Track & Field
Rachel McFarlane
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach (Cross Country and Track & Field)
- Email:
- rmcfarlane@bsu.edu
- Phone:
- 765-285-5133
Rachel McFarlane, who helped guide Michigan State to back-to-back Big Ten cross country championships and was a two-time NCAA Cross Country Championship competitor as a student-athlete, enters her third season as the distance coach for the Ball State cross country and track & field program in 2020-21.
In the fall of 2019, McFarlane was promoted to associate head coach of cross country and track & field for her excellent work with the distance squad.
“Congratulations to Coach McFarlane on her elevation to Associate Head Coach,” Etelman said upon her promotion following the 2019 cross country season. “In 15 short months, she has established a culture of accountability, toughness, honesty and competitiveness within our distance group that became evident in the massive improvement seen during this cross country season. This title is a reflection of the hard work she has committed to achieving success. Rachel is an incredibly talented coach and I look forward to the positive impact she will continue to have on our wonderful student-athletes and the overall success of our track and field and cross country program.”
McFarlane’s work with the distance program was highlighted in the fall of 2019 when the Cardinals improved five spots from the previous year to place sixth overall at the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships. It was the program’s best finish at the league championships since the 2007 season and tied as the seventh-best year-to-year improvement in MAC history.
“First of all, I want to thank Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Beth Goetz and Head Coach Brian Etelman for this opportunity,” McFarlane said following her elevation to associate head coach. “I am very excited and honored to receive this promotion. This allows me professional growth and to continue to develop and drive our team to success. The future of the distance program here at Ball State is very bright. I look forward to continuing to grow the program, build on the success we’ve had and create a championship culture.”
In just her second year with the program, McFarlane helped Ball State cross country break into the top 15 of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region Poll for the first time in over a decade. The Cardinals entered the rankings at No. 14 on Sept. 16, climbed to a high of 13th after winning the Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18) and maintained a spot in the top 15 through the Nov. 4 poll.
Individually, Ball State’s runners set 29 career-best during the 2019 cross country season. Junior Cayla Eckenroth highlighted the list of individual accomplishment by winning the Cardinals Classic for her first collegiate race victory. Eckenroth also earned All-MAC Second Team honors after placing 11th at the MAC Championships with the best finish for a Ball State runner at the league championships since 2009.
Ball State’s distance corps carried over the success into the 2020 indoor track & field season, led by senior Maritza Rodriguez who placed second in both the 3000m and 5000m at the MAC Indoor Championships. She was Ball State’s first indoor distance medalist since the 2009 season when Ali Bishel won both the 3000m and 5000m.
Including a seventh-place finish in the distance medley relay, Ball State’s distance runners helped accounted for 18 of the team’s 77 total points at the 2020 MAC Indoor Championships, helping the program boast a third place finish at the meet. It was the program’s best finish at the MAC Indoor Championships since the 2009 season. Unfortunately, the team did not get to compete in the 2020 outdoor campaign, as the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her first season working with the Cardinals distance program, McFarlane helped the group steadily improve over the course of the year, culminating with an outstanding performance at the 2019 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships.
Ball State’s distance group scored 11 points at the league’s outdoor championships, with Karleigh Conner earning fourth in the 800m, Maritza Rodriguez placing sixth in the 10,000m and Emmalyne Tarsa taking sixth in the 3,000m steeplechase. Rodriguez also placed ninth in the 5,000m at the meet.
Prior to the outdoor season, McFarlane helped Rodriguez score her first career points at a MAC Championship event during the indoor season, as she placed sixth in the 3000m to collect three points for the Cardinals.
McFarlane, who inherited a young and talented distance squad in the fall of 2018, helped 11 of her 13 student-athletes post at least one career-best time over the course of her first cross country campaign at Ball State.
Before arriving in Muncie, McFarlane spent two seasons as an assistant coach at North Florida where she helped guide the Ospreys to a pair of Atlantic Sun cross country team championships (men in 2016 and women in 2017). In addition, she helped mentor the 2016 ASUN men’s cross country individual champion and the 2016 and 2017 ASUN women’s cross country individual champion.
North Florida also sent a runner to the NCAA Women’s Cross Country Championships (2017), sent a competitor to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (2017 and 2018) and had a student-athlete earn NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Second Team All-America honors (2017) during McFarlane’s tenure.
Prior to joining the North Florida staff, McFarlane spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Lansing Community College where she helped guide the Stars to the 2015 NJCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Championship. LCC’s student-athletes earned 13 All-America honors under her tutelage.
McFarlane began her coaching career in 2013 as an assistant for Lansing Catholic High School, a job she maintained in the two seasons she worked at Lansing Community College. At Lansing Catholic High School, McFarlane helped lead the boy’s cross country program to the 2015 state title and helped mentor four individual state champions.
Before joining the coaching ranks, McFarlane was a three-year letterwinner in cross country (2010-12) and a four-year letterwinner in track & field (2009-10 to 2012-13) at Michigan State. A two-time NCAA Cross Country Championship participant (2011 and 2012), she helped lead the Spartans to back-to-back Big Ten Cross Country Championship titles in 2010 and 2011.
As a senior, she earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in both cross country and indoor track and field. She finished her collegiate career running the 5,000m at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round.
McFarlane, who graduated from Michigan State in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, concluded her MSU career as a program record holder in the indoor distance medley relay and the outdoor 4x1,500m relay.
McFarlane holds her level 1 USATF Coach Certification.
