WASHINGTON – As he sets off on his ninth season at the helm of the American University cross country and track program, head coach Sean Graham has agreed to a two-year contract extension to remain with the Eagles through 2027. Director of Athletics & Recreation JM Caparro announces the news as the team enters the 2025 season ready to continue to make waves this year in the Patriot League.
 
"We're thrilled to extend Coach Graham's contract and build on the outstanding momentum he's cultivated within our Cross Country and Track programs," said Caparro on the extension. "His leadership has been pivotal—not only in developing elite student-athletes, but also in establishing a lasting culture of excellence. Coach Graham's vision continues to shape the future of our program, and we're excited for what lies ahead under his continued direction."
 
Graham arrived at AU with eight years of Division I coaching experience under his belt, including three as an assistant coach at AU from 2009-11 and 2012-13. Graham's impact when he returned to the program was felt almost immediately upon his arrival. In his first year at the helm in 2017, he led the program's first pair of NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship Preliminary Round qualifiers since 2013.
 
"I am very grateful to President Alger, Athletic Director JM Caparro, our staff, and most importantly our student-athletes past and present for providing me this opportunity to continue to do what I love at this great institution," said Graham. "The success that we have found along the way, and the phenomenal potential for excellence, which is right around the corner, is incredibly exciting. It is a gift to work, day in and day out, with such motivated and hard working young men and women; of course, in their pursuits for greatness on the track and in the classroom but also getting to know them as they develop into the people they dream to be."
 
Coach Graham's student-athletes have earned 32 All-Patriot League selections, 291 AU Top Ten marks, 20 program records, and six Patriot League titles. He's also mentored five NCAA Outdoor Preliminary Round qualifiers and two Mid-Atlantic All-Region finishers in cross country.
 
His Eagles are no less impressive off the course and the track, garnering 344 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selections, 28 Patriot League All-Academic Team selections, nine CoSIDA Academic All-District selections, and 25 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team awards.
 
On the national level, Graham was also vital in the development of two NCAA Cross Country Championship qualifiers, two NCAA Indoor All-Americans, two NCAA Outdoor All-Americans, six SEC titles, eight All-SEC finishers, and five Kentucky school records.
 
Before he established himself as one of the premier coaches in the U.S., Graham was first one of the top distance runners in the country. An All-American finisher during his time at William & Mary, he went on to compete postcollegiately with the Nike Farm team in Palo Alto, Calif., and the Nike Oregon Track Club Elite in Eugene, Ore., where he qualified for two U.S. Olympic Trials and was a Top-Ten finisher at three U.S. Track Championships.
 
An AU alum, he earned his master's in business administration from American University's prestigious Kogod Business School in 2011.
 
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