Long-time coach Rudi Schmidt was brought on as a volunteer assistant for the Highlanders men's and women's cross country teams during the summer of 2014. Schmidt and UCR Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Irv Ray go back decades, as they both competed on the same track team in high school.
Schmidt was a volunteer coach for a high school and an assistant for a local club team in Seattle. One of his runners won the Washington State 3A boys 800m and placed third in the state in the 1600m, while two others qualified for the state finals in the 3200m.
He was also an assistant for Coach Ray at the Steve Scott Running Camps, which Ray managed before coming to UC Riverside.
Schmidt, a marathon runner with a personal best time of two hours and 35 minutes, also participated in the shot put in high school, posting a PR of over 56 feet.
In 2009, Schmidt retired as the CFO for Horizon Air, a sister company of Alaska Airlines.
He became a US Track & Field certified Level I coach in the spring of 2015.
Schmidt and his wife, Karen, have two children: Matt and Kate.
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