Corey Kubatzky is in his 11th year with the University of Colorado Colorado Springs cross country and track and field programs in 2025-26, serving as head coach for the women's cross country team as well as coaching the distance and middle distance women runners for indoor and outdoor track & field.
The 2024 women’s cross country season was another remarkable year for the Mountain Lions. UCCS closed out the season earning a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division II Championship meet, finished third at the South Central Regional meet, and third at the conference championship meet.  Anna Fauske capped off a stellar career at UCCS after being named to the CSC Academic All-America Third Team, USTFCCCA All-America and All-Region Team, RMAC All-Academic First Team, and the All-RMAC First Team. Joining Fauske on the USTFCCCA All-America and All-Region Teams was graduate student Kate Hedlund, who also received All-RMAC Second Team honors. Madison Brosig ran to RMAC Freshman of the Year recognition, and joined Hedlund, Molly Breuer, and Kaya Pillivant on the All-RMAC Second Team. Breuer, Pillivant, Rachel Richtman, and Fauske were all voted to the RMAC All-Academic First Team, while 11 more Mountain Lions were named to the Honor Roll.
In his ninth year leading the Mountain Lions women's cross country team, Kubatzky helped UCCS qualify for its seventh straight NCAA Division II National Championship meet. The Mountain Lions started the season winning the six-team UCCS Rust Buster for the second straight season on Sept. 2. Nearly a month later, UCCS headed to Louisville, Ky. to compete in the Live in Lou Classic where they finished seventh.  In their first post-season race on Oct. 21, the Mountain Lions finished fifth in the RMAC conference championships which were held in Denver, Colo., followed by a fifth-place finish at the South Central Regional meet on Nov. 6. All seven Mountain Lions competing in the Regional recorded personal best times, and all finished in the top one-third of the race. On Nov. 18, UCCS competed in the NCAA DII National Championship meet and placed 12
th, with one Mountain Lion achieving All-America status in the meet, placing in the top-10 –Â
Anna Fauske. Fauske and Kate Hedlund garnered USTFCCCA All-Region honors after Fauske ran to All-RMAC First Team honors and Rachel Richtman collected All-RMAC Second Team accolades. Twelve Mountain Lions received RMAC All-Academic recognition, with Nadine Almasri, Molly Breuer, and Fauske being voted to the First Team. Almasri capped off the 2023-24 year earning Academic All-District Cross Country/Track & Field honors.
Kubatzky and the Mountain Lions are coming off a historic season in 2022 as the Mountain Lions recorded their highest finish ever in program history at the NCAA Division II National Championship meet.  The Mountain Lions started the season winning the six-team UCCS Rust Buster on Sept. 3. One month later, the Mountain Lions traveled to Louisville, Ky. for the prestigious Live in Lou Classic, where they posted a fourth-place finish out of 41 teams.  In their first post-season race, the Mountain Lions ran to a third-place finish at the conference championships held in Durango, Colo., followed by another third-place finish at the South Central Regional meet as all five Mountain Lion scorers finished in the top 25 to garner USTFCCCA All-Region accolades.
Layla Almasri and Anna Fauske paced the Mountain Lions as they both earned USTFCCCA All-America First Team, USTFCCCA All-Region, All-RMAC First Team, and RMAC All-Academic First Team accolades. Following the conclusion of the track and field seasons, Fauske and McGrath were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team while McGrath was later voted to the Academic All-America Second Team.
Following a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020 with no NCAA postseason races, the Mountain Lions returned in 2021 to finish seventh overall at the NCAA Division II Championship meet on Nov. 20, capping off a season that had the Mountain Lions ranked in the USTFCCCA Top 10 Division II poll in every regular season and postseason poll. The seventh place at the national meet tied the program's highest finish ever at a national championship (2006). The Mountain Lions earned a third-place finish at the 2021 RMAC championship meet and were led by Layla Almasri's runner-up finish. UCCS continued its post-season ascendency two weeks later at the NCAA South Central Regional meet in Lubbock, Texas. Their third-place finish at the 25-team meet automatically qualified UCCS for the 2021 NCAA Division II Women's Cross Country National Championship meet. The Mountain Lions' biggest race of the season came on Nov. 20 in Saint Leo, Fla. at the NCAA Division II National Championship, where UCCS finished seventh out of 34 teams. Almasri and Riley McGrath ran to All-American honors as they finished in the top 40.Â
After a successful 2021 cross country season, Kubatzy was named the 2021-22 USTFCCCA South Central Region Women's Assistant Track & Field Coach of the Year. He qualified four student-athletes for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships and saw them combine for a total of eight All-America honors. In addition, Kubatzky coached the women's DMR team of Layla Almasri, Riley McGrath, Kate Hedlund andÂ
Amber Davis to All-America status with a seventh-place and school record-breaking time of 11:32.98.  At the 2021-22 RMAC Indoor Championships, Kubatzky's distance crew accounted for 34 points on the women's side as the Mountain Lions went on to win their third consecutive indoor conference title.
