James Kearney has clearly made his mark on the Lewis University distance squad heading into his 15th season as the Flyers head coach.
Since taking the reins of the women’s program in 2010, Kearney has guided them to five NCAA Championship meet appearances (2013, 2015, 2021, 2023, & 2024) and had Nine top 10 NCAA regional finishes. The Lewis women have had 8 top three GLVC finishes highlighted by the 2023 team achieving the first perfect score in GLVC history when the women of Lewis swept places 1-7. Kearney has been awarded the USTFCCCA Midwest regional coach of the year award in 2013 and 2015 for the performances and guidance of the women’s squads and coaching staff.
On the men's side, Kearney led the Flyers to back to back GLVC Championship in 2020 & 2021 and 2023 & 2024 and received the 2020, 21, 23, 24 GLVC Coach of the Year honors. He helped end a 16 year drought by sending the team back to the NCAA championships in 2016 and 2017. The Flyers finished 17th in 2016 and 13th in 2017. The men of Lewis returned to the NCAA National Championships with a 9th place finish in 2021 while finishing 29th in 2022 while coming in 21st in 2023 and 12th in 2024. The Flyers have also boasted ten top 10 NCAA regional performances as well as ten top three GLVC finishes with six runner-up team placings in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
Since 2010, Kearney has helped mentor six NCAA Cross Country All-Americans (Hague 2010, Farrough 2013 & 2015, Mclain 2015, Leet 2016, Horgan 2024) 45 All-Midwest region athletes, and 93 All-GLVC honorees. Lewis has also boasted six different GLVC Freshman of the year honorees in that time (Horgan-2023, Farmer-2020, Laskero-2017, Tahiraj- 2014, Farrough-2013, Mclain-2010). The Flyers under Kearney have set 49 of the top 25 marks in school history. Kearney has also guided five GLVC individual champions in 2010 when Kathryn Hague captured the win in 21:28, 2015 when Amanda Farrough narrowly missed the GLVC 6k conference record covering the 6k course in 20:51 and 2023 Hannah Smrcka was able to capture the title with a time of 21:13. Smrcka returned to the top of the GLVC podium in 2024 with her Individual title and Evan Horgan won the first men’s individual title since 2006 with his GLVC record setting performance in 2024. Horgan was also names the 2024 Midwest region athlete of the year after winning the 2024 NCAA Midwest regional championship hosted in Romeoville.
He has been equally as successful on the track and field side, as Kearney was named the 2014 USTFCCCA Midwest Region Assistant Women's Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year.
In all, Kearney has coached 30 Track and Field All-Americans, 66 NCAA Championship qualifiers, seven GLVC Freshmen of the Year, 149 All-GLVC performers - including 91 individual championships, 14 GLVC records, five GLVC Athletes of the Year and 52 All-Region student-athletes. Since 2010 Lewis distance and Middle Distance athletes have set 105 top 10 School marks. Kearney was an instrumental part of the Flyers garnering a podium finish at the NCAA indoor track and field championships in 2016, guiding Amanda Farrough to a National Championship in the 5000-meter run narrowly missing the championship record with her time of 16:09.
He has been a part of a Flyer track and field coaching staff that has amassed 30 GLVC team titles and has set 17 new school-records. He also helped guide All-American Andrew McLain in 2011 to a USA Junior Nationals berth in the 5,000-meter run and in 2023 took 3 athletes (Zack Dunn, Matthew Torres, and Owen Thomas) to the USATF U-20 Championships in the 10,000m. Kearney has coached many post collegiate athletes as well and guided All-American Michael Leet in 2018 to a USA Nationals berth in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase with his school record performance of 8:39.25. Sergio Miranda qualified and competed in the USA outdoor championships in 2019 by way of his 1:48.14 performance that year and finished 6th in the preliminaries narrowly missing the semi-final round. In 2021 Kearney coached Lewis Alumni to Olympic trials births in the United States and Mexico. Sergio Miranda made the finals in the Mexican Olympic trials in the 800 meter run and Michael Leet ran in the United States Olympic trials in the 3,000 Steeplechase in Eugene, Oregon. Michael Leet then followed up in 2021 with his finals appearance in the 3000 steeplechase at the USATF championships with his personal best of 8:24. In 2023 Alumni Zach Hoover finished 46th in the Boston marathon and later in 2023 went on to run 2:19:37 at the California International Marathon. In 2024 alumni Sergio Miranda competed in the Olympic Trials for Mexico in the 800m run.
Through his work in the USATFCCCA, Kearney has a Masters Certification in Middle Distance and Cross Country, Level II certification in Endurance and Sprints and is Strength and Conditioning certified. In 2023 Kearney was named an Emerging Elite Coach by USATF and spent a week at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista as a part of the USATF Coaches Education Camp. An established clinic presenter, Kearney has spoken at many state and national clinics about training philosophies including the USATFCCCA national clinic in 2023 and also works with the USTFCCCA developing and teaching Masters level distance curriculum.
Kearney resides in Plainfield, Ill., with his wife Kathleen, Sons James and Jack, and dog Layla.
