Josh Harden enters his second season as assistant track and field and cross country coach at Southern Arkansas.
In his inaugural season in Magnolia, a shortened spring 2020 campaign, Harden oversaw 30 individual and relay event wins in two meets.
Prior to becoming a Mulerider, Harden spent two years at Highland, where he was part of a staff that led the Highland women to a 10th place team finish at the 2019 Indoor National meet behind five medalists including a National Champion in the 600 meter run. Between the men and women Scotties competed in 20+ events at the Indoor National meet and set nine school records during the season. During the Outdoor season Scotties had five National medalists.
Harden joined the Highland staff after coaching as an assistant coach at Missouri Valley College and two years at Pratt CC where he was the head coach of the track and field program and assistant cross country coach.
Before getting into coaching Harden competed at Highland (2011-12) and then at University of Missouri-Kansas City. While at Highland he earned second team All-Conference honors in the triple jump and leaped his way to a seventh place finish at the 2012 NJCAA Indoor Championships, earning him All-American honors.
After Highland, Harden continued his track and field career at the Division I level at UMKC were he was a two-time first team All-Conference triple jumper and second team long jumper. His final year at UMKC (2015) he was the Western Athletic Conference champion in the triple jump and earned a spot at the NCAA DI West Regional meet.
Harden graduated from UMKC with a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts with minor in communications.
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