August 18, 2023
Shawnee State Athletics is beginning its 2023-24 Cross Country and Track & Field season in a new conference and with a new head coach, Conner Flynn.
Flynn, a former SSU cross country runner, three-time member of the Mid-South Conference Championship team, and Academic All-Conference athlete, is replacing Eric Putnam who has led SSU’s Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field programs for the past 18 years. The SSU Bears earned ten consecutive titles in women’s cross country and seven conference championships in men’s cross country.
“Coach Putnam built a strong program at Shawnee State and we thank him for the foundation he laid here,” SSU Athletics Director Gerald Cadogan said. “We plan to build upon that foundation to continue to push ourselves toward our personal and collective best.”
New Head Coach Flynn is joining Shawnee State from Ohio Christian University where he led its Men’s Cross Country team to achieve its second highest placing in team history and first team in school history, among any sport, to be voted first in the River States Conference polls.
As SSU begins competition in the new River Cities Conference of the NAIA, Cadogan said SSU’s student-athletes are ready.
"We have some of the best competitors in the region here at Shawnee State and they're being guided by an incredible coaching staff who put every student's success first, creating winners in the classroom and in competition" he said. "Coach Flynn will enhance the level of expertise we have because of the success he has had in the past. I anticipate this team having a phenomenal year, representing our university, our families and our fans at a high level."
Flynn holds a Bachelor of Science in Sports Studies from Shawnee State and master's degrees in business administration and leadership from Western Governors University. In addition to Ohio Christian University, Flynn served as an assistant men's and women's cross country and track coach at Kentucky Christian University where he also coordinated recruitment.
For more information on SSU Athletics, and for a schedule of upcoming events, visit ssubears.com.