Texas A&M University – Texarkana has announced Natnael Amare as the Head Coach of the inaugural Eagle men’s and women’s cross country teams.
“Natnael Amare is no stranger to the Red River Athletic Conference and, under his guidance, I know Texas A&M University-Texarkana will be a competitive program year in and year out. The success Coach Amare has demonstrated throughout his career will no doubt continue here at TAMUT. He is no stranger to starting programs, as he is coming from one as we speak, and we are grateful he has accepted our invitation to put our men’s and women’s cross country program on the intercollegiate map. Welcome to the Eagle family! Another great day to be an Eagle!” – Athletic Director Michael Galvan
Natnael Amare was hired as the first head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country/track programs in January of 2010 at Texas Wesleyan University and is now entering his 12th season (2021-22).
During his tenure at Texas Wesleyan, he has coached 50 All-Conference selections, 15 NAIA All-Americans, and 16 NAIA Scholar-Athletes. His cross country teams have combined for four conference championships and five NAIA National Championship appearances while he was named Red River Athletic Conference Coach of the Year four times. The cross country programs have also produced three conference runner-up finishes. In a combined 20 seasons, the cross country teams have sent competitors to the NAIA National Championship 17 times. Similarly, the track & field programs have sent athletes to national competition 14 times.
Amare came to Texas Wesleyan from Northwood University where he built an impressive coaching resume. In six seasons at Northwood, Amare led the Knights to six Red River Athletic Conference Championships in men’s cross country, six RRAC Championships in women’s cross country, six runner-up finishes in women’s track, and three runner-up finishes in men’s track.
Amare has coached 36 individual and four team Men’s Cross Country NAIA National qualifiers as well as 38 individual and five team Women’s Cross Country NAIA National qualifiers, and 36 individual Men’s and Women’s NAIA Indoor and Outdoor Track qualifiers. In total, he has coached 149 RRAC individual champions, 15 NAIA All-Americans, and two NAIA individual runners-up.
“I am honored to serve as the new Head Cross Country Coach at Texas A&M University – Texarkana. I am very excited to lead this brand-new program as I see so much potential and many opportunities to do something very special here. I am looking forward to becoming a member of the Eagles’ team and achieving great things as an Eagle. I want to say a special thank you to our President, Dr. Emily Cuter, our Athletic Director Michael Galvan and our talented athletic staff. I would like to thank my family for their constant support. I am ready to make the move to Texarkana to begin recruiting and building a successful program.” -Natnael Amare
A native of Eritrea, Africa, Amare came to the United States at the age of eleven. A product of North Clayton High School in Atlanta, GA, he went on to Northwood University where he became the school’s most decorated athlete. Amare was a 20-time All-RRAC selection and 8-time RRAC individual champion in cross country and track. He was named RRAC MVP in 2001 after winning the 1500m, 3000m Steeplechase, 5K and 10K events. Amare was also a four-time All-Region selection in cross country, a five-time NAIA National qualifier, and three-time All-American selection (one in cross country, two in track). In 2000, Amare became Northwood’s first National Champion in any event when he won the marathon at the NAIA National Outdoor Track meet with a time of 2:33:36.00. In 2011, he was inducted into the Northwood Athletic Hall of Fame.
Amare also gained international experience when he represented Eritrea in the 2003 IAFF World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Amare completed his degree in International Business at Northwood University in 2002.
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