Scott Jones, a two-time Mid-American Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, is in his 16th season at Akron. He was formally elevated to the position of head cross country coach in the fall of 2007 while retraining his role as the women's distance coach for the Zips' track squad.

Jones, who inherited a women's cross country team that had finished last or second-to-last in the league the previous four seasons, has elevated the program to historic heights, culiminating with two MAC Championships in 1999 and 2005. Furthermore, the UA women enjoyed a seven-year run from 2003 to 2009 that saw the team finish in the top three of the league each season, including runner-up placements in 2007 and 2008.

In all, his distance runners have contributed to eight of the last nine MAC Women's Track and Field titles and completed the initial leg of the league's first "Triple Crown" in 2005-06 when the Akron women won the conference's cross country, indoor, and outdoor track and field championships.

Individually speaking, Jones has developed a pair of All-Americans and 17 MAC Champions since arriving on campus in the fall of 1996. Furthermore, he has produced 13 all-league runners, earning 25 All-MAC honors, on the women's cross country side alone.

Jones won the first of his two MAC Women's Cross Country championships in 1999 when then-sophomore Michelle Rizzo captured the individual title. Rizzo, who was the second all-region honoree in program history, and went on to earn All-America honors with a 38th-place finish at the NCAA Championship. 

Beata Ruzinska, who finished her career as a 14-time MAC Champion, became the program's second runner to win the league cross country title in 2005. Under Jones' guidance, Ruzinska won four straight MAC Outdoor Championships in the 80 meters, set five school records and earn All-American honors five times.

During the 2009 track seasons, Larisa Arcip claimed the mile (indoor) and 1,500m (outdoor) MAC titles while placing runner in the outdoor 800. She went on the place fifth in the 1,500 at the NCAA Mideast Regional to earn All-Region, while adding Academic All-MAC honors for the indoor and outdoor seasons. Danielle Sidell also had an impressive 2009, placing second at the MAC Indoors in the 800m and qualifying for the NCAA Mideast Regional in the steeplechase. Cassie Schenck also earned All-MAC honors, placing second at the MAC Outdoors in the steeplechase, qualifying for the Mideast Regional and placing eightht o earn All-Region, and the 5,000 meters. During the indoor season, Carol Eckerly and Lorentz added Academic All-MAC honors, while Schenck was Academic All-MAC during the outdoor season.

In 2008, Akron claimed its second straight runner-up finish in the MAC, but went on to place a league-best eighth of 34 teams at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. During the MAC season, Arcip was earned first team honors, placing fourth, while Lorentz and Cassie Schenck were second team. Arcip went on to place 20th at the regional to earn All-Region.

In the 2008 outdoor season, his distance runners nearly single-handedly allowed the Zips to win its third straight MAC Outdoor title as Arcip won the 1500 and was third in the 800; Schenck won the steeplechase; Lorentz won the 5k and was second in the 10k; Eckerly won the 10k and was third in the 5k; Sidell was fifth in the 800 and Erskine was fifth in the 1500. Arcip would go on to earn All-Mid-East Region after placing seventh at the NCAA regional in the 1500.

After being picked to finish seventh in the 2006 preseason poll, Jones's runners proved all the critics wrong by finishing third in the MAC later that season. His predominately young group of female runners won both the Tommy Evans Invitational and the Falcon Invitational. The following year, taking a squad comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomores, the 2007 squad nearly pulled an upset with a runner-up finish at the MAC Cross Country championships.

In 2006, then freshman Erskine earned first team All-MAC honors, was named MAC runner of the Week twice and earned five top-five finishes. One of those top finishes was a fifth-place finish at the 2006 MAC Championships. A year later, then freshman Schenck did Erskine one better with a fourth-place finish, leading a contingent of four All-MAC honorees with Erskine, Arcip and Lorentz.

In 2007, Jones' distance group played a part in the Zips winning both the MAC Indoor and Outdoor titles with championships from Colleen Moran (3K), Rachel Zubricky (mile) and Arcip (1500m), while Zubricky and Arcip each added runner-up finishes as well. Arcip and Zubricky each went on to compete in the NCAA Mideast Regional.

In 2004, Morgan Sulzener qualified for the 2004 NCAA Cross Country Championships, earning All-Ohio, All-MAC and All-Region honors along the way. Brandi Schoeppner also earned All-Region honors, while Rudzinska and Jennie Castle were All-MAC honorees. Overall, Rudzinska was a four-time MAC Champion and two-time All-American in 2004. She won the league's indoor and outdoor 800 meter events as well as champion in the mile indoors and the 1,500 outdoors. She placed fourth in the 800 meters at both the indoor and outdoor NCAA meets. At the 2004 MAC Outdoors, Rudzinska's defeated Toledo's Briana Shook in the final straightaway for her victory in the 1,500. Shook, the American record holder in the steeplechase was widely regarded as one of the top distance runners in the country. Jennie Castle and Emily Freudenrich were also regional qualifiers in the 800 meters as the Zips nabbed three of the top four spots in that event at the MAC outdoor meet.

Adriana Zalucka (first team) and Sulzener (second team) were All-MAC cross country selections in 2003 as the team earned two victories and a third-place finish at the 2003 MAC meet.

