Joe Jaketic -

	Position: Head Coach
	Experience: 6th Season

04/21/2012

Vikings Take Part In Paul "Sparky" Adams Invite

CSU Ran In Its First Track Meet In Over 15 Seasons

04/18/2012

Cross Country To Participate In Paul

Events Begin At 10:00 a.m. Saturday, April 21

02/14/2012

Cross Country Earns USTFCCCA Academic Award

Cleveland State Posted The Highest GPA In The Horizon League

01/31/2012

2012 Hall of Fame Induction Dinner To Take Place on Feb. 10

Drummer, Haase and Hancock Will Be Inducted

12/15/2011

Three To Be Enshrined In CSU Athletics Hall of Fame

Baseball, Basketball and Swimming Standouts All Earn Honors

Entering his sixth season as cross country coach, Joe Jaketic has rebuilt the cross country program and it all stems from his dedication to his alma mater.

A Cleveland State graduate in 1972, Jaketic has never been able to shake his enthusiasm for the Vikings, and that has truly carried over into his head coaching career.

Last season, Jaketic guided the squad to one of the best years in program history, culminating with a sixth place finish at the Horizon League Championship. It marked the first time in program history that the Vikings finished ahead of four other schools at the league championship.

In addition, several runners set personal-best times at different times throughout the season, including Allison Craine who ran an 18:50 at the Mel Brodt Invitational, becoming just the third harrier in CSU history to break 19 minutes.

Two years ago, injuries to a number of key runners forced Jaketic to use a youthful squad of several freshman that were able to gain experience at races. That came on the heels of Jaketic leading the 2008 squad to a ninth place finish at the Horizon League Championships and an eighth place finish in 2006. It marked the first time since the 1996-97 MCC Championships that CSU finished ahead of a league foe in back-to-back seasons.

Prior to becoming head coach, Jaketic served as the equipment manager for CSU athletics. He retired from that position in December of 2008, after 37 years, and oversaw the ups and the downs of Viking athletics. Jaketic ran cross country at Maple Heights High School and spent time running at Ohio University before transferring to run cross country and track at Cleveland State.

While a student at CSU, Jaketic was a member of the Viking cross country team and spent two years in the equipment room as a part-time job before being offered the equipment manager position in 1972.

A native of Maple Heights, Jaketic has a personal philosophy that academics come first in his program, and that has showed, as his team is consistently near the top of the Horizon League in GPA and has won the Academic Progress Rate Award in 2008 and 2009.