Mercer University Women's Track & Field

Roosevelt Lofton was announced as Mercer's head women's track and field coach on November 11, 2019 and will begin his fourth season during the 2023 Spring se...

A seasoned athletic training professional with previous stops at two other collegiate institutions, Brad Drake begins his first year at Mercer in 2023-24 as the Associate Athletics Director for Sports Medicine for the Bears. Drake joined the Bears family in August 2023 after spending the previous three years with the University of Florida Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Institute. While in Gainesville, Drake assisted sports medicine surgeons and non-operative physicians with clinical duties, while also assisting in the creation of treatment plans and clinical exams. In addition to his office duties, he was also charged with supervision of the doctoral athletic training students in their coverage of local high school athletic departments. Drake spent 13 seasons at Charleston Southern, including 10 as the Associate Athletics Director for Medical Services where he provided medical coverage for the football program, as well as CSU's men's and women's golf teams. As department head, he provided oversight of 15 varsity athletic programs, and was also responsible for budget and inventory management. An associate athletic trainer at CSU from 2007-10, he more than doubled his personnel at CSU from 2010-18, while also serving as the drug testing and insurance coordinator for the athletics department. He got his start in the field in 1999 as an athletic trainer in the Greenville (S.C.) Hospital System and provided medical coverage for Greenville Senior High School, as well as PRN covera

A six-year coaching veteran who has already established himself as a successful mentor on the collegiate level, Cameron Ruppe was announced as the head coach of the Mercer cross country programs on July 17, 2024. Ruppe, who will serve a dual role as the assistant coach of MU's track & field program as well, earned a pair of National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Atlantic Region Coach of the year laurels at Louisburg (N.C.) College, and has already mentored 10 all-conference runners and seven all-Americans in his short time as a collegiate coach. His student-athletes have also combined to shatter 28 school records as well. Charleston Southern flourished with Ruppe on the women's cross country and track & field staff during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns. The Bucs tacked up 11 school records and made 48 entries into the program's top-10 lists across that span, while also raking in seven All-Big South Conference honors, including a quartet of first team laurels. CSU walked away with runner-up honors at both the 2022 and 2023 Big South Conference Championships, and also raked in its second-straight All-Academic Team honor from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Prior to trekking back to coastal South Carolina, Ruppe served a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Campbell and played a key role in the Camels' run to the 2022 Big South Conference Men's Indoor Track & Field crown. In just one season in Buies Creek, N.C

Clarence Powell joined the staff in August of 2021 as the director of on-campus recruiting. He is a graduate of Liberty University. He previously worked at Hillsborough Community College as the web and graphics designer and also with Link Magazine. Starting in the summer of 2017, Powell began working with Mercer Athletics as a graphic design assistant and recruiting assistant. He took on the creative lead role before founding his own company, Agency 316.

Mercer Women's Lacrosse 2026 | vs. High Point | Big South Championship | Full Game HighlightsMercer Women's Lacrosse 2026 | vs. High Point | Big South Championship | Full Game Highlights Sunday, May 03

Mercer Women's Lacrosse 2026 | vs. High Point | Big South Championship | Full Game HighlightsMercer Women's Lacrosse 2026 | vs. High Point | Big South Championship | Full Game Highlights Sunday, May 03