Cameron Ruppe - Men's Cross Country Coach - Mercer University Athletics

Cameron Ruppe

Title:
Head Coach
Alma Mater:
Winthrop, 2018
Office Phone:
(478) 301-2337
Email:
ruppe_c@mercer.edu

A six-year coaching veteran who has already established himself as a successful mentor on the collegiate level, Cameron Ruppe was announced as the head coach of the Mercer cross country programs on July 17, 2024.

Ruppe, who will serve a dual role as the assistant coach of MU's track & field program as well, earned a pair of National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Atlantic Region Coach of the year laurels at Louisburg (N.C.) College, and has already mentored 10 all-conference runners and seven all-Americans in his short time as a collegiate coach. His student-athletes have also combined to shatter 28 school records as well.

Charleston Southern flourished with Ruppe on the women's cross country and track & field staff during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns. The Bucs tacked up 11 school records and made 48 entries into the program's top-10 lists across that span, while also raking in seven All-Big South Conference honors, including a quartet of first team laurels. CSU walked away with runner-up honors at both the 2022 and 2023 Big South Conference Championships, and also raked in its second-straight All-Academic Team honor from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Prior to trekking back to coastal South Carolina, Ruppe served a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Campbell and played a key role in the Camels' run to the 2022 Big South Conference Men's Indoor Track & Field crown. In just one season in Buies Creek, N.C., Ruppe coached a pair of all-Americans and a trio of Big South Runners of the Year, with the program also being credited with seven All-Big South honorees on the track and three more on the cross country course.

In his first stint as a head coach, Ruppe assembled formidable men's and women's cross country and track & field programs at Louisburg as the Hurricanes claimed a trio of region athlete of the year laurels, while also sending a pair of student-athletes to all-America accolades. His teams also captured region titles in both cross country and indoor track & field as well.

Ruppe's first stint in Charleston came from August 2019 through May 2020 as the assistant cross country and track & field coach at College of Charleston. With the Cougars, he oversaw three top-10 performances during the cross country campaign and helped the men's and women's programs garner USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition, including the men's squad with the highest GPA at CofC.

He served as the assistant cross country and track & field coach at Buena Vista in 2018-19, helping the programs to five school records and 15 top-10 performances. The women's cross country program was honored with academic accolades from the USTFCCCA. The men's squad posted its best regional finish in a decade under his guidance.

His first stint in coaching came while he was still a collegiate undergraduate, serving as the assistant cross country and track & field coach at Rock Hill (S.C.) High School. There, Ruppe guided the squads to four team regional championships with 15 individual region titles, eight all-state honors and three state runner-up results. Eight of his athletes earned collegiate scholarships.

A native of Rock Hill, Ruppe competed collegiately at Winthrop from 2014 through 2018, seeing time in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field. He placed fourth at the 2017 Big South Championships in the steeplechase, two years after a seventh-place finish in the same event.

Ruppe earned his bachelor's degree in special education from Winthrop in 2018, and is currently pursuing his master's degree in sports administration at Arkansas State. Cameron and his wife, Lauren, recently celebrated the birth of their first child.

THE RUPPE FILE
Coaching Experience
2018	Buena Vista (Assistant Coach)
2019	College of Charleston (Assistant Coach)
2020-21	Louisburg (N.C.) College (Head Coach)
2021	Campbell (Assistant Coach)
2022-23	Charleston Southern (Assistant Coach)
2024-Present	Mercer (Head Coach)

*As A Collegiate Athlete*
Competed four seasons (2014-18) at Winthrop as part of the cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field squads.

Education
Bachelor's degree in special education (Winthrop, 2018); Pursuing master's degree in sports administration (Arkansas State)

Family
Wife, Lauren, and son, Cohen