An exciting teacher and outstanding recruiter, Garfield Ellenwood enters into his second year at the helm of the cross country and track & field programs at Bethune-Cookman University. He serves as the head coach of the men's and women's programs for each sport, making him undoubtedly the busiest coach at B-CU throughout the year fulltime from August through June.

He comes to B-CU with a wealth of coaching experience on both the national and collegiate level, as well as a high-valued AAU coach on the youth-aged circuit. He believes that a well-balanced program is run through consistency in both recruiting and teaching. To him, track & field is not just a matter of being fast, but a matter of learning fast to become quicker for a faster advantage.

"When student-athletes can learn the nature of the sport in the collegiate setting, then their dedication and performance can excel to the highest level," states Ellenwood. His belief system is not only believed by many pro and up-and-coming athletes around the world, but it proven in a variety of different ways with a multitude of track & field stars in the ever-growing sport.

So far at B-CU, he has made his mark on the track & field program right out of the gates by leading Harold Rose, Jr. to the NCAA East Regional in the long jump during the 2007 outdoor season. He also helped the men's team move up two places in the outdoor season with no recruiting during his first year, showing that he can make changes without his own personnel. But personnel will not be the problem in 2007 as he has helped to bring two well-known assistant coaches to the program in the form of Chris McCoy and Olympic performer Kia Davis.

"The foundation of a successful program is built through a well-qualified staff," admits Ellenwood. "The expertise and management capability of these two individuals that I have with me at B-CU is phenomenal. This support will certainly catapult the Bethune-Cookman University Track & Field program to the next level."

In the spring of 2006, Ellenwood was hired to serve as the head coach of the Liberian National Team for the upcoming 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. This was seen as a tremendous honor for Ellenwood, and it is one that he hopes will bring an international flare and attention to the Wildcats program in the very near future.

"My ultimate goal as a coach is that student-athletes graduate and strive to reach the highest level of collegiate track and field ... that being the NCAA Championship," expresses Ellenwood. "This is gratifying for the student-athlete and myself. The experience early in my career set the bar for my expectations."

Ellenwood arrived at B-CU after spending two years as an assistant coach at the University of Las Vegas (UNLV). While at UNLV, he helped to guide the Runnin' Rebels women's program into a national competitor out of the Mountain West Conference. Under Coach Ellenwood's tenure Christine Spence earned a two-time NCAA All-American status (HJ, 400H), Halima DeCree also earned NCAA All-American status (100m), and Ashley Owens was the NCAA All-American second place finalist by .01 second at the Indoor National Championship.

Prior to his time at UNLV, Ellenwood spent two years as an assistant coach at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. While at Campbell, he was responsible for guiding several student-athletes to both conference and national championship levels.

He helped to establish former Campbell student-athlete Eric Bergemann to the NCAA Indoor Championship, making him the first Camel trackster to advance to the national championships in school history. Bergemann topped seven feet (7'0) in the high jump competition for the first time in his collegiate career, thus setting the school record in that competition.

Fellow Campbell track & field student-athlete Akeisha Flegler won the conference [Atlantic Sun] 100-meter championship as a sprinter for the Camels under the guidance of Ellenwood. She went on to set school records in the indoor 55-meter, 60-meter and 200-meter events. She also set the school mark in the outdoor 200-meter event for the Camels.

Meanwhile, Ellenwood helped the men's side of things with the 4x100 meter relay team earn all-conference honors with a third place finish at the league championships.

During the summer of 2005, Ellenwood served as an assistant coach at the World Junior Championships in Windsor, Canada. While there, he helped coach six gold medalists and a total of 17 medalists for Team USA.

Meanwhile, Ellenwood is no stranger to the track himself after being an All-America athlete at his alma mater of Seton Hall. A 1998 graduate, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Sciences/Psychology. On the track, Ellenwood set a Big East Conference record in the 55-meter dash during the indoor campaign, as well as finishing third in the event in the 1997 NCAA Indoor Championship. During his illustrious career, Ellenwood won five (5) Big East titles and was a three-time All-America student-athlete.

Using his All-America and track knowledge to his benefit, Ellenwood and his staff helped to secure the best recruiting class in school history over the off-season heading into the 2007-08 athletic year. He has helped to use his connections on both the AAU and national level to make sure B-CU will compete for a MEAC title in the very near future.

Ellenwood continues to perform on the track from time-to-time professionally as a sprinter throughout the world in his spare time. Most recently, he helped to represent the United States for the first time in his career at the 2002 Penn Relays where he was a member of the USA Red 4x200 meter relay squad that competed against the likes of Poland, Ghana, Germany and the always tough team of Jamaica.

"I will always be a practical participant of the sport," adds Ellenwood.

While running with the Reebok Enclave, Ellenwood competed in the 2000 United Olympic Trials in both the 100 and 200 meter dash competitions. During the 2000 indoor season, he placed fourth overall in the United States Championships in the 200-meter event.

For his previous coaching experience, Ellenwood has enjoyed stints as a volunteer assistant coach at Essex County College in Newark, N.J., as well as coaching track & field athletes in his hometown of Rochester, N.Y. That includes volunteer efforts with SWAN (Southwest Area Neighborhood) and the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP).

"Giving back to your surrounding community is vital to inspire youth and others that may develop into great contributors to the sport of track and field in the future," comments Ellenwood.

Garfield Ellenwood is a member of the USATF Athlete Advisory Committee and has been in that position since 1999. He is a USATF Level I Certified coach. During the 2004 USATF annual convention, Ellenwood was named the AAC event leader for the men's sprints as well as an assistant coach for the 2005 World University Games for the men's track team which competed in Izmir, Turkey.

Off the track and on the football field, Ellenwood enjoyed a brief stay with the Rochester Brigade during the 2001 Arena Football League 2 season. As previously noted, he is a native of Rochester, N.Y. and currently lives in Palm Coast. He resides with his wife, the former Joyce Harris, and his 15-year old daughter Diamond who attends Palm Coast High School in nearby Flagler.

"The new era of Bethune-Cookman University Track & Field has arrived," exclaims Ellenwood. "The program has restored structure, discipline, dedication and talent. These factors lay the perfect foundation of a National caliber program to come very soon."