Putman Named New Head Coach of the Cross-Country and Track & Field Programs
Submitted on July 16, 2026
Georgetown College Vice President for Athletics Chris Oliver has announced Eric Putnam as the next head coach of the cross-country and track & field programs on Thursday.
“I'm excited about adding Eric Putnam to the Tiger athletic department. He comes to Georgetown College with a proven track record of developing championship-caliber programs, and I'm confident he can help us continue our upward trajectory in cross country and track & field,” Oliver said. “Coach Putnam also has great knowledge of the Mid-South Conference and NAIA landscape, and we look forward to watching him work alongside our student-athletes and staff.”
Putnam comes to Georgetown after successful stints as the head coach at both Marietta College and Shawnee State University in Ohio.
Most recently, Putnam served as the head cross-country and track & field coach at NCAA Division III Marietta College. While at Marietta, Putnam led all aspects of the six varsity programs.
“I am very excited to start working with a growing cross-country and track and field program at Georgetown College,” Putnam said. “I feel like we can accomplish some great things with the group of athletes that I am inheriting. The location of the college is really great for finding great competition that is very close by. Coach Snapp has done a great job at recruiting and building such a promising program.”
Prior to his three seasons at Marietta, Putnam enjoyed an over 18-year stint at former Mid-South Conference member Shawnee State University.
At SSU, Putnam put together a championship-caliber program, building one of the most successful distance programs in the NAIA.
During his tenure as head coach, he developed and launched the men’s and women’s outdoor track & field programs in 2011 and spearheaded the introduction of the indoor track & field programs in 2017.
His men's cross-country teams won the Mid-South Conference championship for the last seven years and posted seven top-10 finishes at the NAIA National Championships.
He had also led his women's cross-country teams to nine consecutive conference championships (2010-2018) and a top-10 finish (9th in 2017) at the national championships.
An excellent recruiter as well, Putman coached many individual national finishers, 46 All-American qualifiers, and 80 NAIA Scholar-Athletes during his tenure.
As the Shawnee State track and field coach, Putnam grew the program from club sport status when SSU transitioned to the NAIA. In a short timeframe, he oversaw numerous conference championships for both squads and sent many qualifiers to the national championships.
Between all six programs, Putnam earned 22 Mid-South Conference Coach of the Year honors.
Putnam also enjoyed a very decorated running career as a collegiate athlete. A graduate of Ohio University, he ran cross-country and track for the Bobcats, earning seven varsity letters. He earned All-Mid-American Conference honors seven times and was the individual MAC champion in the 1,500-meter run in 1996, running a 3:48. He was co-MVP of the team in 1996 and was a three-time team captain.
Putman earned his Bachelor's degree from Ohio University and his Master's in Education from Xavier University.
Camryn Snapp, who resigned as head coach following the spring season, has accepted an assistant coach position for the Tigers and will continue to work with the programs moving forward.
"I would like to thank Camryn Snapp for his continued investment in our programs and student-athletes,” Oliver said. “He has worked hard to move our programs forward, and I'm very appreciative of his efforts and commitment."