Kubatzky and the Mountain Lions won all three regular-season meets, beginning with home wins at the UCCS Rust Buster and the UCCS XC Open, before besting all eight teams at the West Texas A&M Buffalo Stampede. UCCS wrapped up the COVID-19 shortened season with a fifth place at the RMAC Championship meet, hosted by UCCS at Monument Valley Park, behind four All-RMAC performances: Layla Almasri (first team), Hannah Ellis (first team), Riley McGrath (second team) and Molly Weir (second team). Academically, 10 Mountain Lions received RMAC All-Academic accolades: Layla Almasri, Hannah Ellis, Vanessa Roybal, Sarah Bassett, Natalie Church, Emily Gentry, Jenny Smith, Meg Super, Erika Timbang, and Molly Weir.
For the fourth straight season, Kubatzky led the Mountain Lions to qualify for the NCAA Championships in 2019. The Mountain Lions finished 15th overall out of 34 teams at the national meet in Sacramento, Calif. Leading into the national meet, UCCS finished fourth overall at the RMAC Championship meet, followed by a fourth place finish out of 29 teams at the NCAA South Central Regional meet. The Mountain Lions started the season competing in four regular season meets, highlighted by a third place finish at the prestigious Minnesota Roy Griak Invitational. Kayla Wooten and Layla Almasri earned All-RMAC and USTFCCCA All-Region honors. Maia Austin won the RMAC Summit Award while nine Mountain Lions were named to the RMAC All-Academic team.
The 2018 season marked the third straight year Kubatzky and the Mountain Lions qualified as a team for the NCAA National Championship meet, and the sixth time in seven years. As a team, UCCS placed 11th overall, their highest finish since 2012 (10th place). Kayla Wooten earned the trifecta sweep, receiving All-America, All-Region and All-RMAC honors. The Mountain Lions began their post-season run with a fifth place finish at the conference championship meet in Arvada, Colo. that saw Wooten and Hannah Ellis earn all-conference accolades. Two weeks later, the Mountain Lions placed fourth at the All-South Central Region meet, leading to an at-large bid to their ninth NCAA Championship meet in program history.
In 2017, Kubatzky guided the Mountain Lions to a third place finish in the RMAC Championships and a fourth place finish in the South Central regional meet. The top five finish in regionals led to the second straight national qualifying season as the Mountain Lions finished 17th at the NCAA Championship meet, the best finish in a national race since 2012. As a result, six runners were named to the All-RMAC team with five runners also being named to the RMAC All-Academic team. To top off the 2017 season, the program was awarded seventh place in the United States Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Program of the Year standings.Â
Kubatzky is in his second stint with UCCS. He was previously a graduate assistant for the Mountain Lions from 2008 to 2010. He worked with the steeplechase runners and the women's distance runners, including developing training plans, strength work and proper form. Kubatzky was involved in all aspects of the team operations at the time, including the timing of the 2008 and 2009 UCCS Rust Buster Invitationals. He also worked with All-American Shannon Payne and All-RMAC steeplechaser Kait Frier.
After he earned his master's degree in education with a focus in leadership, Kubatzky worked with the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project, where he served as an Assistant Coach. During his four years there, the Hansons-Brooks Distance Project produced Olympian Desiree Linden, three World Championship team members, 14 U.S. National Team appearances and 35 top-10 finishes at USA Championships. He joined Hansons Coaching Services and moved into the role of Director of Operations in 2012, where he managed a staff of five assistant coaches. He coached athletes to US Olympic Trials Qualifiers, personal bests and Boston Marathon qualifying times.
Kubatzky earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy-neuroscience-psychology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2008 where he was a member of the Cross Country / Track & Field team and served as team captain his senior year.
