Coaching Staff
Rod Wortley - rwortley@Cornerstone.edu
In his 10th year at the helm of the Cornerstone University Cross Country and Track & Field teams, Coach Wortley has build a solid program producing the best runners, jumpers and throwers in school history. Every year he has taken athletes to the NAIA National Championships and 52 times they have returned with All-America honors along with 22 All-America Scholar Athlete awards. His athletes have also earned over 100 individual Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference titles in the last 6 years.
Wortley was named NAIA Region VII and VIII Coach of the year for women in 2001, 2004 and 2005 and for men in 2003 and was the 2003 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Women’s Indoor and Men’s Outdoor Coach of the Year. He was also selected the 2000 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year for both men and women.
Wortley graduated from Cornerstone University in 1988 with a BA in English Literature. He completed his MA in English/Professional Writing at Western Michigan University in 1992. He also holds three U.S.A. Track & Field Level II coaching certifications. His wife, Anita is also a Cornerstone University alumnus. They have 2 children.
Paul Koutz - Paul_B_Koutz@Cornerstone.edu
Paul Koutz enters the 2007-08 season in his seventh year as assistant coach for hurdles, jumps and multi-events and fourth year as recruiting coordinator for track and field.
Since becoming a full time coach in 2004, he has guided seven different high jumpers to the NAIA National Championships and has returned with eight All-American honors. In 2007, his hurdlers posted NAIA automoatic qualifying marks in every hurdle event including three top 10 national rankings, and an All-American. Over the past four season at CU, Kutz has guided his event groups to 28 All-American honors, three National Runners-up, and one National Champion.
During his collegiate Track & Field career at Cornerstone (1999-2001), Koutz compiled one of the most impressive resumes in school history. Upon graduation, Koutz held 15 school and conference records in the hurdles, jumps, and relays. He was honored in 2001 by being named the WHAC Outdoor Male Athlete of the Year, as well as taking 8th place in the 400m hurdles at the NAIA Outdoor Nationals. Koutz was also selected as the team MVP on two occasions and his senior year was given the school’s highest honor winning the Golden Eagle award.
Koutz graduated from Cornerstone University in 2001 with a B.A. in Youth Education. He also currently holds two USA Track & Field Level II coaching certifications.
Kevin Patterson
Kevin Patterson launches into his sixth season as Assistant Coach for Pole Vault. Each season at least one of his vaulters have qualified for the NAIA National Championships.
For eight years Patterson has coached vault at Rockford High School and held numerous vaulting clinics, including the nationally attended Grand Haven Beach Vault, “I enjoy my family, and any sports, but mainly coaching kids.”
A 1985 graduate of Central Michigan University with a B.S. degree in Business Administration, Patterson competed for three years as a pole vault specialist at CMU.
Patterson works for Gordon Food Service in Grand Rapids. He lives in Rockford with his wife, Patti and their two children.
Nate Van Holten
Nate Van Holten begins his sixth year as an assistant coach for Men’s Middle Distance and Distance events. Over the past few seasons his athlete have broken all but one of the school records in Cross Country and distance events in Track.
In 2004, he was instrumental in guiding freshman, Derek Scott, to a runner-up finishes at the NAIA Outdoor Championship, the USATF Junior National Championships and traveled to Grossetto Italy to coach Derek as a member of the U.S. National Team at the IAAF World Junior Championships. In 2007 he added two more top ten finishes at US Jr’s for his athletes as well as the first National Champion in school history, as Derek Scott captured the 1500m crown.
During his collegiate career, Van Holten was an NAIA All-American 4 x 400 meter runner, competing in four national championship events and earned WHAC titles in relay events. According to Head Coach, Rod Wortley, “Nate does a tremendous job with strategy and motivation. He has a way of getting the very best out of his athletes.”
Van Holten received a Masters Degree in Social Work from Grand Valley State University in 2004 and completed his B.S. in Youth Psychology from Cornerstone University in 2002. He also holds three USATF Level II coaching certifications as well as the instructor training certification.
Christie Harris
After a year as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant at the University of Jacksonville, FL, Christie Harris returns to Cornerstone University, where she spent 2003-2004 as an assistant coach for strength, conditioning and sprints, following a spectacular Track & Field career as a Golden Eagle.
From 1999-2003, Harris (nee Johnson), was a six-time WHAC champion and qualified for both the Indoor and Outdoor NAIA National Championships each of her four years. During the 2002 indoor season, she earned All-America honors in the 400 meters and was an All-America Scholar-Athlete in 2002 and 2003.
In 2004, Harris earned her CSCS certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and USA Track & Field Level II certification. She also holds a BA in Accounting and works in the Accounting department at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Christie and her husband Ryan live in Grand Rapids.
