Ryan Turner, formerly a Division I head cross country coach at the University of Houston, was named Butler's head track and cross country coach on June 17, 2014.

Turner comes to Butler from Garden City Community College, where he spent one season as head coach. He also previously was the head coach at Pratt Community College and was an assistant at Southwestern University and Cowley County earlier in his career.

"I'm extremely happy to have the chance to be the next head coach at Butler," Turner said. "It was a difficult decision for me, but in the end, I made the right decision."

Turner spent five seasons at the head cross country coach at Houston. While at Houston, he coached former Butler runner Wesley Ruttoh to qualify for the 2011 NCAA National Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana. This gave Turner the distinction of becoming the first and only Head Cross Country Coach in University of Houston school history to coach both a male and female (Stephanie Aldea 2008) NCAA cross country national qualifier.

Turner arrived at Houston after spending three years as the assistant cross country and track and field coach at Cowley County Community College (Kan.). There he helped led the men's and women's teams to six top-five national finishes, including four third-place finishes. Turner was named NJCAA Region VI Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2006. Following the 2007 indoor track season, Turner was awarded the NJCAA Women's National Assistant Coach of the Year.

Prior to coaching at Cowley County CC, Turner spent two and a half years coaching at Southwestern College, his alma mater, in Winfield, Kan., and a semester at St. Gregory's University in Shawnee, Okla.

The Holdenville, Okla., native holds a bachelors degree in physical education, a master's degree in education and is USATF Level II certified in the endurance and sprints/relays/hurdles events. Turner recently attended the USOC/USATF Emerging Elite Coaching Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calf.

While competing at Southwestern College (Winfield, Kan.), Turner was a four-time national meet qualifier and KCAC Conference runner-up in the 1,500m run. He ran the 800m, 1500m and 8,000m in cross country. He was the No. 4 runner on Southwestern's 1999 team that placed 8th at the NAIA National Cross Country Championships.

Turner has two daughters, Lauryn and Haylie.