HICKORY, NC - Kevin Paterson, the Lenoir-Rhyne Head Cross Country/Track & Field Coach since 2019, has announced he will be stepping down from his role to take the head coaching job at the University of Central Missouri. 

"I cannot thank Kim Pate and Michael Flicker for having the confidence in me to lead this program for the past five seasons," stated Paterson. "I couldn't be more proud of what we've been able to accomplish as a program since 2019. I've loved every minute of my time at LR, and I can't wait to see this program continue to compete at the highest levels."

Paterson took the Bears to new heights during his five years with the program, coaching a total of 173 national qualifiers and an incredible 58 NCAA All-Americans. This past season, he coached sophomore Alexis Brown and the 4 X 100 relay team to five National Championship Titles. Brown took home the indoor 60m and 200m titles, as well as the outdoor 100m title. During her freshman season, Brown became the indoor 200m national champion, the first individual national champion in school history. The Women's Track & Field team finished ninth in both the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships in 2023-24, and have consitantly been ranked in the top-25 throughout Paterson's coaching tenure. The men soared to new heights as well, jumping into the top-25 in 2021-22. Their seventh place finish in the 2022-23 NCAA indoor championships was their highest finish in school history. 

Paterson was named the SAC Coach of the Year an unprecedented four times during his five years, as he turned Lenoir-Rhyne into a SAC power. He coached 50 SAC Champions, five SAC Freshman of the Year, five SAC Track Athletes of the Year, and took home the 2022 SAC Championship in Women's Outdoor Track & Field. He is the only Track & Field coach in school history to win a Regional Coach of the Year award, winning three in 2023 and one in 2024. In addition to their accomplishments on the track, his team's have also had success in the classroom as well. He coached three SAC Elite 23 award winners, and three NCAA Academic All-Americans. 

"I want to thank Coach Kevin Paterson for his unwavering leadership, dedication, and relentless effort to elevate our cross country and track programs to national prominence during his time at LR," said Kim Pate, Vice President for Athletics. "Kevin has positioned the programs for continued success and I wish he and his family the best of luck as they embark on this new opportunity."

He helped lead three individuals to Olympic Trials births; Alexis Brown in the 100 meters for the USA, Holly Kone in the triple jump for the United Kingdom, and Mathilde Etienne in the Heptathlon for France. Under Paterson's tutelage, Alexis Brown has already become one of the most decorated sprinters in NCAA DII history. She set three NCAA DII National Records this past year, running a 23.26 in the indoor 200m, a 7.18 in the indoor 60m, and an 11.04 in the outdoor 100m. In 2021, he coached Janet Kwambai to All-American status in cross country, becoming just the second All-American in program history. 

Following Paterson's departure, Vice President for Athletics Kim Pate has named Paris Vaughan as the Interim Head Coach for the 2024-25 Cross Country & Track & Field seasons. 

"I am extremely honored to have been promoted here at LR!" said Vaughan. "I want to thank AD Kim Pate and our admin team for the opportunity, while also thanking Coach Kevin Paterson for his leadership over the last year. I will make sure to uphold the standard that has been set, and continue moving forward in our pursuit to more championships and graduations."

Vaughan joined the Lenoir-Rhyne Track & Field coaching staff as an Associate Head Coach in the fall of 2023. in his first year, Vaughan was directly responsible for coaching six conference champions: Philip Stoemne (indoor pole vault, heptathlon and decathlon), Melody Jones (100 hurdles), Sharonda Priester (400m hurdles), and Clarence McGill (400m hurdles). In addition to the conference champions, new school records were set in the 400m hurdles, indoor pentathlon, outdoor heptathlon, and the decathlon. In the 2024 outdoor season, he coached Clarence McGill to First Team All-American honors in the 400m hurdles, and Jacob Wadsworth to Second Team honors in the decathlon. 

Prior to joining the coaching staff at Lenoir-Rhyne, Vaughan coached at his Alma Mater, Alderson Broaddus, from 2019-2023. While at Alderson Broaddus, Vaughan coached six conference champions, including two in 2022 (800m indoor/outdoor) and three in 2023 (400m indoor/outdoor, hammer throw). In just four years, 95% of AB's school records were broken by athletes Vaughan was directly responsible for. 

As an athlete, Vaughan competed at Alderson Broaddus from 2015-18, where he graduated with a Bachelors in Sport Management. He was a standout in multiple events, winning conference championships in the 110m hurdles (2016-17), 400m hurdles (2016), 4x100 (2016), and the 4x400 (2017). Following his graduation, he competed for one season at Indiana (Pa.) as a graduate student before entering the coaching world.

"Although Coach Paris Vaughan has only been on staff for a year, he has made a tremendous impact and has been instrumental in helping to provide invaluable leadership to the program," said Pate. "He has my full support and I'm excited about the energy he will bring to the programs. I'm confident that he will do an excellent job of building on the success from recent years and leading the program to new heights."