Cross Country Coaches

Pat Belling

Patrick Belling

Head Cross Country/Track and Field Coach
The University of South Dakota ’03
The University of South Dakota ’06
pabellin@dwu.edu
605-995-2954

In five seasons with the Dakota Wesleyan University cross country and track and field programs, head coach Pat Belling has seen many records fall and coached numerous athletes to Great Plains Athletic Conference honors and NAIA National Championship appearances.  In his sixth season with the program, Belling hopes to continue that success.

During the 2010 cross country season, the Tigers hosted their first meet since the 2008 season when it held the DWU Invite at Lakeview Golf Course.  Belling coached two NAIA Scholar-Athletes in Chris Creal and Abby Mettler.

During the 2010-11 indoor track season, Belling coached sophomore sprinter Tamika Irvin to a GPAC title in the 60-meter dash.  She, along with Alyssa Christianson, Gail McIntyre, Derik Fossum and Alex Liberty, all earned individual All-GPAC honors, and the men’s and women’s 1,600-meter relay squads also earned All-Conference accolades.  Irvin (60, long jump), Christianson (200-meter dash), McIntyre (3,000 steeplechase) and Liberty (high jump) all qualified for the NAIA Indoor National Championships, and Irvin, Christianson, Natalie Munger and Kailey Hunhoff qualified in the 1,600-meter relay.  The women’s team set 10 records and had 33 performances in the top 10 in school history.  The Tiger men set two records and had 20 performances in the top 10 in school history.

In the 2011 outdoor season, Irvin and McIntyre both won GPAC titles.  Irvin won the 100-meter dash, and McIntyre won the 3,000-meter steeplechase.  Those two, along with Ellie Peterson (marathon), Liberty (high jump) and Fossum (triple jump) all competed at the NAIA Outdoor National Championships.  Irvin made the semifinals but failed to make the final race.  McIntyre just missed All-American honors with a seventh-place finish, and Peterson recorded a 10th-place finish.  The women earned All-GPAC honors in four events, set six records and had 21 performances in the top 10 in school history.  The men had two All-GPAC performances and had 10 top-10 performances.

Overall, Belling had individuals qualify for the national meets in 10 individual events and in one relay.  He had 14 All-GPAC selections and four NAIA Scholar-Athletes.  In his first five seasons at Dakota Wesleyan, Belling has coached 48 All-GPAC Selections, 18 NAIA Scholar-Athletes and two GPAC Athletes-of-the-Week.

Belling came to DWU after three seasons as the track and field graduate assistant coach at the University of South Dakota.  He worked with the sprinters and was part of the Coyote outdoor squad that finished fourth in the nation, the second-best outdoor finish in school history.

Belling, an Omaha, Neb., native, was a three-time NCAA All-American sprinter at USD and a member of NCC Championship teams.  He was a member of the 4×400-meter relay squad that finished sixth at the 2002 NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships.  Belling was also a member of the 4×100-meter relay team that set a state record with a time of 40.80 in 2001-02.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from USD in December 2003 and completed his Master of Arts degree in athletic administration from USD in May 2006.

A graduate of Omaha Roncalli Catholic High School, Belling was a Nebraska Class “B” State Champion in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash at the 1999 Nebraska State Track Meet.  His time of 21.92 won the 200-meter dash All-Class Gold Medal that year, and his time of 10.79 in the 100-meter dash set a new Class “B” state meet record.

Belling currently lives in Mitchell.

Chris Creal

Chris Creal

Graduate Assistant Cross Country Coach
Midland University ’11
chcreal@dwu.edu

Chris Creal begins his first season as a graduate assistant coach for the Dakota Wesleyan cross country program in 2011. Creal graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in fitness and sports management from Midland University in 2011.

Creal spent the first three years of his college career at Dana College, where he ran cross country and track for the Vikings until the school closed before the 2010-11 school year. He attended Dakota Wesleyan in the fall of 2010 and finished out his running career with the Tiger cross country team. While at Dana, he was a diverse runner, competing in everything from the 800-meter run to the half marathon and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He earned NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete status twice during cross country and once in indoor track and field.

At Midland, Creal was a student assistant coach for the track team where he coached the team’s sprinters. He helped guide one of the team’s sprinters to the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships in the 200-meter dash and a Great Plains Athletic Conference title in the same race during the outdoor season.

Creal, an Omaha, Neb., native, was a member of the 2006 Millard South State Championship cross country team. He currently lives in Mitchell and is pursuing a secondary certification and degree in the DWU master’s program.

Ian Ames

Ian Ames

Assistant Cross Country/Track and Field Coach

Ian Ames will help with the Dakota Wesleyan cross country and track and field programs this year.

The Woonsocket, S.D., native will help with the jumpers and middle- and long-distance runners.

When he is not coaching at DWU, Ames enjoys Special Olympics basketball, softball and bowling.  His favorite team is the Denver Broncos, and he also enjoys watching WWE Monday Night Raw and Cops.