LeTourneau University

 

 

(LONGVIEW, Texas)— LeTourneau University has named James Wallace<http://www.letuathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=446> as its new Sports Information Director, effective Sept. 1, 2016. Previously he served as LETU’s head cross country coach and assistant men’s basketball coach. Wallace will continue to act as the assistant men’s basketball coach along with his SID duties.

“We feel very fortunate to have James Wallace<http://www.letuathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=446> as the new Sports Information Director at LeTourneau University,” said Athletic Director Terri Deike<http://www.letuathletics.com/staff.aspx?staff=1>. “James already has experience working with our student-athletes as the former cross country head coach and assistant men’s basketball coach. He knows YellowJacket sports and our student-athletes. This new role for him will give him an opportunity to use his marketing, communication, and graphic skills to promote LETU Athletics. We are confident that James’ expertise will help highlight our student-athletes and the department.”

As Sports Information Director, Wallace is the primary media contact for all 13 of LETU’s varsity sports. He is in charge of administering the school’s athletic website as well as the athletic department’s social media accounts. Wallace is responsible for coordinating all game day operations and media activities for home events, as well as producing media guides and game programs for the YellowJackets.

Besides filling the role as SID, Wallace will also begin his third year serving as assistant men’s basketball coach, having worked with LETU’s head men’s basketball coach, Dan Miller<http://www.letuathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=436>, to lead LETU to the ASC tournament last year. Wallace has coached the cross country team for the past two seasons as the men’s side matched a program-best effort with a 2nd place finish at the 2016 ASC Cross Country Championships. The men’s team has qualified for the NCAA Regional meet in both seasons under Wallace, while Whitney Judd qualified last season as an individual on the way to her best finish at the NCAA Regional Championships.

Before coming to LeTourneau in 2014, Wallace worked at Southwest Minnesota State University, spending two seasons as a graduate assistant and a season as a student assistant with the men’s basketball program. He spent a year on the SMSU roster before an injury ended his basketball career. Before that, he played two seasons at Iowa Western Community College.

Wallace is a native of Bellevue, Nebraska. He earned his undergraduate degree in marketing in 2013 and his MBA in 2015, both from SMSU

 

 

LeTourneau University has named Britton Koestler<http://www.letuathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=433> as its new head men’s and women’s cross country coach, announced athletic director Terri Deike<http://www.letuathletics.com/staff.aspx?staff=1>.

“We are excited to have Britton Koestler<http://www.letuathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=433> join the LETU Athletics staff as head men’s and women’s cross country coach,” said Terri Deike<http://www.letuathletics.com/staff.aspx?staff=1>. “He has been working with the program for a year and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge. As a former NCAA Division I cross country student-athlete, he is well versed in the development and preparation of runners. The opportunity to add Britton is a blessing.”

Koestler, who was the assistant coach for the 2015 season, replaces James Wallace<http://www.letuathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=128>, who was recently named the sports information director for LeTourneau University Athletics.
In his first season at LeTourneau, Koestler and the men’s cross country team matched a program-best effort with a second-place finish at the 2015 ASC Cross Country Championships for the fourth-straight top three finish in program history. Taber Miyauchi<http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3281> and Daniel Moses, <http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3282> led the YellowJackets, who earned first and second-team all-ASC honors, respectively. Miyauchi went on to win co-Male Athlete of the Year honors at LeTourneau and first team CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-American and All-District honors. He became the program’s top finisher in school history at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional meet with a 60th-place finish en route to leading LeTourneau to its best team finish (18th). On the women’s side, Whitney Judd<http://www.letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3292> picked up all-ASC honors and ran at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional meet for a third-straight year.

Before joining the YellowJackets, he spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons as a volunteer assistant coach with NCAA Division I member, the University of North Texas in Denton. He directed the weight program and workouts for the Mean Green distance corps.

Koestler also worked at the Cambridge School of Dallas, where he was the head middle school and varsity soccer coach and assistant cross country coach. In soccer, the team was a district runner-up and with the cross country program, he had multiple state qualifiers and coordinated the practice schedule and workouts for the team.

Before joining the staff at UNT, he spent two years as a volunteer head distance coach with the Peak Performance Track Club in Monroe, Louisiana and a year as the head cross country and assistant track and soccer coach at St. Fredrick’s Catholic High School.

Koestler’s running days were spent at NCAA Division I, the University of Louisiana-Monroe from 2008 to 2013, where he ran both track and cross country for the Warhawks.

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