Rachel Barends
Head Men's & Women's Cross Country Coach
Ph: (614) 236-6979
E-mail - crosscountry@capital.edu
Rachel Barends became the Head Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach at Capital University in 2007.
Barends is no stranger to the Crusaders as she was the first female in Capital University history to qualify for the NCAA Track & Field Championships in 2004. An eight-time All-OAC selection, she is a former conference champion in the long jump and the 4x100 meter relay, who still holds indoor school-records in the long jump, triple jump and 4x200 meters and outdoor records in the long and triple jump.
The Belleville, Ontario, native was an assistant cross country coach at Capital in 2004 and spent the last two years as an assistant track & field and cross country coach at Muskingum College. She earned a bachelor's degree from Capital in Health & Fitness Management in 2005 and a master's degree in Adult Education in 2007 from Muskingum.
She also holds Level II USATF Coaching Certification and will teach classes in the Health & Sport Science department at Capital.
Rachel is married to Capital head track & field coach Fred Barends and lives with him and his three children in Bexley.
Andrew Keppler
Assistant Cross Country Coach
Andrew Keppler joined the cross country program as an assistant coach beginning with in Fall 2008.
Keppler ran competitively for 13 years including four years as a member of the Capital cross country team and one season on the Crusader track & field squad.
The native of Bay Village, Ohio graduated from Capital University in 2008 with degree in poltical science and a minor in computer science.
Keppler is currently pursuing a master's degree in public affairs at Ohio State Univerisity.