Kevin Cole ‘88 — one of Hope College’s longest-tenured and most successful track and field coaches — is stepping down following the 2025 outdoor season but will continue to teach and mentor students through his role as a full-time member of the college’s kinesiology faculty.
Heading into the 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons, Cole has guided Hope women’s and men’s teams to seven combined MIAA championships while coaching 40 NCAA Division III All-Americans and nearly 200 all-conference student-athletes.
Director of Athletics Tim Schoonveld said that Cole has done a tremendous job over the years leading the track and field program.
“Kevin has mentored men and women within our program and has had great success on the track and at the league level,” Schoonveld said. “ We are grateful for all the work and dedication that he has put into this program and into the student-athletes he has coached. He will be missed within the track and field team, but we are excited that he will continue to shape students’ lives as a member of our faculty.”
Cole has been head track and field coach since 2005, when he returned to his alma mater. In 2016, the school began competing during the indoor season as well as the outdoor one.
Cole also has served as an associate professor of kinesiology for the college during his tenure.
“It has been a dream come true for me to come back and teach and coach at my alma mater for the past 20 years,” Cole said. “My assistant coaches have been amazing and deserve a lot of the credit for our success. The rest of the credit has to go to the incredible run of quality student-athletes who I have had the privilege to coach. They have made every year a fun adventure, and I will miss the interactions I have had with all of them.”
Cole is looking forward to chasing a new challenge in the classroom.
“I am excited that Hope College is giving me the opportunity to transition to teaching full-time for this next phase of my career,” Cole said. “I have had a passion for exercise science ever since my days as an undergraduate at Hope, and I hope I can pass some of that on to the graduates of our program. I am confident that both our track and field and exercise science programs will remain some of the best in the country under the excellent leadership we have in our department and at Hope College.”
In women’s track and field, Cole has led the Flying Dutch to a program-best seven MIAA outdoor team championships and five indoor conference titles.
Hope is seeking a fifth consecutive outdoor crown this spring and a third consecutive indoor championship this winter.
Through 2024, Cole has coached 119 conference champions in women’s indoor and outdoor track & field and 28 NCAA Division III All-Americans.
In men’s track and field, Cole has guided the Flying Dutchmen to two MIAA outdoor titles, tied for second-most among Hope coaches.
Through the 2024 season, Cole has coached 79 MIAA champions in men’s track & field and 12 NCAA Division III All-American performers.
The 2012 season marked a historic point for Hope Track and Field, with both the men’s and women’s teams capturing the MIAA outdoor titles in the same season.
As a student-athlete at Hope, Cole excelled as a two-time MIAA champion in the 800 meters and a four-time All-MIAA selection. He set Hope and MIAA records in the 800 meters. Cole also captained both the Hope cross country and track and field teams as a senior.
After graduating, Cole earned his master’s degree in physical education from Texas Christian University and a Ph.D. in human bioenergetics from Ball State University.
Cole taught and coached at Northwestern College (Iowa) and Adrian College before returning to Hope in 2005.
The athletic department will begin a national search for a replacement in the coming weeks.
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