WEATHERFORD – Southwestern Oklahoma State University Athletics has announced the hiring of Jackson Schwartz as head women's cross country & track & field coach.
 
Schwartz joins SWOSU after serving as assistant cross country & track & field coach at Arkansas Tech University during the 2025-26 academic year. He succeeds Jennifer Johnson as the 10th head coach in the history of the women's cross country program and the third head coach of the Bulldogs' Division II women's track & field program.
 
"We're excited to welcome Coach Schwartz to the Bulldog family," said Athletic Direcor Todd Helton. "His Great American Conference experience, passion for student-athlete development and enthusiasm for SWOSU made him an outstanding fit to lead our women's cross country and track & field program."
 
At Arkansas Tech, Schwartz helped the Golden Suns capture the 2025 Great American Conference women's cross country championship, the first conference title in program history. Serving on the staff of 2025 GAC Coach of the Year Gabe Sams, he assisted in developing four women's cross country All-GAC selections and eight track & field All-GAC honorees. Schwartz also coached the 3,000-meter steeplechase and 1,500-meter event groups, helping athletes establish program records in both events.
 
His athletes also achieved multiple NCAA Division II provisional qualifying marks and numerous personal-best performances. Beyond coaching, Schwartz was actively involved in recruiting, travel coordination, meet operations, compliance and the day-to-day administration of the program.
 
Prior to joining Arkansas Tech, Schwartz served on the coaching staff at Western Colorado University, where he worked with nationally competitive men's and women's distance programs. There, he contributed to athlete development, recruiting, travel coordination and meet management, including directing operations for the 2024 Mountaineer Invite.
 
A former cross country and track & field student-athlete at the University of Tulsa, Schwartz earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology in 2021 before completing a Master of Business Studies in rural community health from Western Colorado University in 2025.
 
"This is a life-changing opportunity for me, and I'm incredibly grateful to Coach Helton and everyone at SWOSU for trusting me to lead this program," Schwartz said. "I'm proud to join the Bulldog family and excited to begin working with our student-athletes this fall. Coach Johnson established a strong foundation, and I'm looking forward to building on that success as we continue developing a program capable of competing for Great American Conference championships."