Marc Burns hired as Arkansas women’s distance coach

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas women’s head coach Chris Johnson has announced the hiring of Marc Burns as the Razorbacks women’s head coach in cross country and assistant coach in track and field.

Burns joins an Arkansas program that swept a pair of women’s NCAA Championships in 2024 during Johnson’s first year as head coach of the Razorbacks women’s program.

“We’re very excited about Marc and the expertise he brings to Arkansas,” Johnson stated. “He’s a long-time coach and been around the block with four universities with Missouri being the most recent.

“He’s been in the private sector the past couple of years but wanted to get back into coaching. We’re very impressed with the conversations that we’ve had with him. I’ve watched him coach for some time and we’re very excited about him being a Razorback and bringing a wealth of knowledge to the distance program.”

Previously, Burns served as Missouri’s men’s and women’s head cross country coach and assistant coach for distance and mid-distance runners for eight seasons (2014-2021). Recently, he has been director of sales with Boost Treadmills.

“We are thrilled to be coming to Fayetteville to join such an incredible program and staff,” said Burns. “Coach Chris Johnson has been incredible throughout this process and I’m thankful for the trust he has instilled in me to join his staff.

“The opportunity to coach track & field and cross country at the University of Arkansas is truly an honor and one that I won’t ever take lightly. There are only a few iconic brands in track and field in the NCAA system and Arkansas is at the top of the list.”

While at Missouri, Burns was key in the development and opening of the Gans Creek Cross Country course that will host the 2025 NCAA Championships.

Coaching honors for Burns at Missouri included the 2016 Midwest Cross Country Women’s Coach of the Year and 2017 USTFCCCA Midwest Indoor Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

“Our family is excited to relocate to the NWA area,” added Burns. “It’s such a beautiful part of the country and we are looking forward to exploring all that it has to offer. With the indoor season upon us, I’m ready to get feet on the ground in Fayetteville and get to work!”

During his coaching career, Burns has mentored 85 conference champions, 37 NCAA Championship qualifiers, 45 All-Region in cross country, 15 All-Americans, seven conference team champions, six National Champions, six conference Runner of the Year honorees, two Honda Sports Woman of the Year award winners and an Olympian.

His Missouri athletes set a collegiate record, four collegiate top 10 marks, and 23 school records. The Missouri women’s cross country team won the 2016 Midwest Region title and qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in more than a decade.

Tiger distance runner Karissa Schweizer set a collegiate record in the indoor 3,000m (8:41.60) during the 2018 season and in 2020 became the first female Olympian in program history since sprinter Natasha (Kaiser) Brown in 1996.

Prior to Mizzou, Burns was the head coach at Bradley for four seasons (2010-2014) as he was charged with the restoration of the men’s track and field team, which was disbanded in 1992 and reinstated in 2012.

At Bradley, Burns coached five Missouri Valley champions while 13 Bradley school records were broken.

Burns also coached at Wichita State University (2006-10) as the head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach. He earned the Missouri Valley Women’s Cross Country of the Year four consecutive years (2006-09) and was named 2009 USTFCCCA Midwest Region Women’s Coach of the Year.

Wichita State totaled 22 individual MVC Championship titles under Burns along with seven school records and three NCAA All-American performances.

Burns graduated from Loyola University in Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing in 1991. In 2019 he was inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

A two-time All-American at Loyola, Burns earn an individual honor in 1990 finishing seventh in the NCAA Indoor 3,000m. Burns was also a member of the 4 x 800m relay that placed sixth in the 1989 NCAA Indoor. His 3,000m time of 7:58.90 ranks second in school history while he was a member of the two fastest 4 x 800m relays in school history, still holding four school indoor and outdoor relay records.

In addition, Burns was a two-time champion in the 5,000m at the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Indoor Championships and a three-time All-MCC honoree in cross country.

Returning to his alma mater in 1996, Burns coached at Loyola for 10 seasons, first as the head women’s cross country coach and then head coach of both the men’s and women’s track and field programs from 2000-2006.

He guided the Rambler men to the program’s only NCAA Cross Country Championship appearance in 2005. While at the helm of the cross country programs, Burns’ teams never finished lower than second place in the conference championships.

Honors achieved by Loyola athletes included three Horizon League team titles, 53 Horizon League Champions, 49 All-Conference performers, and 16 All-Region finishers.

Burns and his wife, Alana (Crisman), have four sons – Connor, Brian, Sean, and Cris.