Andrew Craycraft

Andrew Craycraft

Andrew Craycraft was named the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at Millikin in December 2015.  

Under Craycraft’s leadership, the Big Blue cross country and track and field program continues to make impressive strides.

Craycraft led Millikin to its first ever College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Women's Team Championship in 2023. Three Big Blue athletes scored All-Conference First Team honors and one earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team. 

In track and field, Millikin freshman Kyle Hensley was the National Champion in the Pole Vault at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Craycraft's led team had three CCIW Champions at both he Indoor and Outdoor CCIW Championships. Two Big Blue athletes earned All-American honors at the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships with Hensley finishing in second in the Pole Vault and senior Jake Shamaker coming home in eighth in the 800 Meters.

In 2023, the Millikin men finished in second place at the 2023 CCIW Championships giving the Big Blue its best finish since 1963. Craycraft and the Millikin staff were named the Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
In 2020, Millikin finished second place finish at the 2020 CCIW Indoor Track and Field Championships.  For the second straight year, Craycraft and his staff of Nicole Westein, Dylan Lafond, Terri Abraham and Ksenia Safonova were named the CCIW Men's Indoor Track Staff of the Year. In 2019, the Millikin men's track team finished in third at the CCIW Indoor Championships earning Craycraft and his staff the CCIW Men's Indoor Track and Field Coaching Staff of the Year honor.  At the CCIW Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the Big Blue men's (85 points) and women's (94 points) teams scored the most points by a Millikin team since Craycraft took over the program. 

An accomplished collegiate middle-distance runner, Craycraft has been an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level working at DePaul University and Michigan State University.  Prior to coming to Millikin, Craycraft worked as Head Recruiting Coach for NCSA recruiting service.

Craycraft joined the DePaul staff in 2008 working with both the cross country and track and field teams.  He worked with mid-distance and distance runners at DePaul.  While at DePaul, Craycraft coached six NCAA qualifiers, seven All Big East performers and a Big East Champion in the women’s 800 meters.  Under his coaching, his runners set 17 DePaul school records.  In addition to developing the student athletes, Craycraft guided the Blue Demons recruiting efforts of mid-distance and distance runners.

While at Michigan State, Craycraft helped guide the Spartans to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, producing two All-Great Lakes Region athletes.  In track and field, Craycraft sent four of his athletes to the Mid-East Regional Championships and coached an All-American Nicole Bush in the Steeplechase.  While coaching at Michigan State, his cross country team was ranked 32nd in the nation with an overall team GPA of 3.61 and earned All-Academic Team honors from the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Association.

Craycraft competed collegiately as St. Joseph’s University and the University of North Carolina.  During his freshman and sophomore seasons competing at St. Joseph's, Craycraft set school records in the 500 Meters, indoor 800 Meters and the 4x800m relay.  At the University of North Carolina, he was the 2003 ACC Conference Indoor Champion in the 800 Meters and set a new UNC school record in the event at 1:48.91.  He was named to the ACC Academic All-Conference team and earned an Athletic Director's Student-Athlete Award.

Craycraft earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of North Carolina and a Juris Doctor at Western Michigan University’s Thomas M. Cooley Law School.  He practiced law at a firm in Rockford specializing in Special Education Law and Due Process Litigation.