[Cross Country] Lloyd-Perks named new Friends Cross Country Head Coach

WICHITA, Kan. – Friends University track & field head coach Henry Brun has announced that Sam Lloyd-Perks has been hired to take over the reins of the Falcon cross country program while also serving as assistant track & field coach.

"We are excited to welcome Sam to Friends University," said Dr. Rob Ramseyer, Friends University Associate VP of Athletics.  "He brings a high level of expertise, character, and work ethic to the position and we can't wait for him to get started."

Lloyd-Perks brings over 13 years of distance running experience as both an athlete and coach to Friends.

"With his wealth of knowledge of cross country and the full range of distance events, I feel confident he can help us not only continue the level of success we have had in recent years but elevate the distance program to being one of the most competitive in the region and nationally," said Brun. "His passion and drive will translate perfectly to our aggressive recruit efforts and his energy will be something that the athletes in the program will really enjoy."

In 2021, Lloyd-Perks founded his own coaching business, 'Team Homestretch', with the focus on building a positive online running community and helping develop runners to achieve their goals within the sport.

Since the team was founded, it has grown rapidly with members coming from all different age groups, locations, and ability levels with over 75 runners signing up for coaching services. During this period, Lloyd-Perks has coached runners to a total of seven All-American honors and numerous state records. He has also coached six runners to Boston Marathon qualifying times and numerous age-group wins on the road and track.

Prior to that, Lloyd-Perks coached at running store Fleet Feet in Winston Salem, NC, where he mentored runners of all abilities and backgrounds for different goal races.

"I'm super excited to be joining the Falcons, I have a lot of great ideas to help take this already established program to the next level," said Lloyd-Perks.

His initial coaching experience came as the head distance coach at Cumberland Gap High School from 2018-20. There, Lloyd-Perks' primary focus was coaching runners beginning their high school athletic journeys.

Collegiately, Lloyd-Perks started Worcester Sixth Form College and competed in two regional cross country championships, placing sixth in 2013 and second in 2014.

Lloyd-Perks then spent three years at Cardiff Metropolitan University under the guidance of British Milers Club Coach of the Year James Thie. In those three seasons, he competed in two national cross country championships, highlighted by his team placing eighth in the nation during in his senior year in 2015. He also competed in the British University national 10,000m championships on the track, helping the team clinch a third place finish while setting a PR on the way.

In 2018, Lloyd-Perks made the move across the pond to compete at the NCAA D-II level for Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee.

Lloyd-Perks achieved All-SAC Conference honors in Cross Country two consecutive seasons with a 19th place finish in 2018 and an eighth-place showing in 2019.

In track, Lloyd-Perks finished in the top 10 at the SAC Conference Championship meet in his specialist events of the 5000m and 10,000m multiple times.  His best finish came in 2019 in the 10,000m final before going on to set the current second-fastest time in school history of 32:13 just two weeks later in Illinois.

Lloyd-Perks graduated from Worcester Sixth Form College in 2015 with a Diploma in Sport & Exercise Science and a level 2 Fitness Instructor Certification. He then continued to Cardiff Metropolitan University and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sport & Social Science.

In 2020, Lloyd-Perks completed his two years at Lincoln Memorial University by graduating with a Master of Business Administration Degree.