It’s one thing to lose the head coach at the peak of a team’s career right before the national championships; it’s another when the team experiences the loss of a leader, mentor and family member. Neil Houlihan, the track and field head coach, was dismissed on May 2, only a few days after the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships that took place from April 27-28.

Houlihan began coaching the track and field team in 2022 and was able to build the program to the quality it is today. What was originally a team that placed last combined, sometimes second-to-last, is now a team where the women’s team placed second and the men’s team placed third. Jesse McMillan, a senior business administration major, saw Houlihan change the program during his career at Chapman.

And Houlihan has done so much more than just building up the program – he was a leader for the team by being the example all while showing his dedication towards his athletes and the team.

“He will wake up at 6 a.m. to get everything ready for the day, for the practices. And he will be the last one to leave school, out of all the athletes,” said a male track athlete who requested anonymity for fear of retribution. “He will be here, he will be sending out emails, he will be looking for recruits, emailing recruits, trying to find recruits’ information, to try to bring them to Chapman.

The athlete continued: “Over the past two years, he has brought in a great variety of recruits that have broken school records. And even this upcoming year, he brought in a bunch of international recruits and recruits from all over the nation.”

In addition to building a community surrounding the track team, Houlihan brought along his own experiences to teach lifelong lessons to his athletes. Competing as a track athlete prior to coaching, and serving as an assistant sprints coach at the University of Chicago, a Division I (DI) school, Houlihan exemplified his passion for the sport, and the athletes recognized it. Even though Houlihan notably ran a DI-type of practice at a Division III (DIII) school, there was a deeper meaning behind it from the students’ perspectives.

“It taught me that you should never really sell yourself short just because you’re DIII,” the male track athlete told The Panther. “You should never really sell yourself short in general, in anything in life, and that’s what he taught me. You can compete with people that are DII or DI, and we have competed against people that are DII and DI, and we have beaten them.” 

Contrary to popular belief, track and field is a sport that requires a lot of technical work as well. As an individual sport, a coach’s input is crucial to the success of the athletes, and the team overall. Many athletes themselves feel like Houlihan has contributed to their individual successes seen during the 2024 season.

“I enjoyed that I was able to have the opportunity that many people don’t have at being coached by a coach and just having that opportunity to put myself in that situation just to improve,” the male track athlete said.

Chapman Athletics was unable to provide an interview, but emailed a statement to The Panther regarding Houlihan’s departure from the team.

“In short, (Athletics) will ensure (the track and field team) are well-supported, both by the Athletics staff and also through the other University resources and supports available to them,” wrote Doug Aiken, the associate director of athletics. “We are immensely proud of the teams and confident about the future of the track and field and cross country programs, as we are committed to their success.”

A petition has been started by a Chapman cross country and track and field supporter for Houlihan, with 207 signatures as of May 22. While many are still being left in the dark about why Houlihan was dismissed, there is hope that the track and field team will finish their season strong, competing at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) DIII Outdoor Championships from May 23-25.