Young veteran Rondell Ruff was named the Titan assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for cross country and track and field in May of 2018.
"Rondell is a young, but experienced coach who can help us in a number of areas in our program," said Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Guy Murray '89. "He is from the city and coached at Wayne State and that will help recruiting and he also coached at a small catholic school in Saint Francis, which is very similar to us. He brings a certain expertise and is a student of the sport and that will help all of our student-athletes."
Born and raised in Detroit, he attended and coached Henry Ford High School, was an All-American runner at Michigan and served as head coach for Wayne State cross country and track and field.
"I am excited to join the staff here at the University of Detroit Mercy," said coach Ruff. "It is a rarity to be able to coach at a high level so close to where I grew up. I look forward to being a big part of the winning culture and enhance the University's mission through the sport of track and field. I am thankful to coach Murray for allowing me the opportunity to help this program excel."
Ruff spent two seasons as head coach for men's and women's cross country and women's track and field at Wayne State from 2015-17.
In track and field, he guided Karrington Seals to a 2017 GLIAC 60-meter hurdle championship in a time of 8.51, the second-fastest time in school history. At the NCAA Championships, Seals recorded the highest finish in program history at the national championships by placing fifth in the 60m hurdles.
Two of his student-athletes received USTFCCCA All-Region honors for the 2016 indoor season (Seals in the 60m hurdles and Kierra Johnson in the 60-meter dash). Seals followed that by becoming the first women's indoor track and field All-American in program history by placing eighth in the 60m hurdles event at the NCAA Championships.
WSU had five USTFCCCA All-Region selections for the 2016 outdoor season in Dazmonique Carr (100m and 400m), Elizabeth Herriman (javelin), Gabrielle Herriman (javelin) and Seals (100m hurdles). In addition, Seals earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition for her 10th-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles.
Academically, 17 members of the WSU women's indoor track and field team were recognized with GLIAC All-Academic accolades for the 2016-17 season. The women's indoor track and field program placed a total of 15 student-athletes on the two conference academic teams for the 2015-16 school year, including seven on the Excellence squad. The Warriors also had 15 student-athletes receive Academic All-GLIAC honors for the 2016 outdoor season, including five who were on the All-Academic Excellence Team for maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
In cross country, Two of his men's cross country runners earned Academic All-GLIAC recognition with Irvin Wyche being named to the Academic Excellence team and Sawyer Smith receiving All-Academic Team honors. Wyche also received USTFCCCA (United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) All-Academic accolades along with women's cross country runner Jackie Feist. Jordan Baker and Leah Coonrod each were named to the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for the 2016 cross country season, while Kristen Long and Morgan Sawgle each earned a spot on the GLIAC All-Academic Team.
In 2015, four men's cross country runners were recognized with Academic All-GLIAC honors. Wyche and Tim Szymanski both earned a spot on the All-Academic Excellence squad, while Ruben Cardenas and Pat Miller were selected to the All-Academic Team.
Kayla Balfour, Coonrod and Anne Okonowski were all named to the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team for the 2015 cross country season. Chelsea Johnson and Haley Reynolds both received All-Academic Team accolades. In addition, Balfour was honored with USTFCCCA All-Academic recognition, while Coonrod received the Athletic Deans' Award from the College of Nursing for the 2015-16 academic year.
Before WSU, Ruff served as the assistant track and field coach at Army West Point for four seasons (2011-15), working primarily with sprints, middle-distance and relay teams.
In his first year with the Academy, he coached the women's outdoor 4x800m relay squad in breaking a 30-year old school record, while on the men's side, three relay teams claimed conference championships titles.
In 2012-13, he coached nine more event title winners in the indoor and outdoor at the Patriot League Championships. Four out of the nine came from the 4x400-meter relay teams.
In 2013-14, he mentored Clyde Wilson to a First Round NCAA Championship bid in the 800-meters, which was the first time since 2011 Army had a middle-distance runner at a national meet. Ruff guided Wilson back again to the National Championships in the 800m in 2014.
In Ruff's third season, his athletes posted two indoor school records in the men's 60m and men's 200m. His men's squad was victorious at the conference championships, claiming five event titles. The men's 4x400 quartet set a school record with a 3:08.95 race and earned a berth to the NCAA Preliminary Championship.
Prior to his arrival at Army-West Point, Ruff spent two years (2009-11) as a graduate assistant at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, in charge of the jumps, sprints and relays for the Red Flash. In 2011, Ruff's women's indoor and outdoor track and field teams earned its best finishes since 2005 (indoor) and 2003 (outdoor) at the Northeast Conference Championships. Keishana LaRose broke the 400m school record in 54.56, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
Under his leadership, the Red Flash women's squad broke six school records.
Ruff was a four-year letter winner for Michigan cross country and track and field teams from 2002-06 and was captain for both squads in his final season.
A former walk-on, Ruff won two Big Ten indoor distance medley relay titles (2002, 2005) before clinching the indoor national championship title in 2005, where he ran 2:56.3 in the opening 1200m leg. He received All-America accolades in the distance medley under coach Ron Warhurst as the quartet became the third relay team to join the list of NCAA Champions in Michigan's history.
Ruff is still listed in the Wolverine record book as the distance medley relay team from 2005 continues to hold second place (9:28.12), while he is seventh in the 800m run (2005) with a time of 1:50.41.
Throughout his career, Ruff placed in the top-10 at four Big Ten indoor championships and two outdoor championships, including a first-place finish in the distance medley relay during his freshman year.
After graduation, he returned to Ann Arbor to serve as a volunteer assistant coach for the cross country and track and field teams in 2008-09 and has worked at Michigan's track and field camps.
Prior to his time as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Ruff spent the 2007 season as the head coach at Henry Ford High School in Detroit.
He is a 2006 graduate of Michigan with a degree in General Studies and earned his master in Educational Leadership and Administration from Saint Francis University in 2011.
