CROSS COUNTRY
- Title:
- Head Cross Country Coach / Assistant Track & Field Coach
- Email:
- gwayton@depaul.edu
- Phone:
- (773) 325-7526
Geoff Wayton joined the Blue Demon program in December of 2021 as the associate head cross country coach. He enters his 5th season on the track & field staff in 2025-26. During his tenure, the DePaul distance team has reset 20 school records, which have been broken more than 30 times between 2022-2025. Wayton came to Chicago following an illustrious career coaching cross country and distance running in Terre Haute, Ind. While there he led the cross country program at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology from 2013-2021.
The 2024-25 campaign featured an expanded distance roster with new faces and veteran leadership continuing to raise the bar. Freshman Tessa Roe delivered standout performances, setting school records in the 3000m (9:38.20) and 3000m steeplechase (10:16.34), and qualifying for NCAA Regionals. Dustin Hudak became a major contributor in middle distance, breaking program records in the 600m, 800m, and 1000m, while John Bush and Meghan Dieball added relay depth. The group’s consistency across events contributed to DePaul’s historic dual second-place team finishes at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships.
In his third season at DePaul, Coach Wayton helped the distance group continue its upward trajectory with Olivia Borowiak breaking even more ground - resetting her own records in the indoor mile (4:42.44), 3000m (9:15.67), and outdoor 5000m (15:55.46). She qualified for NCAA West First Rounds for the second consecutive year and anchored multiple relay squads to school records. On the men’s side, Tommy Elwood and Damian Rodriguez broke school records in the 5000m (14:13.80) and 800m (1:49.81), respectively.
The 2022-2023 season was a breakout year for the Blue Demon distance squad. Borowiak shattered school records in the indoor mile (4:45.17), 3000m (9:18.73), and 5000m (16:19.58), while also anchoring the record setting DMR. On the men’s side, Dominic Bruce ran a school record 14:16.74 in the 5000m, and Shan Knanishu clocked a new record in the 1500m (3:45.16). The group placed multiple runners on the podium at BIG EAST Championships and qualified several athletes to the NCAA West Prelims, solidifying its regional relevance.
In his first season with the Blue Demons, Coach Wayton’s coaching helped mark a turning point for DePaul’s distance program, with Olivia Borowiak emerging as a consistent leader on the track and in cross country. She set the tone with strong performances in both indoor and outdoor seasons, including podium finishes at the BIG EAST Championships. On the men’s side, Tommy Elwood and Shane Knanishu delivered key contributions in the mile and 3000m, building momentum for future campaigns. The year laid a solid foundation, showcasing the group’s growing depth and competitive drive.
In his first two seasons in Lincoln Park, Coach Wayton’s distance runners set six school records indoors and two outdoors. The women’s Distance Medley Relay was a surprise runner-up at the Big East Championships with a school record time of 11:27.76 that ranked 6th in the Midwest Region, and the men’s 4 x 800m relay was 3rd in the Big East with a school record of 7:26.46 that finished the season ranked #4 nationally across all divisions. Olivia Borowiak set the Blue Demon school record in the outdoor 5,000 meter run of 16:25.88 at the Mt. SAC Relays. Borowiak ultimately qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in the 1500m run with a school record of 4:23.82.
During in his eight seasons on the Fightin’ Engineer coaching staff, Geoff Wayton helped the Rose-Hulman cross country programs rewrite the record books. He served as the distance coach and sprint relays coach for the nationally recognized Rose-Hulman men's and women's track and field programs. Wayton led the men's and women's cross country teams to their first sweep of both Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championships in 2017. The historic season included the first men's Little State team championship and best women's Little State team finish in program history. The double wins in cross country served as a catalyst for the first double-triple crown in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference History.
The men's cross country team has captured HCAC championships in five of the past seven seasons, including the 2020-21 campaign. Wayton also helped the men’s cross country team earn its first NCAA Division III National Championship appearance since 1974 in the fall of 2014. The men’s squad finished third in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional to qualify for the 2014 National Championships.
Wayton is also an experienced meet director, having played an instrumental role in transforming Terre Haute into Cross Country Town USA. He directed the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Wayton also served as the Meet Director for the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional Championships from 2007-15. In the fall of 2015, Wayton served as Meet Director for the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships.
Prior to his career at Rose-Hulman, Wayton spent eight seasons on the coaching staff at his alma mater, Indiana State. Wayton served on the staff of 13 Missouri Valley Conference Championship teams. Working primarily with sprints and relays, he coached 12 individual Missouri Valley Conference champions, 96 All MVC performers, 14 NCAA Mid-East regional qualifiers, and NCAA East Preliminary Round Qualifiers in the women’s 100m, Women’s 200m, Women’s 4 x 100m relay, Men’s 200m, Men’s 1500m, Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase, and Men’s 10,000m.
In his own running career, Wayton became the first Indiana State distance runner to capture an individual league title at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, was twice named all-district in cross country, and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Centennial Team in 2007.
In total, Coach Wayton has served on the staff of 39 conference championship teams at both Indiana State (Missouri Valley) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference). Rose-Hulman captured the HCAC “Triple-Crown” (Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track and Field Championships) six times since 2014. Rose-Hulman’s Cross Country and Track and Field programs accomplished the rare “Double Triple-Crown” in 2017-2018 by winning both the Men’s and Women’s HCAC Triple-Crowns.
A native of Linwood, New Jersey, Wayton is a 1995 graduate of Mainland Regional High School where he was all-state in cross country three times, won a state championship in the 3200 meter run, and was South Jersey Runner-of-the-Year in 1993.
Wayton is married to former Indiana State cross country All-American Jessica Crowder-Wayton. Geoff and Jessica are the proud parents of Kurt Michael Wayton and Stella Whitney Wayton. Coach Wayton holds the title of crucifer at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston, Illinois.
Â
Â
Â
