Arkansas State University

The 2021-22 season begins Jesse Duvall’s sixth season as a part of the Arkansas State University coaching staff. His first two seasons were spent as a Graduate Assistant before taking over the cross country and distance event duties in November of 2018. Duvall holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, a master’s degree in Sports Administration as well as a U.S. Track and Field (USATF) level 1 certification and a Strength and Conditioning certification through USTFCCCA.
 
In its short time under the direction of Duvall, the distance program has seen unprecedented success quickly. The men have finished inside the top 3 at the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships both years (second in 2019 and third in 2020), as well as a program-best ranking and finish at the South Central Regional Cross Country meet (sixth in 2019). The program also had its first individual conference winner on the men’s side in Bennett Pascoe (2020). In two years there have been two First Team All-Conference finishers, one Second Team All-Conference finisher and two Third Team All-Conference finishers.

During the 2021 outdoor season, A-State distance athletes consistently broke records that stood for 50-plus years, highlighted by the men's and women's 1500m and steeplechase records falling. Most notably, Pascoe became A-State's first distance athlete to earn NCAA All-American honors after earning a second-team nod and qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the steeplechase.
 
Prior to the 2019 season the women’s cross country program at Arkansas State University had won just one Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championship. In Duvall’s first two seasons, the women brought home back-to-back Sun Belt Cross Country titles (2019 and 2020). The program has also reached a program-best ranking in the South Central Region of fifth in 2020. In two years there have been three First Team All-Conference finishers, two Second Team All-Conference finishers and two Third Team All-Conference finishers.
 
The program success has not been limited to the cross country course. In just three Indoor Track and Field seasons and one Outdoor Track and Field season there have been seven school records broken in the distance events. The record-breaking performances began in 2019 with Sammy Brainard in the 3000m steeplechase (10:45.37). During the 2020 Indoor season, Bennett Pascoe broke the 5000m record (14:35.41) while both the men’s and women’s Distance Medley Relays took down the records (9:51.34 and 11:48.59 respectively). In 2021, both Seth Waters and Pascoe took down the oldest-standing school record in the Men's Mile with Waters (4:06.94) edging out Pascoe (4:08.17). Lexington Hilton also broke Pascoe's 5000m record (14:17.69) while Pauline Meyer took both the Mile and 3000m records (4:50.94, 9:32.72).
 
There have been 15 additions to the Men’s Top-10 All-Time lists in the distance events and 20 additions to the Women’s, as well as increasing success at the Sun Belt Conference Championships. The men have posted 20 point-scoring finishes (12 All-SBC honors and 4 Conference Champion performances), the highlight being a 1-2-3-8 finish by Waters, Pascoe, Saury and Fisher in the Mile in 2021. The women have posted 21 point-scoring finishes with 8 All-SBC honors and 2 Conference Champion performances.
 
Prior to Arkansas State University, Duvall spent a year under Joel Pearson at Cardinal Stritch University where he helped with the recruiting and training of the distance events. In that year, Cardinal Stritch University was able to win the 4x800m Relay and the Distance Medley Relay at the NAIA Indoor National Championships. Duvall also helped to prepare the eventual individual NAIA National Champion in the 1500m at the Outdoor event in 2017.
 
2021 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Championships
Men’s 800m: (2^nd) Seth Waters
Men’s 1500m: (1^st) Bennett Pascoe, (2^nd) Seth Waters, (5^th) Gregoire Saury
Men’s 5000m: (1^st) Lexington Hilton, (4^th) Bennett Pascoe
Men’s 10,000m: (2^nd) Lexington Hilton
Men’s 3000m Steeplechase: (1^st) Bennett Pascoe [NCAA Championships Qualifier], (4^th) Ethan Mychajlonka, (5^th) Royce Fisher
Women’s 1500m: (2^nd) Pauline Meyer [NCAA Regional Qualifier], (4^th) Elizabeth Martin
Women’s 5000m: (2^nd) Sophie Leathers, (5^th) Sarah Trammel, (6^th) Elizabeth Gillette, (7^th) Pauline Meyer  
Women’s 10,000m: (1^st) Sophie Leathers, (3^rd) Sarah Trammel, (4^th) Elizabeth Gillette  
Women’s 3000m Steeplechase: (4^th) Sophia Oury, (5^th) Elizabeth Martin
 
2021 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships
Men’s 800m: (1^st) Seth Waters
Men’s Mile: (1^st) Seth Waters, (2^nd) Bennett Pascoe, (3^rd) Gregoire Saury, (8^th) Royce Fisher
Men’s 3000m: (2^nd) Lexington Hilton, (3^rd) Bennett Pascoe, (6^th) Ethan Mychajlonka
Men’s 5000m: (2^nd) Lexington Hilton, (7^th) Coleman Wilson, (8^th) John Carder
Men’s DMR: (1^st) Gregoire Saury, Kobey Hill, Alejandro Vargas, Bennett Pascoe
Women’s 800m: (8^th) Kayla Wade
Women’s Mile: (2^nd) Pauline Meyer
Women’s 3000m: (1^st) Pauline Meyer, (4^th) Sarah Trammel, (5^th) Sophie Leathers
Women’s 5000m: (2^nd) Sarah Trammel, (3^rd) Sophie Leathers
Women’s DMR: (2^nd) Elizabeth Martin, Kyndall Hudson, Kayla Wade, Pauline Meyer
 
2020 Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships
First Team All-Conference: (1^st) Bennett Pascoe, (4^th) Lexington Hilton, (2^nd) Pauline Meyer, (4^th) Sophie Leathers
Second Team All-Conference: (7^th) Elizabeth Gillette
Third Team All-Conference: (15^th) Coleman Wilson, (14^th) Elizabeth Martin
*Women 1^st Overall, Men 3^rd Overall
 
2020 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championships
Men’s Mile: (1^st) Bennett Pascoe
Men’s 3000m: (6^th) Bennett Pascoe, (7^th) Ethan Mychajlonka, (8^th) John Carder
Men’s 5000m: (1^st) Bennett Pascoe, (7^th) John Carder
Men’s DMR: (2^nd) Garrett Becker, K'Den Johnson, Alejandro Vargas, Coleman Wilson
Women’s Mile: (1^st) Pauline Meyer, (5^th) Martin, (6^th) Sammy Brainard, (8^th) McKenzie Cornell
Women’s 3000m: (3^rd) Pauline Meyer, (4^th) Leathers
Women’s 5000m: (4^th) Elizabeth Gillette, (5^th) Leathers
Women’s DMR: (2^nd) Martin, Hudson, Wade, Brainard
 
2019 Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships
First Team All-Conference: (2^nd) Pauline Meyer
Second Team All-Conference: (6^th) Bennett Pascoe, (6^th) Elizabeth Gillette
Third Team All-Conference: (12^th) Seth Waters, (11^th) Sophie Leathers
*Women 1^st Overall, Men 2^nd Overall
 
2019 Sun Belt Outdoor Championships
Men’s Steeplechase: (3^rd) Bennett Pascoe *NCAA West Regional Qualifier
Women’s Steeplechase: (7^th) Sammy Brainard, (8^th) Sophia Oury
Women’s 10,000m: (8^th) Madison Grimm