In the fall of 2019, McFarlane was promoted to associate head coach of cross country and track & field for her excellent work with the distance squad.
“Congratulations to Coach McFarlane on her elevation to Associate Head Coach,” Etelman said upon her promotion following the 2019 cross country season. “In 15 short months, she has established a culture of accountability, toughness, honesty and competitiveness within our distance group that became evident in the massive improvement seen during this cross country season. This title is a reflection of the hard work she has committed to achieving success. Rachel is an incredibly talented coach and I look forward to the positive impact she will continue to have on our wonderful student-athletes and the overall success of our track and field and cross country program.”
McFarlane’s work with the distance program was highlighted in the fall of 2019 when the Cardinals improved five spots from the previous year to place sixth overall at the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships. It was the program’s best finish at the league championships since the 2007 season and tied as the seventh-best year-to-year improvement in MAC history.
“First of all, I want to thank Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Beth Goetz and Head Coach Brian Etelman for this opportunity,” McFarlane said following her elevation to associate head coach. “I am very excited and honored to receive this promotion. This allows me professional growth and to continue to develop and drive our team to success. The future of the distance program here at Ball State is very bright. I look forward to continuing to grow the program, build on the success we’ve had and create a championship culture.”
In just her second year with the program, McFarlane helped Ball State cross country break into the top 15 of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region Poll for the first time in over a decade. The Cardinals entered the rankings at No. 14 on Sept. 16, climbed to a high of 13th after winning the Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18) and maintained a spot in the top 15 through the Nov. 4 poll.
Individually, Ball State’s runners set 29 career-best during the 2019 cross country season. Junior Cayla Eckenroth highlighted the list of individual accomplishment by winning the Cardinals Classic for her first collegiate race victory. Eckenroth also earned All-MAC Second Team honors after placing 11th at the MAC Championships with the best finish for a Ball State runner at the league championships since 2009.
Ball State’s distance corps carried over the success into the 2020 indoor track & field season, led by senior Maritza Rodriguez who placed second in both the 3000m and 5000m at the MAC Indoor Championships. She was Ball State’s first indoor distance medalist since the 2009 season when Ali Bishel won both the 3000m and 5000m.
Including a seventh-place finish in the distance medley relay, Ball State’s distance runners helped accounted for 18 of the team’s 77 total points at the 2020 MAC Indoor Championships, helping the program boast a third place finish at the meet. It was the program’s best finish at the MAC Indoor Championships since the 2009 season. Unfortunately, the team did not get to compete in the 2020 outdoor campaign, as the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In her first season working with the Cardinals distance program, McFarlane helped the group steadily improve over the course of the year, culminating with an outstanding performance at the 2019 Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships.
Ball State’s distance group scored 11 points at the league’s outdoor championships, with Karleigh Conner earning fourth in the 800m, Maritza Rodriguez placing sixth in the 10,000m and Emmalyne Tarsa taking sixth in the 3,000m steeplechase. Rodriguez also placed ninth in the 5,000m at the meet.
Prior to the outdoor season, McFarlane helped Rodriguez score her first career points at a MAC Championship event during the indoor season, as she placed sixth in the 3000m to collect three points for the Cardinals.
McFarlane, who inherited a young and talented distance squad in the fall of 2018, helped 11 of her 13 student-athletes post at least one career-best time over the course of her first cross country campaign at Ball State.
Before arriving in Muncie, McFarlane spent two seasons as an assistant coach at North Florida where she helped guide the Ospreys to a pair of Atlantic Sun cross country team championships (men in 2016 and women in 2017). In addition, she helped mentor the 2016 ASUN men’s cross country individual champion and the 2016 and 2017 ASUN women’s cross country individual champion.
North Florida also sent a runner to the NCAA Women’s Cross Country Championships (2017), sent a competitor to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (2017 and 2018) and had a student-athlete earn NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Second Team All-America honors (2017) during McFarlane’s tenure.
Prior to joining the North Florida staff, McFarlane spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Lansing Community College where she helped guide the Stars to the 2015 NJCAA Division I Women’s Cross Country National Championship. LCC’s student-athletes earned 13 All-America honors under her tutelage.
McFarlane began her coaching career in 2013 as an assistant for Lansing Catholic High School, a job she maintained in the two seasons she worked at Lansing Community College. At Lansing Catholic High School, McFarlane helped lead the boy’s cross country program to the 2015 state title and helped mentor four individual state champions.
Before joining the coaching ranks, McFarlane was a three-year letterwinner in cross country (2010-12) and a four-year letterwinner in track & field (2009-10 to 2012-13) at Michigan State. A two-time NCAA Cross Country Championship participant (2011 and 2012), she helped lead the Spartans to back-to-back Big Ten Cross Country Championship titles in 2010 and 2011.
As a senior, she earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in both cross country and indoor track and field. She finished her collegiate career running the 5,000m at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round.
McFarlane, who graduated from Michigan State in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, concluded her MSU career as a program record holder in the indoor distance medley relay and the outdoor 4x1,500m relay.
McFarlane holds her level 1 USATF Coach Certification.
Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses the NCAA vs. House Settlement
Tuesday, July 01
Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses NCAA vs. House Settlement & Bill Richards Thank You
Friday, June 27
Heart of the Cardinal Podcast // Kenli Nettles Track and Field Journey
Sunday, June 08
Heart of the Cardinal Podcast // Guest: Track & Field's Kenli Nettles
Sunday, June 08
