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Upgrading the Judson University athletics staff with the addition of a new coach for the women's cross country and track and field program, Director of Athletics Nancy Binger has hired Joel Cotton as the head coach for both programs. Cotton brings to Judson a NCAA Division I experience from his time at Indiana University.
Cotton ran four years of cross country and track at Big 10 member Indiana University where he was a four-time academic All-Big Ten selection. In his four years at Indiana, he volunteered at the 2001 Big Ten Track and Field Championships and the 1999 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
He takes over a women's cross country program that is on the rise from Rich Weinhandl. The women's team had their first NCCAA All-American this year in Rachael Dean. Dean and Kim Peek both ran at the NCCAA and NAIA National Meets, which was a first for the program. Weinhandl will now just be the men's cross country and track and field head coach.
The past six years he has spent coaching men's basketball at the NCAA Division I, III, and NAIA levels. He came on staff at Judson as the assistant men's basketball coach in August and will retain his position on the team.
He started his coaching career at NCAA Division I Indiana University/Purdue-University-Ft. Wayne (IPFW). He was the director of basketball operations for three seasons and the interim assistant coach for one season. When he was the interim assistant coach, he help guide the team to a then school record NCAA Division I 10 wins. IPFW became a certified NCAA Division I program in 2005 after their four-year provisional period.
Moving onto the NCAA Division III level, Cotton then became the assistant coach for the Anderson University men's basketball team. His three seasons there led to success for the team. In 2007-08, the team finished second in the HCAC and then last year they had the longest winning streak at Anderson in 27 years. In the last two years at Anderson, they won 15 games each and had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in five years.
His efforts in recruiting have been noted at each stop with the players he has brought in. At IPFW, the team won a then school record NCAA Division I 10 games. At Anderson, he recruited two top 40 seniors from the state of Indiana as well as the seventh leading scorer in the junior college ranks in division II.
With his experience at the different coaching levels, he has had the chance to organize and work many basketball camps. He has helped with IPFW, Indiana University, Butler University, Taylor University, and Northern State University basketball camps.
Cotton is currently the assistant coach for men's basketball at Judson under Tony Tompkins. He also is in charge of the Judson University men's basketball JV program. He has already started his position as head coach for women's cross country and track and field.
