Director of athletics Jared Mosley made the announcement Sunday, Mar. 10 that head track and field coach Roosevelt Lofton would not have his contract renewed and he was relieved of his duties, immediately.

“We felt that the program needed to go in a different direction,” Mosley said. “I felt it was important for us to make that announcement and start the search process.”

The Wildcats and Coach Lofton had just returned from the NCAA Division II indoor championship meet that afternoon in Birmingham, Ala. The women’s team finished 10th and the men finished tied for 40th.

This year, the team had only three men and six women in the indoor championship meet.

“When you look at the number of individuals were qualifying for nationals, I feel there is room to improve when it comes to recruiting,” Mosley said.

Mosley announced that assistant track and field coach Jerrod Cook will be the interim coach the rest of the season. Cook is in his seventh season as ACU’s throwing coach. He was named the NCAA Division II South Central Region Men’s Indoor Field Assistant Coach of the Year last month.

“I have a ton of confidence in Jerrod,” Mosley said. “He’s the most tenured person we have on the track staff right now. So I feel confident about his plan to get us through outdoors and recruiting.”

Lofton had been with ACU since August 2009. He won his first national championship in March 2011 with the group known as “The Fab Four:” Nick Jones, Desmond Jackson, Ramon Sparks and Amos Sang.

Abilene Christian has 59 national championships in men’s and women’s track and field. Fifty-four of those are at the NCAA level. Including Lofton, there are six coaches in the ACU track and field history to have won a national championship. Oliver Jackson, Don W. Hood, Wes Kittley, Jon Murray and Don D. Hood are the others.