Bio

Following a terrific inaugural season as the director of the cross country and track and field programs at Shawnee State, which saw the Bears finish 12th nationally at the NAIA Cross Country National Championships on the men's side of the spectrum, finish as RSC Conference Champions in men's cross country and RSC Runner-Ups in women's cross country and post 10 NAIA National Qualifiers in men's and women's track and field as well as two NAIA All-Americans in the latter discipline, 2019 Shawnee State alum Conner Flynn is already building upon and improving a proud tradition of excellence inside the SSU cross country and track and field programs.

In his first season at Shawnee State as the cross country and track and field director, Flynn's coaching helped produce 10 All-River States Conference honorees in cross country, including five First-Team All-RSC recipients. The men's cross country program ultimately won the River States Conference Championship while the women's cross country program finished as the conference runner-up, and the men, as a result, finished 12th nationally upon qualifying for the national meet. Aiden Kammler and Shawn Little were each named as NAIA All-Americans in the sport of cross country.

From an indoor and outdoor track standpoint, Kammler ultimately earned River States Conference Male Track Athlete of the Year honors in both indoor and outdoor track while standout thrower Justin Moore obtained River States Conference Male Field Athlete of the Year honors in outdoor track, and between Kammler, Moore, Alan Austin, Olivia Cisco and Haidyn Wamsley, Flynn ultimately guided Shawnee State to 14 River States Conference Championship victories in individual events.

Nationally, Kammler nabbed his fifth, sixth and seventh NAIA All-American honors -- including his second NAIA National Runner-Up finish in the indoor 5,000 meter run -- and guided Moore to his first NAIA All-American honor. Moore's third place finish nationally in the outdoor shot put not only served as the top NAIA performance by any underclassman, but was SSU's first-ever All-American performance by a freshman in the sport of track and field as well as its first-ever field event All-American.

Ultimately, Flynn's successes in the cross country and track and field realms ultimately led to Shawnee State's men's cross country and track and field program claiming a 13th-place finish nationally in the United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association's NAIA Program of the Year Poll in June -- which is Shawnee State's best finish to date in the USTFCCCA-NAIA rankings.

During the men's and women's track and field season alone, Alan Austin, Olivia Cisco, Aiden Kammler, Justin Moore and Haidyn Wamsley combined to win 13 River States Conference Track Athlete of the Week or River States Conference Field Athlete of the Week honors, and Kammler became the men's cross country and track and field program's first-ever College Sports Communicators Academic All-American to boot.

In Flynn's first head coaching stint at Ohio Christian, Flynn helped guide Ohio Christian to four NAIA National Championship appearances. OCU ultimately produced 24 All-RSC athletes, set 12 new school records, and achieved the second-highest team placing in the history of the men's cross country program under his direction. Flynn also doubled the number of athletes on the men's and women's rosters within three semesters, succeeding in terms of drawing additional participation along with greater success inside the program as a whole.

At Kentucky Christian, Flynn served as an assistant coach and was the recruiting coordinator for the Kentucky Christian men's and women's cross country and track and field programs. While there, Flynn helped KCU obtain five NAIA All-American honors, including a NAIA National Runner-Up finish for Sierra Poppell. The Knights made eight national championship appearances, had seven athletes earn All-Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) honors, and broke 27 school records under Flynn's guidance and direction.

Prior to coaching, Flynn ran for the Shawnee State cross country and track and field programs -- helping the Bears claim Mid-South Conference Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018 under his watch. A multi-time Academic All-MSC selection during his time at SSU, Flynn graduated with his bachelor's degree in Sport Studies, with a Sport Management concentration, in just three years. While coaching at Kentucky Christian, Flynn earned two master's degrees, earning a Master's of Science in Management and Leadership as well as his Master's of Business Administration from Western Governors University.

"We want to continue the strong winning tradition, while strengthening the program, leading by example, and leaving a positive impact on the student-athletes," Flynn said upon accepting the head coaching position at Shawnee State.

Flynn resides in Portsmouth.