Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

Paul Orchard has been on staff at Cedarville University since 1993 and served as the head men’s cross country coach since 2003.

He was the head track & field coach during his first ten seasons with the Yellow Jackets and is currently one of the program’s assistant coaches working with the distance runners.
 

Cedarville NCAA Men's Track Distance Running: Daniel Michalski, 2017 NCAA Division II Steeplechase National Champion; 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier 13 NCAA Division II All-Americans (ten indoors; three outdoors) 17 Division II national qualifiers (13 individuals; two relays)

Cedarville Head Track & Field Coaching Career: NCCAA Women Outdoor National Champions (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998) Five-time NCCAA Women’s Coach of the Year Mid-Ohio Conference Women’s Champions (1998) MOC Women’s Coach of the Year (1996, 1998) American Mideast Conference Men’s Champions (2001) AMC Men’s Coach of the Year (2001) Mid-Ohio Conference Men’s Champions (1994) MOC Men’s Coach of the Year (1994) Six NAIA National Individual Champions 112 NAIA All-America honors

 

Cedarville Men’s Cross Country Coaching Career: NCCAA National Champions (2010, 2015, 2019) Three-time NCCAA National Coach of the Year Finished in NCCAA Top Three 15 times First Yellow Jacket coach to take a team to an NCAA Championship NCAA Division II Championship: 2012 (15th), 2013 (15th), 2018 (24th), 2021 (31st) NCAA Individual Qualifiers: Benjamin Tuttle (2015), Daniel Michalski (2017), Evan Leist (2022), Ramen Felumlee (2023), Isaiah Kelly (2023) G-MAC Champions (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) Four-time G-MAC Coach of the Year 2023 All-Ohio Champions Three NCAA Division II All-Americans: Matt Brooker, 28th (2013); Benjamin Tuttle, 16th (2015); Evan Leist, 37th (2022) Two Midwest Region individual champions: Matt Brooker (2013), Benjamin Tuttle (2015) NCAA Midwest Regional Top 10 nine times NAIA Top 25 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) American Mideast Conference Runner-Up (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010)

Cedarville Men’s Cross Country Honor Roll: 3 NCAA Division II All-Americans 1 NAIA All-American 2 NCCAA National Individual Champions 36 NCCAA All-Americans 3 CSC / CoSIDA Academic All-Americans® 8 NAIA Scholar-Athletes 87 NCCAA Scholar-Athletes 13 NCAA Division II All-Midwest Region runners 1 All-Ohio Intercollegiate Individual Champion 11 USTFCCCA Division II Scholar Teams 30 USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic runners 4 Conference Runners of the Year 4 Conference Individual Champions 2 Conference Freshmen of the Year 1 G-MAC Elite 26 Award recipient 77 All-Conference runners 179 Academic All-Conference Team

Orchard came to Cedarville after spending six years at the University of Akron from 1987-93. He served as an assistant coach for the Zips’ track and cross country programs plus coordinated all of their recruiting.

He coached Akron’s horizontal jumpers and throwers including the school’s first-ever male Division I National Meet qualifier (javelin).

Orchard is a 1983 graduate of Taylor University where he competed in track and cross country. He went on to teach and coach at the high school and middle school levels for two years.

Orchard was later a graduate assistant at Miami University (Ohio) where he coached sprints and horizontal jumps highlighted by the 1986 Mid-American Conference team title. He also earned his master’s degree from the school in 1986.

Paul and his wife, Wendy, have four sons and reside in Xenia.