Mitch Black enters his sixth year as an Assistant Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Colorado College in 2026–27, where he oversees the middle distance runners.
The 2026 season was a historic one for the Tigers’ middle distance program as CC continues to establish a presence on the national stage. Rabbit Barnes earned his second All-American honor with a runner-up finish in the mile at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, while also being named USTFCCCA West Region Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Barnes also climbed to No. 20 on the all-time NCAA Division III 1500m list with a time of 3:44.60. On the women’s side, Allison Barker earned Second Team All-American honors after placing 11th in the 1500m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a time of 4:26.77.
During Black’s tenure, CC middle distance athletes have combined for three All-American honors, 13 SCAC individual champions, 17 additional All-SCAC performances, 2 SCAC records, 2 SCAC Runner of the Year awards, and 14 All-Region honors. The group also currently holds 14 school records.
The Tigers have also emerged as a national force in cross country during Black’s time on staff. The 2024 season marked a new high point for the program, highlighted by a sixth-place finish by the women’s team at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. That season also featured the program’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking, the largest rise to the top spot in NCAA history, jumping from No. 17 to No. 1 in a single week. Between 2021 and 2025, seven Colorado College teams qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, while the Tigers captured 10 team and 10 individual SCAC cross country titles.
Before arriving at Colorado College, Black served as an assistant coach at ADM High School, helping guide the boys’ team to a runner-up finish at the 2021 Iowa state track & field championships. In 2020, he was an assistant cross country coach at Madrid High School, where the boys’ team won the state championship.
While earning his master’s degree in Health & Wellness Management from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Black served as an assistant coach from 2018–20. The Pointer men placed 10th at the 2019 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships.
A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Black graduated from Wartburg College in 2018. He served as team captain and qualified for the 2017 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, helping the Knights to a 20th-place team finish.
Black has also continued his own competitive running career, highlighted by a victory at the 2018 Rocky Mountain Half Marathon and a 13th-place finish at the 2022 Des Moines Marathon. He holds a USATF Level I Coaching Certification.
Black resides in Colorado Springs with his wife, Hannah, and their basset hound, Wilson.
