Mark Emerson begins his third year with the Butler Track & Field/Cross Country program in 2023. He leads the cross country teams and distance runners.

In 2022, Emerson led the Grizzly men's cross country squad to a KJCCC East championship and third place finish in Region VI. Emerson helped lead Rodgers Rotich to a second place overall finish at the NJCAA Nationals as he missed being a national champion by just 0.4 seconds.  The Grizzly men finished 10th nationally, with 256 points. They were the third highest Jayhawk Conference team, behind Northwest Tech along with Colby, who were crowned the 2022 Men's National Champions. The women's squad placed 14th nationally.

Most recently, Emerson was an assistant coach at Fort Scott Community College where he helped the Greyhounds to their first national ranking for the men’s and women’s cross country teams in school history. He coached the first All-American in school history in cross country, the first KJCCC Outdoor Championship for men and women in school history and was part of the first indoor conference championship for women in school history. 

Prior to Fort Scott, Emerson was a Graduate Assistant at Waldorf University and a volunteer assistant at Kansas Wesleyan University. 

Emerson, a native of Junction City, KS, is a graduate of Allen Community College and Kansas Wesleyan where he participated in track and field and cross country during his collegiate career. 

“Butler Community College has always had a tradition of excellence. The Cross Country/Track & Field teams have had previous success and helping contribute to the future of the program is very appealing. Butler is one of the premiere junior colleges in the nation. The school is one that I can get behind and believe is a great place for any student to attend. The community is very supportive of Butler Community College and has drawn me to this area.”

Emerson resides in El Dorado and has a dog named Kipp.