Chris Webber

Chris Webber – Men’s and Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field – 4 Seasons

Coaching Mission:

  • To contend for the GSC and NCAA DII National Championship every year by developing the God-given talent of the athletes on our team. In doing so, helping them to glorify God with their gift and to “run free”. 

Education:

  • B.S. in Kinesiology at Mississippi College in May of 2021. 

Coaching Experience:

  • August 2017 - May 2018: Student Intern Cross Country Coach at Starkville High School(Starkville, MS)
  • August 2019 - May 2021: Head Cross Country Coach at Columbus Christian Academy(Steens, MS)
  • May 2022 - March 2024: Graduate Assistant Coach at Mississippi College
  • March 2024 - June 2024: Interim Cross Country Coach at Mississippi College
  • June 2024 - Present: Associate Head Cross Country Coach at Mississippi College. 

MC Coaching Highlights:

  • No greater highlight exists for Coach Webber than watching them overcome fear and anxiety and “run and not be weary”. Teaching that when you use a gift from God to glorify Him, the pressure of comparisons, fear, and stress are unnecessary during competition, and athletes get to enjoy the sport the way that God designed it. In this way, you worship by receiving the gift, stewarding the gift, and then returning the gift to the Giver. 

Cross Country School Records: 8

  • Men’s 8K: Jan Lukas Becker(23:29.8)
  • Men’s 8K Top 5 avg: Poulin, Becker, Kurz, Balcer, Kelly(24:07)
  • Men's 10K: Jan Lukas Becker(29:22.9)
  • Men's 10K Top 5 avg: Becker, Kurz, Poulin, Balcer, Methvin(31:02)
  • Women’s 5K: Lauren Wallace (17:19.9)
  • Women’s 5K Top 5 avg: Wallace, Benoit, Bell, Finch, Harris(17:55)
  • Women’s 6K: Lauren Wallace: (20:40.6)
  • Women’s 6K Top 5 avg: Wallace, Bell, Benoit, Mayatte, Harris (21:19)

Track & Field School Records: 15

  • Bre Bell: Women's 3,000m Steeplechase (10:52.46)
  • Cole Benoit: Men’s Indoor 800m (1:50.99), Men's 1500m(3:44.35)
  • Emily Berry: Women's 10,000m(37:29.27)
  • Hunter Kurz: Men's 1-mile(4:03.98)
  • Jan Lukas Becker: Men's 5,000m Outdoor(13:50.00) & 10,000m(28:40.04)
  • Lauren Wallace: Women’s Indoor 800m(2:13.12), Women's Outdoor 800m(2:10.30), Women's 1500m(4:26.85)
  • Jazmin Hernandez: Women’s 1-mile(4:53.75), Women’s Outdoor 5,000m(17:01.99)
  • Taylor Benoit: Women's Indoor 3,000m(9:49.74)
  • Men's DMR: Hunter Kurz, Fabio Palmieri, Christian Balcer, Cole Benoit(9:44.63)
  • Women's DMR: Jazmin Russell, Hilary Udechukwu, Taylor Benoit, Lauren Wallace(11:29.55)

Individual GSC Champions: 5

  • Bre Bell: '23 GSC Outdoor(Women's 3000m Steeplechase)
  • Brock Kelly: '23 Indoor(Men's DMR)
  • Cole Benoit '23 Indoor(Men's DMR & 1-mile), '23 Outdoor(Men's 1500m), '24 Indoor(Men's 1-mile)
  • Jan Lukas Becker: '22 Cross Country, '23 Indoor(Men's 3,000m & 5,000m), '23 Outdoor(Men's 3,000m Steeplechase & 5,000m), '24 Indoor(Men's 5,000m)
  • Jazmin Hernandez: '24 Indoor(Women's 800m)

Team GSC Champions: 3

  • 2021 Men’s Indoor (Beers, Benoit, Del Rio, Hall, Poulin, Gomez, Russell)
  • 2023 Men’s Indoor (Balcer, Becker, Benoit, Hodson, Poulin, Kelly, Kurz)
  • 2025 Women’s Cross Country (Wallace, Bell, Benoit, Mayatte, Harris, Finch, Wallace, Sellers, Jeffery, Jensen)

NCAA DII National Qualifiers: 63

2021 Cross Country

  • Braedon Methvin
  • Bre Bell
  • Brock Kelly
  • Christian Balcer
  • Cole Benoit
  • Emily Berry
  • Evan Del Rio
  • Gabe Poulin
  • Hunter Kurz
  • Jazmin Hernandez
  • Josie Whipp
  • Kathy Hammond
  • Madeline Campbell
  • Norma Guitterez

