By Tim Glon
Ohio Northern national champion Emily Richards is returning to her alma mater as an assistant coach for the cross country and track and field teams.

Richards will assist with cross country and coach the middle distance runners in the track and field program.

Richards is beginning her third season under contract with Hoka One One. She will continue her primary responsibility of being a professional athlete and to pursue her goals of competing at the Olympic Trials and beyond.

"I'm really excited to have Emily back in the program in this role," ONU head coach Jason Maus said.

"She is a great ambassador for Ohio Northern and our program, and she has a strong understanding of how things work here. In addition, I'm eager to learn some of the training techniques she's learned at the professional level. Emily will help out in Cross Country and work with the middle distance group come the Track & Field season.

She will be a great addition on the recruiting front and certainly help out with social media. I believe that this setup is a win/win for Emily, her athletic goals, and those of the ONU XC/T&F programs."

Richards was a 9-time NCAA Division III national champion and a 13-time All-American during her four seasons at ONU.

She won the 800-meter dash five title five times and the 1500-meter dash four times. She was also an All-American in the 800 the 1500 and the 3,000-meter run in track and field and was an All-American in cross country, finishing ninth at the 2017 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships.

She qualified for the 2018 and 2019 USATF National Championships in the 800-meter dash, finishing eighth in 2018 running for Ohio Northern and 15th in 2019 running under the Hoka One One banner.

Richards was also a First Team Academic All-American and was ONU's female Clyde Lamb Award honoree and graduated form Ohio Northern with a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 2018.