Eastern Illinois University Women's Track & Field

James Gildon was hired as Eastern Illinois Director of Track & Field in August 2023, becoming the fifth director of Panthers track & field in the program's NCAA Division I history. He enters his third year leading EIU programs for the 2025-26 season. Prior to Eastern Illinois, Gildon served as Associate Head Coach for Track & Field at Bowling Green for ten years (2013-23), where he coached 11 NCAA Regional Qualifiers, 17 Mid-American Conference Champions, and athletes that set 23 school records. Before Bowling Green, he was an Assistant Coach at Fort Hays State (2008-12), coaching two NCAA Division II National Champions and nine All-Americans, including 24 NCAA National Qualifiers and nine conference champions. He also coached at Creighton Prep High School (2005-07), producing 20 Nebraska State Athletic Association qualifiers and 17 All-State athletes. Gildon competed in track & field at Loyola University Chicago, where he was a six-time All-Horizon League performer ranking in the school's top five for indoor and outdoor triple jump and long jump. He holds a Bachelor's degree from University of Nebraska Omaha (2007) and a Master's degree from Fort Hays State University (2009). A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Gildon is married to Jennifer and has two children.

Josh Stice joined the Eastern Illinois University staff as assistant coach for the 2022-23 season and coaches pole vault. He has helped guide EIU to the 2023 Men's Indoor OVC Track Championship and coached athletes who posted six EIU career top ten pole vault marks, including OVC Indoor Pole Vault Champion Declan Ritzenthaler in 2024. Prior to Eastern Illinois, Stice served as head coach for the Charleston High School track and field program and coached at United Township High School. He began his athletic career earning All-Conference honors as a pole vaulter at Central College and concluded his athletic career at St. Ambrose University, also earning All-Conference honors in pole vault. Stice currently works as a professor at EIU teaching in the Kinesiology, Sports and Recreation Department.

Eastern Illinois * Hired as EIU Assistant Track Coach / Cross Country Coach in January 2025 TRACK & FIELD ACCOMPLISHMENTS * Coached indoor and outdoor track seasons

Roger An was hired in August 2025 as an assistant track & field coach at Eastern Illinois University, where he serves as sprints, hurdles and relays coach. He brings three seasons of assistant coaching experience from Mount St. Mary's (2022-25), where he coached 36 All-Conference performers and 14 All-Region (IC4A/ECAC) selections. During his tenure at Mount St. Mary's, he helped coach teams to second and third place finishes at the 2025 MAAC Outdoor Championships and coached athletes who set or broke school records in multiple sprint events. An previously served as assistant coach at Amherst College (2021-22) and Lake Superior State, where he coached sprinters to personal records and contributed to the team's highest conference point finish since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from The College of Wooster (2018) and a Master's Degree from Southern Nazarene University (2020), and is certified as a CSCS strength and conditioning specialist, NASM nutritional coach, and USTFCCCA speed specialist coach. An is a native of River Vale, New Jersey.