Meet the Head Coach

Adam Trausch was hired as the Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach at Baker College in 2026 to lead the launch of the men’s and women’s cross country programs in Owosso, Michigan.

Trausch brings extensive experience building and developing collegiate cross country and track & field programs. Before joining Baker, he served as the Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Lyon College, where he was hired in 2017 to restart the men’s and women’s cross country programs. Later that same year, he expanded his role to include head coaching duties for the men’s and women’s track & field teams.

During his time at Lyon, Trausch helped build the programs from the ground up while guiding student-athletes to success at the conference and national levels. In his first season, he hosted the first Lyon College Invitational, which included more than 400 runners across college, high school, junior high, and open divisions.

Trausch coached multiple standout student-athletes during his tenure at Lyon. In 2018, Brian Martinez earned American Midwest Conference Newcomer of the Year honors. During the 2020 cross country season, which was held in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, freshman Clare Wilber qualified for the NAIA Cross Country National Championship, becoming the first Lyon runner to compete at the event since 1994. Wilber was also named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual.

On the track, Trausch coached multiple all-conference performers, including Weston Klien in the javelin, Clare Wilber in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Payne Moser in the pole vault, Dakota Braswell in the 100-meter dash, and the 4x100-meter relay team of Jackson Beck, Braswell, Eric Young, and Marlon Durand.

A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Trausch came to Lyon after serving as an assistant cross country and track & field coach at Defiance College, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and Wisconsin Lutheran College. In those roles, he worked with cross country and distance student-athletes in training and strength and conditioning, recruited prospective student-athletes, managed budgets, assisted with fundraising, and helped with meet management for high school meets, collegiate home meets, conference championships, and a national cross country championship.

At Defiance, Trausch mentored the HCAC Women’s Track Athlete of the Year and coached athletes to all-conference honors in the 5,000-meter run and steeplechase. The Yellow Jackets also earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors in both cross country and track & field.

As a volunteer assistant coach at UW-Oshkosh, Trausch worked under 2015 WIAC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year Eamon McKenna. That season, the women’s team finished 15th at the NCAA Division III National Championship, while the men’s team placed 13th and produced one cross country All-American. Trausch also mentored Jordan Carpenter, a two-time Elite 90 Award recipient.

As a graduate assistant at Wisconsin Lutheran, Trausch helped the men’s cross country team improve from seventh to third in the NACC. He also mentored back-to-back individual conference champions on the women’s side and coached eight first-team all-conference runners.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Trausch has served as a counselor for the Milwaukee Area Distance Running Club and as a camp counselor for the Green Lake Cross Country Camp.

Trausch attended Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he graduated in 2011 with a degree in business administration with a concentration in health service administration. He competed in both cross country and track & field at Davenport and was the first athlete in program history. He was a four-time WHAC all-conference performer and earned Daktronics Scholar-Athlete honors all four years of his career.

Trausch earned his USATF Level 1 Certification in 2012 and is a member of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. He also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout through the Boy Scouts of America in 2006.

At Baker College, Trausch will lead the foundation of the cross country programs as the college launches athletics and begins building a new era of student-athlete opportunity in Owosso.