John Carroll University Athletics

Dara Ford will begin her sixth full season as the head coach of the cross country programs at John Carroll, and in the spring will begin her fifth full season as the head coach of the JCU track & field squads. 

Under Ford’s tutelage, the Blue Streaks have received numerous accolades both athletically and academically.

Most recently, Ford had one of her charges earn All-American accolades in Gabriella Kreuz who finished 26th at the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship.

As a team the Blue Streaks captured their first OAC women's cross country title since 1991. For her efforts Ford and her staff were tabbed as the OAC Women's Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year.

The Blue and Gold had 10 runners earn All-OAC honors during the 2013 cross country season and placed 10 student-athletes on the Academic All-OAC list.
 
Athletically, Ford sent two athletes to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships in each of the past two seasons in Emily Mapes (3,000m steeplechase) and Mike Minjock (long jump). Cory Biro joined Mapes and Minjock in 2012 at the championships in the decathlon.
 
Most recently on the academic side, the women’s program was recognized as a 2013 Division III All-Academic Track & Field team by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association and Emily Mapes earned All-Academic accolades from the USTFCCCA. Ford saw 13 of her athletes receive Spring Academic All-OAC honors.
 
Ford led her cross country squads to unprecedented heights in 2012 as both the men’s and women’s squads were ranked in the top five regionally at the same time of the USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Regional Cross Country Rankings. Additionally, the Sept. 19 poll ranked the women in the national poll for the first time in school history.
 
On the track and field side in 2012, Ford mentored Mapes to the Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championship to give JCU its first freshman qualifier since 1995.
 
Ford and her staff received accolades from the OAC during the 2011 cross country season as the staff was selected the OAC Co-Coaching Staff of the Year on the men’s side behind third place finish at the OAC meet – John Carroll’s best finish in the conference meet – and two team titles including the first in over a decade. The staff received the Women’s OAC Coaching Staff of the Year accolades in 2009.
 
A member of the Division III Executive Committee of the USTFCCCA, Ford has also been noticed on the national scene serving as the second vice president on the five-member board.
 
This will be Ford's eighth year as a college coach. Prior to her arrival at John Carroll, she was the assistant cross country and track coach at her alma mater, Mount Union, for two years. 

Formerly, Ford was the graduate assistant for the John Carroll cross country and track & field programs, handling a majority of the recruiting responsibilities.

In her first season as a head coach, Ford was able to guide the women's cross country team to a fourth place finish at the Ohio Athletic Conference championships and placed three runners in the top 18 to earn all-conference status.
 
A 2005 graduate of Mount Union College, she received a Bachelor's of Science in Biology. As a Purple Raider, she set four school records -- the indoor 3,000-meter run, and the outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase, the 5,000-meter run and as a member of the distance medley relay.
 
A five-time national qualifier (three in cross country, two in track for the steeplechase), Ford received multiple Academic All-OAC accolades and was a two-time Academic All-American. She was also honored with the Clyde Lamb Award.