Parker Cowles enters his first season as Assistant Coach for the Track and Cross Country teams, with primary responsibilities coaching the cross country and distance runners.  Arriving to Barton after three years as an assistant at Idaho State University, Coach Cowles brings not only a wealth of coaching experience to the Cougars but years of competitive experience as an NCAA Division I athlete.

In his first year at ISU, Erica Wendt-Richardson became the first women's cross country runner to win the Big Sky Conference Cross Country championship. That same year, the Bengal women placed third.  He also guided sophomore Bradi Hutchison to an indoor 5000 meter Big Sky Conference title, and all-conference honors in the outdoor 5,000m and 10,000m.  Later that summer Audrey Urlacher finished seventh nationally in the US Junior National Championship 5,000m.

In 2011 ISU’s women garnered a second place finish in the Big Sky Cross Country Championships, the highest in program history, led by a runner-up performance from Bradi Hutchison, and all conference performances from Cydney Jacobson and Kylie Hutchison.

Overall, during Cowles’ tenure at ISU the Bengal distance runners netted five cross country, two indoor and nine outdoor track and field All Big Sky Conference honors, as well as six NCAA Division I West Regional qualifiers.  Wendt-Richardson set the Idaho State University women’s 3000m Steeplechase school record (10:16.91), while Bradi Hutchison set women’s school records in the indoor 3000m (9:23.28) and 5000m (16:11.33), as well as the outdoor 5000m (15:55.92) and 10,000m (33:22.99). 

Prior to joining the ISU staff Cowles competed in cross country and track and field at the Air Force Academy, before commissioning as an Air Force officer in May of 2009.

As an athlete, Cowles earned eight varsity letters and competed in six Mountain West Conference championship meets, where he recorded two podium finishes. Cowles also scored a runner-up finish at the 2008 Drake Relays in the 10,000 meters.

Cowles graduated from Air Force in May 2009 with a Bachelors of Science in American History and athletic honors.