2009 Men's Newcomer of the Year
Western Athletic Conference Athlete Honors
Cross Country
2013 Male Coach of the Year Scott Houle
2014 Male Coach of the Year Scott Houle
2015 Male Coach of the Year Scott Houle
2015 Female Coach of the Year Scott Houle
2015 Male Runner of the Year Jason Lynch
2015 Male Champion Jason Lynch
2015 Female Runner of the Year Sam Heaton
2015 Female Freshman of the Year Sam Heaton
2015 Female Champion Sam Heaton
2016 Female Coach of the Year Scott Houle
2017 Female Freshman of the Year Hannah Branch
2017 Male Freshman of the Year Anthony Ocegueda
2018 Male Coach of the Year Scott Houle
2018 Male Runner of the Year Kevin Lynch
2019 Male Coach of the Year Scott Houle
2019 Male Runner of the Year Kevin Lynch
2021 Male Freshman of the Year Max Mahon
Indoor Track & Field
13-14 Male Field Athlete of the Year Michael McPherson
Male High Point Award Michael McPherson
14-15 Michael McPherson finished 12th in the Nation (Heptathlon)
Male Athlete of the Year Michael McPherson
Male Coach of the Year Scott Houle
15-16 Male Track Athlete of the Year Trac Norris
Female Track Athlete of the Year Savannah Berry
16-17 Male Outstanding Track Performer Tyson Lambert
16-17 Male Outstanding Field Performer Daven Russell
17-18 Female Outstanding Track Performer Savannah Berry
17-18 Female Freshman of the Year Hannah Branch
19-20 Male Outstanding Freshman Athlete Ethan Farrer
19-20 Larry Still finished 10th in the Nation (Pole Vault)
21-22 Female Outstanding Track Performer Everlyn Kemboi
22-23 Female Outsanding Track Peformer Everlyn Kemboi
22-23 Male Outstanding Track Performer Habtamu Cheney
Outdoor Track & Field
13-14 Male Field Athlete of the Year Michael McPherson
Male High Point Award Michael McPherson
14-15 Male Coach of the Year Scott Houle
Male Freshman of the Year Tyson Lambert
15-16 Male Most Outstanding Track Performer Nicholas Taylor
Female Most Outstanding Track Performer Savannah Berry
Male Most Outstanding Field Performer Daven Russell
18-19 Male Coach of the Year Scott Houle
Male Outstanding Track Performer Andre Jones
Male High Point Award Daven Russell
20-21 Male Outstanding Track Performer Aaron Johnson
Male High Point Award Aaron Johnson
21-22 Female Outstanding Track Performer Everlyn Kemboi