2022 Indoor

  • Hunter Kurz

2022 Outdoor

  • Cole Benoit

2022 Cross Country

  • Adam Gomez
  • Braedon Methvin
  • Brock Kelly
  • Christian Balcer
  • Gabe Poulin
  • Hunter Kurz
  • Jan Lukas Becker
  • Jazmin Hernandez

2023 Indoor

  • Brock Kelly
  • Christian Balcer
  • Cole Benoit
  • Hunter Kurz
  • Jan Lukas Becker

2023 Outdoor

  • Jan Lukas Becker

2023 Cross Country

  • Baxter Friedman
  • Braedon Methvin
  • Bre Bell
  • Cole Benoit
  • Cooper Parmer
  • Emily Berry
  • Jan Lukas Becker
  • Jazmin Hernandez
  • Josie Whipp
  • Lauren Wallace
  • Norma Guitterez
  • Taylor Benoit
  • Wyatt Whipp

2024 Indoor

  • Emily Berry
  • Jan Lukas Becker
  • Jazmin Hernandez
  • Lauren Wallace
  • Taylor Benoit

2024 Outdoor 

  • Cole Benoit
  • Jan Lukas Becker
  • Lauren Wallace

2024 Cross Country

  • Braedon Methvin
  • Brock Kelly
  • Carson Smith
  • Christian Balcer
  • Cooper Parmer
  • Preston Speed
  • Taylor Benoit
  • Wyatt Whipp

2025 Outdoor 

  • Evan Wrights
  • Sam Hodson 

2025 Cross Country 

  • Lauren Wallace
  • Taylor Benoit

Program Top-10’s: 150

Indoor Track & Field

Men’s 800m Run

  • 1-Cole Benoit - 1:50.99
  • 4-Evan Wrights - 1:52.82
  • 5-Gabe Hodson - 1:52.85
  • 7-Christian Balcer - 1:54.23
  • 8-Hunter Kurz - 1:54.30
  • 9-Sidney Stegall - 1:54.35
  • 10-Sam Hodson - 1:54.74

Women’s 800m Run

  • 1-Lauren Wallace - 2:13.12
  • 2-Jazmin Hernandez - 2:13.65
  • 3-Taylor Benoit - 2:14.71
  • 5-Haley Hall - 2:17.97
  • 6-Leslie Baxter - 2:19.26
  • 7-Bre Bell - 2:20.43
  • 8-Emily Berry - 2:21.92
  • 9-Kathy Hammond - 2:22.90

Men’s 1-mile Run

  • 1-Hunter Kurz - 4:03.98
  • 2-Christian Balcer - 4:06.72
  • 3-Cole Benoit - 4:07.65
  • 4-Brock Kelly - 4:09.06
  • 6-Baxter Friedman - 4:13.11
  • 7-Carson Smith - 4:13.43
  • 9-Hollis Johnson - 4:14.34

Women’s 1-mile Run

  • 1-Jazmin Hernandez - 4:53.75
  • 2-Taylor Benoit - 4:54.09
  • 3-Lauren Wallace - 4:57.32
  • 4-Emily Berry - 5:01.20
  • 6-Haley Hall - 5:08.49
  • 7-Shana Sellers - 5:10.25
  • 8-Kathy Hammond - 5:10.97
  • 9-Bre Bell - 5:11.26
  • 10-Ava Dickerson - 5:16.13

Men’s 3,000m Run

  • 1-Jan Lukas Becker - 7:58.12
  • 2-Cole Benoit - 7:59.23
  • 3-Hunter Kurz - 8:07.93
  • 4-Brock Kelly - 8:14.77
  • 6-Gabe Poulin - 8:20.97
  • 7-Christian Balcer - 8:21.04
  • 8-Braedon Methvin - 8:21.69

Women’s 3,000m Run

  • 1-Taylor Benoit - 9:49.74
  • 2-Emily Berry - 9:51.51
  • 3-Lauren Wallace - 9:59.09
  • 4-Bre Bell - 10:05.08
  • 5-Jazmin Hernandez - 10:13.28
  • 6-Kathy Hammond - 10:14.22
  • 7-Norma Guiterrez - 10:20.00
  • 8-Kinley Harris - 10:25.32
  • 10-Ava Dickerson - 10:25.74

