WINONA LAKE, Ind. - The Grace College athletic department is pleased to announce the hiring of Ellis Gallion as Grace's next head coach for track and field.

Gallion is no stranger to the Crossroads League, competing as an athlete and coaching at conference school Mt. Vernon Nazarene for several years.

He served as the head track and field coach at MVNU for five years, beginning in the fall of 2019.

"I am blessed and humbled that Chad Briscoe and the administration at Grace College have offered me the position to be the next head track and field coach," Gallion said. "I am excited to work at an institution where Christ is the center of everything being done. My desire for our program is to glorify the Lord in all that we do — growing in our faith, striving for excellence in our sport and finding joy through our daily processes and competition. I look forward to what the Lord has in store for this program, and I cannot wait to get started."

During his tenure leading MVNU, the Cougars racked up 24 conference champions. The men's team had four straight top-three finishes in the league championships.

During his final year, the men's squad was ranked No. 16 by USTFCCCAA. They finished runner-up in the indoor conference meet and third in the outdoor conference meet. 

Gallion oversaw NAIA All-American finishes in seven different events and 67 NAIA qualifying marks.

"We are excited to welcome Ellis as the new head coach of our track and field program. Ellis brings a passion for developing student-athletes both on and off the track," said Grace Director of Athletics Chad Briscoe. "He has a strong background in coaching and a great understanding of the Crossroads League. His desire for Christ-centered athletics fits the Grace College mission. We look forward to the future under Coach Ellis's leadership."

Gallion competed for Mt. Vernon Nazarene in cross country and track and field during his undergraduate career. He posted three top-10 finishes at the Crossroads League Championships while competing in a plethora of events, like the 400, 800, 1,500, 3,000, steeplechase and various relays.

Mt. Vernon Nazarene reintroduced track and field as a sport in 2015. Gallion competed for the Cougars during the first two years of the restart before his graduation in 2016.

After graduation, he spent three years at Granville Christian Academy (Ohio), where he filled the roles of athletic director, physical education teacher, track and field/cross country coach and girls' basketball coach. He helped GCA to three straight conference championships in both cross country and track and field.