Carson Blackwelder Hometown: Concord, N.C. Last College: Appalachian State Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 1st Year Graduated: 2005

A former head coach at Morehead State and assistant coach at Appalachian State, Carson Blackwelder enters his first year as an assistant coach at USC Upstate.

"We are extremely excited to add Coach Blackwelder to our staff. His experience as a head coach as well as previous experiences makes him an invaluable part of our program here at Upstate," head coach Jimmy Stephens said.

Blackwelder arrives at Upstate after spending the last year at Morehead State, members of the Division I Ohio Valley Conference. At MSU, he was responsible for all facets of the program, which included recruiting, workout regiments, budget and travel and was the director of fundraising for the program.

Blackwelder's program had two individuals named to the cross country all-conference team as well as having his women's track and field team honored as an All-Academic team. He also coached the school's 8K school record holder.

Coach Stephens added, "In his first year as a head coach, Carson's program earned a regional ranking, which is impressive for any coach in our region. We are confident he can take our program to the next level. As we are entering our third season of competition in Division I, our expectations are continuing to rise for the program."

Prior to MSU, Blackwelder spent three years as an assistant coach at Appalachian State, Division I members of the Southern Conference. His primary duties at ASU were recruiting coordinator for the cross country program, while also serving as the strength and conditioning coach for the team's distance runners.

During his tenure at ASU, the cross country and track and field programs won five men's conference titles, three women's conference titles, as well as four SoCon individual track and field championships. Also during Blackwelder's time in Boone, the Mountaineers had 12 individuals named all-conference in track and field and 11 were named all-conference performers in cross country. Two individuals were named all-region in cross country and four were regional qualifiers in track and field.

A native of Concord, N.C., Blackwelder was a standout at ASU as a member of the cross country and track programs. He was a two-time all-conference selection and team MVP in cross country. He also received all-conference accolades in indoor track. In outdoor track and field, Blackwelder helped the Mountaineers win four straight conference championships.