Jeff Kavalunas is entering his fifth year with Eastern New Mexico University as the Head Coach for Cross Country and Track & Field.
Kavalunas has an impressive resume with 32 years of coaching experience, including 28 years as a head coach. Over the course of his career, Kavalunas has coached two individual national champions, 47 All-Americans, 88 NCAA Qualifiers, 80+ conference champions and two NCAA Woman of the Year finalists.
In the 2021 cross country season, Kavalunas coached 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, Kavalunas also saw 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 2021 outdoor track & field season, Eastern saw several outstanding performances including a first place finish in the 800-meter run from Malethabo Seema at the Lone Star Conference Championships. Seema's effort on the track also earned her First Team All-LSC honors. Jessica Campbell finished third in the heptathlon at the Lone Star Conference Championships and fifth in the javelin. Campbell earned NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field All-Region honors in the heptathlon and javelin. Campbell and Mercy Rotich both earned Second Team All-LSC honors.
For the 2020 indoor season, two Greyhounds topped the podium at the Lone Star Conference Championship while senior Mercy Rotich took first in both the 5000-meter and 3000-meter. Senior Ivar Moinat qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships for the 800-meter after also being awarded All-Region honors.
During the 2019 outdoor track & field season, the Hounds had five athletes qualify for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships with the women's 4x400 meter relay team (Kandice Miles, Maijah Mathis, Lateria Slaughter and Danee Bustos) earning USTFCCCA All-American honors after turning in a fifth-place finish, the highest finish ever for an ENMU relay team at the NCAA Championships. Kandice Miles also earned All-American accolades after placing ninth in the 200-meter prelims. The Hounds were also able to record an All-American during the indoor season as Ivar Moinat earned All-American honors after placing seventh in the 800-meter at the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships. During the 2018 cross country season, Kavalunas coached his first ever Lone Star Conference Champion as senior Mercy Rotich was able to win the women's LSC Championship.
In his first season with ENMU, Kavalunas guided his athletes to break an astonishing 43 schools records, two Lone Star Conference Indoor All-Time Records, and one Lone Star Conference Indoor Championship Meet Record. Along with the record break performances, Marcus Parker record the sixth fastest NCAA Division II Indoor 200 meter time and third fastest wind legal time in NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field History in Kavalunas' first season. The following accomplishments are what Kavalunas' athletes accomplished in his first two seasons:
- 17 NCAA DII All-Americans
- Six NCAA DII Automatic Qualifiers
- 12 NCAA DII Provisional Qualifiers
- 21 USTFCCCA South Central All-Region Athletes
- Two USTFCCCA South Central All-Region Top Performers
- 13 First Team LSC All-Conference Athletes
- Six Second Team LSC All-Conference Athletes
- Seven LSC Champions
- Two LSC Runner of the Year
- Eight LSC All-Academic Team Selections
- Two LSC Indoor/Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year
- Four LSC Track Athlete of the Week
- One LSC Field Event Athlete of the Week
Prior to joining ENMU, he served as the head coach for the University of the Southwest since 2015. In his two seasons at the University of the Southwest, Kavalunas sent seven athletes to the NAIA National Championships in cross country and track and field, including one All-American in 2015. The former President of the USTFCCCA also saw excellent results from his student-athletes in the classroom, leading the NAIA in GPA during his tenure.
Prior to Southwest, Kavalunas worked as the Head Coach of the Men's Cross Country and Track program at Division III Olivet College from 2010-2014. During his time there, he expanded the program's roster size from five to 30+ student-athletes and improved the program to a consistent conference contender. In 2014, he led the cross country team to a USFTCCCA All-Academic standard and ranked third in the nation. His program set 10 school records and had two athletes compete at the NCAA Championships in 2012 and 2014.
Most prominently, Kavalunas elevated Ferris State to new heights. From 1996 to 2009, the Bulldogs had 24 All-Americans in track and field, 48 NCAA qualifiers, 64 conference champions, broke 38 school records and three female cross country All-Americans. Additionally, the four-time GLIAC Coach of the Year guided the program to a Michigan Collegiate Cross-Country championship on the women's side in 2004 and coached a USA Olympic Team Qualifier in the women's 800m that same season. He led FSU to an individual national champion in the long jump in 2008 and a pair of runner-up finishes in the 800m in 2002 and 1500m in 2007.
Before going to FSU, the former GLIAC All-Conference runner began his head coaching career at Northwood University in Michigan. His student-athletes qualified for the NCAA National Championships 15 times from 1991 to 1996 and coached two All-Americans.
Before serving at Northwood University, Kavalunas held the position of Assistant Coach for Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field at NCAA Division I Central Michigan University. During his stay, the Chippewa program earned the 1989 NCAA Great Lakes Region Cross Country Team Championship and produced 1988 and 1989 NCAA National Cross Country Championship Team Qualifiers as well as three All Mid-American Conference 800 Meter Runners.
Kavalunas earned his Master of Arts Degree in Physical Education from Central Michigan in 1990 and his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education from Grand Valley State University in 1987. While at GVSU, Kavalunas was a four year letter winner as a member of the Cross Country and Track & Field Team.