Men’s 5,000m Run

  • 1-Jan Lukas Becker - 13:47.00
  • 3-Hunter Kurz - 14:22.71
  • 4-Christian Balcer - 14:23.45
  • 5-Braedon Methvin - 14:26.31
  • 6-Gabe Poulin - 14:33.28
  • 7-Cooper Parmer - 14:48.85
  • 8-Cole Benoit - 14:52.57
  • 9-Carson Smith - 14:55.73
  • 10-Gabe McElwain - 14:57.97

Women’s 5000m Run

  • 1-Jazmin Hernandez - 17:15.67
  • 2-Bre Bell - 17:24.87
  • 3-Emily Berry - 17:25.89
  • 4-Lauren Wallace - 17:46.48
  • 5-Taylor Benoit - 17:57.60
  • 7-Ava Wardlaw - 18:05.59
  • 9-Norma Guiterrez - 18:17.12
  • 10-Kinley Harris - 18:20.61

Men’s Distance Medley Relay

  • 1-Christian Balcer, Hunter Kurz - 9:44.63
  • 2-Cole Benoit, Sam Hodson, Evan Wrights, Christian Balcer - 9:44.67
  • 3-Cole Benoit, Hunter Kurz - 9:47.93
  • 4-Hunter Kurz, Christian Balcer, Cole Benoit - 9:51.03
  • 5-Brock Kelly, Cole Benoit - 9:53.04
  • 6-Cole Benoit - 9:53.94
  • 7-Brock Kelly, Sam Hodson, Evan Wrights, Cole Benoit -   9:59.81
  • 8-Hunter Kurz, Cole Benoit, Brock Kelly, Christian Balcer - 10:01.23
  • 9-Hunter Kurz, Cole Benoit, Brock Kelly, Christian Balcer - 10:11.81

Women’s Distance Medley Relay

  • 1-Lauren Wallace, Jazmin Hernandez, Taylor Benoit - 11:29.55
  • 2-Lauren Wallace, Haley Hall, Jazmin Hernandez - 11:48.44
  • 3-Taylor Benoit, Bre Bell, Jazmin Hernandez, Lauren Wallace - 11:49.60
  • 4-Kathy Hammond, Emma Langley, Jazmin Hernandez - 11:55.71
  • 5-Emily Berry, Leslie Baxter, Kathy Hammond - 12:15.54
  • 6-Shana Sellers, Brookelyn Bidinger, Caroline Dooling, Taylor Benoit - 12:16.40

Men’s 4x400m Relay

  • 4-Sam Hodson, Evan Wrights - 3:12.41
  • 6-Evan Wrights, Sam Hodson - 3:14.18

Women’s 4x400m Relay

  • 2-Emma Langley, Leslie Baxter - 3:57.62
  • 3-Leslie Baxter - 3:58.49
  • 4-Taylor Benoit - 3:59.31
  • 7-Taylor Benoit, Leslie Baxter, Haley Hall - 4:02.34
  • 8-Leslie Baxter, Emma Langley - 4:02.99

Outdoor Track & Field

Men’s 800m Run

  • 2-Gabe Hodson - 1:50.36
  • 3-Evan Wrights - 1:50.56
  • 5-Sidney Stegall - 1:50.96
  • 7-Cole Benoit - 1:51.05

Women’s 800m Run

  • 1-Lauren Wallace - 2:10.30
  • 2-Jazmin Hernandez - 2:11.83
  • 4-Taylor Benoit - 2:13.57
  • 5-Haley Hall - 2:13.69
  • 6-Leslie Baxter - 2:14.67
  • 8-Bre Bell - 2:18.51
  • 9-Kathy Hammond - 2:18.72

Men’s 1500m Run

  • 1-Cole Benoit - 3:44.35
  • 2-Hunter Kurz - 3:46.52
  • 4-Christian Balcer - 3:48.77
  • 6-Sidney Stegall - 3:50.10
  • 7-Brock Kelly - 3:51.00
  • 8-Gabe Poulin - 3:52.07

Women’s 1500m Run

  • 1-Lauren Wallace - 4:26.85
  • 2-Taylor Benoit - 4:30.17
  • 3-Jazmin Hernandez - 4:34.13
  • 4-Haley Hall - 4:39.80
  • 5-Bre Bell - 4:41.11
  • 7-Emily Berry - 4:41.56
  • 8-Kathy Hammond - 4:42.11
  • 10-Caroline Dooling - 4:45.46

Men’s 3,000m Steeplechase

  • 3-Jan Lukas Becker - 8:55.62
  • 5-Christian Balcer - 9:04.26
  • 7-Carson Smith - 9:25.18
  • 8-Matthew Singletary - 9:29.99

