Aaron King was tabbed as the head men's and women's cross country coach in April 2025.
King completed his first year as head coach of the men's and women's teams. Their first season set the foundation for what's to come. Many of the men and women hit lifetime bests in cross country and on the track. Eckerd performed well during the outdoor track season by scoring points in the women's 1500m and 800m, 7th and 8th respectively. On the men's side, an All-SSC podium performance in the men's 800m, 3rd.
The future looks bright for Eckerd XCTF as the Tritons are bringing in 20 new commits for the 26-27 school year, adding depth and talent to the roster. King will continue providing quality training for runner development to move up the conference rankings.
King joined Eckerd in the relaunch of the men's and women's cross country teams with proven success in developing high-caliber cross-country programs. King spent the previous two seasons at Lander University (SC) as the head coach of the men's and women's cross country and track and field.
At Lander, he led the Bearcats to eight top-10 finishes between both programs, including a fifth-place finish by the men's and women's squads at the Peach Belt Conference Championships this fall. He also led both programs to the NCAA Tournament this year.
King's track and field teams had record-breaking seasons in his first year as head coach. The men set 19 school records, while the women set 17 for the women.
Prior to Lander, he spent two seasons at Spartanburg Methodist College (SC) as the head cross country and track coach. In 2022, he led both men's and women's cross country programs to the NJCAA Regional Championship title, advancing to the NJCAA National Championship. In 2021, he led five men and four women to the National Championship event.
He spent six seasons at his alma mater, Roosevelt University (Ill.), from 2015 to 2021 as the head cross country and track coach. He had three women compete at the NAIA National Championship during his tenure.
An accomplished athlete, King competed in the 2012 NAIA Cross Country National Championship his senior year at Roosevelt, receiving all-conference honors prior.
King continues to train for marathons. He can be seen at local run clubs and races around St. Pete. He currently resides in Gulfport with his wife Miranda and their four dogs Sawyer, Reggie, Kora, and Hank.
