Robert “Bus” Baker was hired in mid-November as the head coach of Presbyterian's cross country programs. Baker was an All-Big South Conference runner at Radford during his collegiate career.
“Robert ‘Bus’ Baker knows our conference, knows our institution, and knows what it takes to build a winner in the Big South,” Presbyterian Director of Athletics Dee Nichols said. “He understands the competitive landscape and is ready to guide our runners toward consistent championship-level performances. He brings great energy and a commitment to investing in our student-athletes' growth, team culture, discipline, and their ability to win.”
Before coming to PC, Baker served as an assistant cross country and track and field coach at Ferrum College during the past cross-country season. He helped guide Ferrum’s men’s cross country program to its highest finish at the ODAC Championship meet in school history while coaching one All-American, three all-region runners, and nine conference top-five finishers. Every student-athlete on Ferrum’s roster this past season set a PR.
Before joining the coaching staff at Ferrum, Baker was a volunteer assistant cross country and track and field coach at Florida Gulf Coast for one season
The Richmond, Virginia native graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2025. During his college career, he was a three-year member of Radford University’s cross country team. In 2020, he was named All-Big South after running a time of 24:44.6 in the 8K at the Big South Championships. For one season, he was a member of the University of Louisville’s cross country and track and field teams during the 2021-22 season.
“I couldn’t be more excited to take over the program at Presbyterian,” Baker said. “The administration has been incredibly supportive of my vision for the men’s and women’s cross country programs, and I believe that we have everything we need in place to be a competitive distance program in the very near future. I’m looking forward to getting to work, and Go Blue Hose!”
