Ellis Gallion is ready for his second season leading Grace's track and field program in 2026-27.
In his first full season with Grace, the Lancers quickly began an assault on the record books. Grace set five indoor records across a variety of events (60m, 600m, high jump, triple jump, pentathlon), demonstrating Gallion's breadth of coaching expertise. The Lancers set four more school records in the outdoor season as well in 2026.
At the 2026 NCCAA National Championships, Grace produced a pair of fourth-place finishes for the men and women. Gallion guided the Lancers to four individual national titles and seven national runner-up finishes.
Overall in 2026, the Lancers achieved 15 All-American finishes across NAIA and NCCAA championships and hit seven NAIA national qualifying marks.
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 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.”
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 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 3,000m, 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.
