Concordia University Wisconsin

Russ DeLap completed his 15th season as the head track and field coach at Concordia University Wisconsin during the 2024–25 academic year. He oversees both the men’s and women’s track and field programs and also serves as head coach for CUW’s men’s and women’s cross country teams.

DeLap continues to guide the Falcons to new heights, most recently coaching Ainara Sainz de Rozas through one of the most remarkable seasons in program history. In 2025, Sainz de Rozas earned three NCAA Division III All-American honors, captured multiple NACC titles, and shattered numerous school records across both indoor and outdoor distance events. Her historic year highlighted the strength and development of CUW’s distance program under DeLap’s leadership.

Across his 15-year tenure, DeLap has coached eight national qualifiers and five All-Americans, including recent standouts such as Maya Hielscher (javelin, 2024), Gideon Cain (shot put, 2022), and Nicole Larson, who earned All-American honors in both indoor and outdoor pole vault in 2016. His programs consistently compete at the top of the conference, with the women’s team placing second at five straight NACC Indoor Championships and earning top-two finishes in several outdoor seasons. The men’s program has also remained competitive, frequently placing in the top three of the league standings.

DeLap led CUW to a NACC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship in 2021 and coached the men’s team to a NAC Indoor title in 2012, as well as a share of the NAC Outdoor crown later that spring. He has been recognized as the NACC Coach of the Meet and has mentored multiple “Athletes of the Meet” across conference championships.

An accomplished athlete in his own right, DeLap is a USATF Level 3 and IAAF Level V Certified Coach with a specialization in endurance. He has competed in races from one mile to 100 miles and holds multiple American records in his age group. In 2023, he achieved his highest US and world rankings—No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 21 globally in the 3,000 meters, and No. 8 in the U.S. and No. 44 globally in the 1,500 meters.

DeLap earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his MBA in healthcare from Concordia University Wisconsin. He is a retired NATA-certified athletic trainer and has logged over 150,000 lifetime running miles, reflecting the same endurance and dedication he brings to leading the CUW track and field and cross country programs.

Men's Track & Field NACC Finishes Under De Lap

* The 2020 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Women's Track & Field NACC Finishes Under De Lap