Jamen Helton joined Lindsey Wilson University in the fall of 2025 as the Head Cross Country and Distance Coach and Assistant Track & Field Coach. He brings collegiate coaching experience at both the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels, with previous coaching stops at Rogers State University, the University of the Cumberlands, Dakota Wesleyan University and Trevecca Nazarene University.
Helton began his coaching career at Trevecca Nazarene University during the 2017-18 season before joining Dakota Wesleyan University, where he served as Head Cross Country and Assistant Track & Field Coach from 2018-19 and Director of Track & Field and Cross Country from 2019-21. During his time at Dakota Wesleyan, the program produced its first two individual NAIA National Champions, 10 All-Americans, 21 school records and more than 150 all-time top-10 performances.
From 2021-23, Helton served as an Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of the Cumberlands. He helped lead the women's cross country program to two Mid-South Conference Championships and two consecutive USTFCCCA Top 25 seasons. The program produced 18 women's and two men's NAIA National Qualifiers, 18 All-Conference athletes and two Mid-South Conference Freshmen of the Year. In track & field, his athletes produced 32 NAIA National Qualifiers, 10 All-Americans, nine school records and more than 100 all-time top-10 marks. Helton was named Mid-South Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in both cross country and track & field.
At Rogers State University from 2023-25, Helton helped guide the women's cross country program to No. 20 in the USTFCCCA national rankings, the highest ranking in program history, and its first NCAA Division II National Championship appearance. During his tenure, Rogers State athletes produced 195 all-time top-10 performances, 29 school records and three NCAA Division II National Provisional marks across cross country and track & field.
Since arriving at Lindsey Wilson, Helton has coached an NAIA Individual National Qualifier in men's cross country, Dashawn Overly, who became the first freshman individual national qualifier in program history. His athletes have also produced two all-time top-10 men's 8K marks, the men's 6K school record and four additional all-time top-10 men's 6K marks.
A native of Waterloo, Illinois, Helton competed collegiately as a distance runner at NCAA Division II Drury University and Lewis University, where he qualified for the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. He earned a bachelor's degree in Teaching Education from Drury University and a master's degree in Instructional Technology from Lewis University. He holds USATF Level 1 and USATF Cross Country Specialist certifications.