Women’s 3,000m Steeplechase

  • 1-Bre Bell - 10:52.46
  • 2-Shana Sellers - 11:25.76
  • 3-Ava Dickerson - 11:31.88
  • 4-Kate Finch - 11:59.85

Men’s 5,000m Run

  • 1-Jan Lukas Becker - 13:50.00
  • 4-Christian Balcer - 14:25.87
  • 6-Braedon Methvin - 14:27.31
  • 8-Brock Kelly - 14:34.08
  • 10-Hunter Kurz - 14:37.17

Women’s 5,000m Run

  • 1-Jazmin Hernandez - 17:01.99
  • 2-Taylor Benoit - 17:09.21
  • 3-Lauren Wallace - 17:23.50
  • 4-Emily Berry - 17:37.56
  • 6-Kathy Hammond - 17:51.46
  • 7-Bre Bell - 17:57.04
  • 8-Josie Whipp - 17:58.11
  • 9-Norma Guiterrez - 18:03.41
  • 10-Kinley Harris - 18:04.00

Men’s 10,000m Run

  • 1-Jan Lukas Becker - 28:40.04
  • 2-Braedon Methvin - 29:58.82
  • 3-Gabe Poulin - 30:21.91
  • 5-Sam Haber - 30:59.19
  • 6-Cooper Parmer - 31:04.85
  • 8-Brock Kelly - 32:00.55

Women’s 10,000m Run

  • 1-Emily Berry - 37:29.27
  • 3-Josie Whipp - 37:58.39
  • 6-Ava Wardlaw - 38:19.48
  • 8-Norma Guiterrez - 38:52.24
  • 10-Caroline Perry - 41:37.89

Men’s 4x400m Relay

  • 3-Sam Hodson, Evan Wrights - 3:08.59

Women’s 4x400m Relay

  • 4-Haley Hall - 3:53.12
  • 6-Haley Hall, Taylor Benoit, Leslie Baxter - 3:54.22
  • 9-Taylor Benoit - 3:56.52
  • 10-Leslie Baxter - 3:56.93

Post-Season Highlights:

  • First NCAA DII national champion since 1978(Jan Lukas Becker, Men's 10,000m, 2023).
  • Highest-ever male and female NCAA DII Cross Country Championship finishers in program history (Male = Jan Lukas Becker, 7th overall & Female = Taylor Benoit, 87th overall).
  • Highest-ever male NCAA DII Cross Country team finishers in program history (12th, 2023)
  • Highest-ever male and female NCAA DII South Region Cross Country Championship finishers in program history (Male = Jan Lukas Becker, 1st overall *tie* & Female = Lauren Wallace, 1st overall).
  • First-ever to have both genders qualify in an event to NCAA DII Track and Field National Championships in program history(Men's & Women's 1500m, 2024).
  • First-ever podium sweep in GSC Women's Indoor Championship history(Women’s 800m, 2024 - Hernandez-Russell, Benoit, Wallace).
  • First-ever women's 10,000m podium finish at GSC Track & Field Championships in program history(Emily Berry, 2024). 
  • Most points scored in the Men's 10,000m at '24 GSC Outdoor Track & Field Championships(Methvin, Parmer, Kelly)
  • Most points scored in the Men’s 10,000m at ’25 GSC Outdoor Track & Field Championships(Methvin, Parmer, Haber)
  • First-ever Cross Country GSC title in school history (Women’s XC, 2025)
  • First-ever Women’s GSC title in program history (Women’s XC, 2025)
  • First-ever NCAA DII South Regional Women's Individual Champion(Lauren Wallace, 2025)

Personal Information:

  • Coach Webber proudly competed for the Choctaws in Track & Field and Cross Country from August 2018 to his graduation in May 2022. While he had many athletic accomplishments, he claims his proudest achievement was winning the water balloon toss at camp week his freshman year.
    Webber hails from his alma mater, Columbus Christian Academy in Steens, MS, where his family still resides. He is married to Julie Webber (formerly Brenner), another MC alum. They first met at the Speed Library on campus, and Webber likes to say that '30 national titles couldn't match the accomplishment of he and Julie's marriage.'
    From a young age, Webber felt called by God to become a college coach—a conviction that took root in middle school and has never wavered. Today, he not only gets to do what he loves, but also what he believes he was called to do, at the place he was called to do it.
    In January 2024, he made the decision to fully commit his life to the Lord, a moment that, in his words, "his life hasn't been the same since.”