During the 2003 track season, Rudzinska earned All-America honors at the NCAA Indoors in the 800 meters. She was also an outdoor NCAA qualifier in that event.

In the fall of 2002, Zalucka became the third woman in UA history to qualify for the NCAA Championship. Her top-50 finish at the NCAA meet was preceded by an eighth-place showing at the Great Lakes Regional and a third-place finish at the MAC Championship.

The Zips' harriers have had success in the classroom as well, as the women's squad has been recognized annually as an All-Academic Team with Distinction by the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association (WICCCA). Jones currently serves as the Great Lakes Regional Representative for the WICCCA and serves as secretary on the NCAA Division I Cross Country Executive Committee for the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Jones came to the Zips from the University of Illinois, where he served as an assistant coach for women's track and field and cross country for two years. While at Illinois, the Illini women captured three consecutive Big Ten team championships, sweeping the 1995 season and winning the 1996 Indoors before finishing second at the 1996 Big Ten Outdoor Championships.

Jones also coached at Cornell University from 1991-92, working with both men and women on the track and field and cross country teams. In 1991 and 1992, the Big Red women finished fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, while the men's team placed 19th in 1992.

A 1982 graduate of Duke University with a degree in geology, Jones has done post-graduate work at Indiana University and, in 1989, received a Ph.D. in earth sciences from the University of California-San Diego. At Cornell, Jones was a post-doctoral research associate in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering. At Illinois, he was a visiting assistant professor of theoretical and applied mechanics.

Lee LaBadie, a well respected athlete and coach, was named men's cross country coach, as well as assistant track & field coach for men's distance runners in August of 2008.

Inheriting a men's cross country program that had placed no better than fifth in the Mid-American Conference in its first 19 years of existance, LaBadie led the Zips' harriers to their best season in 2010. With four runners in the top-25 – led by All-MAC Second Teamer Andy Knapp, Akron finished fourth at the MAC Championships, just nine points behind Kent State and Miami, who each tied for second.

The 2011 campaign was highlighted by the continued progress of Brad Hough, who became just the third Akron runner to earn All-MAC First Team honors. The sophomore was the Zips' top finisher in each meet and placed third at the MAC Championships.

But LaBadie's (pronounced La-Bay-dee) biggest impact has been the development of middle distance runner Willie Brown, who earned All-American status in 2011 after shattering school records in both the indoor and outdoor 800 meters and qualified for next year’s Olympic trials after running 1:45.91 during the outdoor season. Brown, who captured both the MAC indoor and outdoor championships in the 800m, posted the top five outdoor marks in school history as well as three of the top four indoor times.

It was a strong year for men's distance runners overall as Max Hiltner rewrote the school record in the mile, Scott Meyers set the school standard in the outdoor 5,000 meters and Joe McCoy bettered his record-setting time twice in 2011.

LaBadie's impact was immediate in 2008 as several veteran runners shaved significant times off their previous personal-records, including Joe Mummert in the indoor 800 and Mike Baraona in the mile. During the outdoor season, Jason Headman set the UA record for the 10,000 (30:10.65) meters, which had stood since 1972.

During the 2009 cross country season, McCoy placed sixth at the MAC Championships, becoming just the second Zip to earn first team honors and just the fifth to earn all-league honors overall.

LaBadie has been in the collegiate coaching field since 1973. Most recently he served his second stint on staff at Ohio State University (2006-08). In his first tenure with Ohio State (1989-93), LaBadie coached a pair of Olympians, each of whom are current distance coaches. OSU head coach Robert Gary was a two-time Olympian in the steeplechase and United States Cross Country Champion. Kent State head men's and women's distance coach Mark Croghan was a two-time NCAA champion in the steeplechase, a three-time Olympian in the event and five-time national champion. All told, he coached three individual Big Ten champions and helped the Buckeyes to a Big Ten team title during the 1992 outdoor season and a runner-up finish in the '92 indoor campaign.

Between his tours at Ohio State, LaBadie was a consultant on training, periodization, psychology and tactics for the University of Illinois, Ohio State and Kent State track & field/cross country programs. Another head coach LaBadie mentored was Illinois' Wayne Angel.

LaBadie is familiar with the Mid-American Conference as well, serving as head women's track & field/cross country coach at Bowling Green from 1985-89. While with the Falcons, he coached two-time NCAA All-American Beth Manson (discus) and All-American Tracy Gaerke (800m). His squads finished runner-up twice and never placed lower than fourth in track or cross country. In addition to his two All-Americans, LaBadie coached 12 individual MAC champions.

He began his coaching career at Parkland College. From 1973-85, he led his teams to five appearances in the National Junior College Athletic Association national championships, placing fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th twice. Individually, LaBadie had over 120 All-Americans and six national champions.

LaBadie was a standout as a student-athlete, competing in the Big Ten. A 1973 Illinois graduate, receiving his degree in philosophy, LaBadie was the 1971 league champion in the mile and was the first Big Ten undergraduate to run the mile in under four minutes (3:58.8). In 1972, he was an NCAA champion in the two-mile relay and placed fifth in the 800m at the Championships. His 1972 two-mile relay team additionally tied a world record. Prior to college, LaBadie was the Illinois high school state cross country champion and two-time Illinois high school mile runner-up.

LaBadie is married to the former Diane Bruce. The couple has two children, Lloyd and Laura.