Joshua Harden was named Head Cross Country/Track & Field Coach in May 2022, after spending his first year with the Greyhounds as an assistant coach in 2021-22.
Harden coached three all-americans during the 2023-24 season. Alex Williams (javelin - outdoor) and Timothy Frederick (200m - indoor, 400m - indoor) earned first team all-american honrs while Grizell Scarlett (60m - indoor) was recognized as a second team all-american.
The second year head coach saw three student-athletes win conference championships. Scarlett won the 60m indoor title and 100m outdoor championship. Frederick won the 200m indoor race. Kennedy Ulmer took gold in the javelin during the outdoor season.
The Greyhounds finished the season with 15 all-LSC team recognitions, nine USTFCCCA all-region team members, and four all-LSC academic team honorees. Harden also helped the women's program take third at the 2024 LSC outdoor championships, which is the best finish for the program at the Lone Star Conference meet.
During the 2023 cross country season, he was tasked with hosting the Lone Star Conference Cross Country Championships in Portales. He helped with planning, organizing, and executing the championships. During the season, he saw several personal bests among student-athletes.
In his first season as head coach, the track and field program saw at least one student-athlete qualify for the national meet in both the indoor and outdoor season. Timothy Frederick ran the 400m at the outdoor championships and 200m during the indoor championships. Harden saw Frederick become a second team All-American for his performance at the indoor meet. Freshman Alex Williams also qualified for the outdoor championships in the javelin.
The men's program took tenth at the 2023 LSC outdoor track and field championships with 13 points. The women's squad finished in eighth with 26 points during the postseason event. Tamia Smith (shot put - 2nd) and Alex Williams (javelin - 3rd) earned podium finishes for the Hounds. Smith, Williams, Frederick, and Kennedy Ulmer earned All-LSC recognition after the meet. Indoor wise, the men took eighth in the conference championship while the women finished ninth. Tamia Smith (shot put - 1st) and Timothy Frederick (3rd - 200m) earned podium finishes during the indoor meet.
His first season in charge of the cross country program saw the women's team take first at the Highlands Cross Country Jam and finish thirteenth at the LSC championships. The Hounds hosted a meet in Clovis, N.M. with both teams taking second place in the competition. Harden was a major influence on getting the meet scheduled and ran. One student-athlete, Marta Pascoa, earned all-conference honors during the 2022 season.
On the track, the Greyhounds made vast improvements with Harden at the helm. The indoor championships saw Tamia Smith win the shot put and take seventh in the weight throw. Freshman Kennedy Ulmer took sixth in the shot put. As a team, the women finished in ninth. The men's program took eighth after Timothy Frederick earned third place honors in the 200m and seventh in the 60m. Mid-distance runner, Devis Cheruiyot, took seventh in the 800m. Frederick qualified for the NCAA championships and finished twelfth in the 200m to earn second team all-american honors.
In the 2021 cross country season, Harden assisted in coaching the ENMU women's cross country program to a fourth place finish at the Lone Star Conference Championships, while seeing three student-athletes win all-conference honors (Aminata Kenyawani, Dorcas Kosgei, and Kelvin Kipkemboi). Additional, Harden oversaw Kipkemboi win LSC Newcomer of the Year, Kayla Sisneros win LSC Academic Runner of the Year, and Sisneros being named to the LSC All-Academic team. During the indoor/outdoor Track & Field season, Harden helped severel Greyhounds set personal best, along with a hand full of new program records. In total, The Greyhounds saw 10 all-conference accolades during the track & field season, highlighted by Indoor 800 meter champion Malethabo Seema.
Harden comes to Portales after spending two and a half years at Southern Arkansas University as an Assistant Track & Field and Cross Country coach. While at Southern Arkansas, Harden worked primarily with the sprints, jumps, and hurdles for track & field. Harden coaching helped improve 33 athletes’ personal records (PR’s) and a first team all-conference finisher. Along with that, Harden was in charge of planning phases of practice and competition, as well as organizing and implementing team study for the cross country and track & field athletes.
Prior to Southern Arkansas, Harden spent time at Highland Community College as an Assistant Track & Field and Cross Country coach, working primarily with hurdles and jumps. Harden elevated his student-athletes, qualifying to the NJCAA Indoor National meet (eight athletes) and the NJCAA Outdoor National meet (seven athletes).
Before heading to Highland C.C., Harden worked in the NAIA at Missouri Valley College as an Assistant Track & Field Coach, working with the long sprints, jumps, hurdles, and multis teams. During time there, Harden grew the overall roster of student-athletes from 13 to 30. Harden was tasked with the recruitment and development of student-athletes, along with working in fundraising, promotional, and community outreach events.
Harden got their start in coaching at Pratt Community College as Head Track & Field Coach and Assistant Cross Country Coach. At Pratt, Harden increased the overall roster size from 11 to 40 student-athletes and was responsible for all phases of the men’s and women’s track & field program. Harden coached the student-athletes to nine school records, and qualify 26 student-athletes to NJCAA Indoor National Championships and NJCAA Outdoor National Championships over the course of two years.
Harden was a standout track & field athlete at University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC). During his time at UMKC, Harden earned three varsity letters competing in triple jump and long jump. Harden would go on to be crowned the 2015 WAC Outdoor Champion in the triple jump and earn first team all-conference selections for the triple jump on four occasions (2013 Indoor, 2014 Outdoor, 2015 Indoor, and 2015 Outdoor).
Harden graduated from UMKC with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and a minor in Communication Studies. Harden also received an Associate of Arts degree from Highland Community College.