POCATELLO, Idaho – Idaho State University Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Hillary Merkley announced the addition of two new coaches to the Bengal track & field program, with Sean-Patrick Oswald joining as Head Cross Country Coach/Assistant Distance Coach and James Milholen joining as Assistant Coach for sprints and hurdles.
Sean-Patrick Oswald | Head Cross Country Coach/Assistant Distance Coach
Oswald joins Idaho State after spending much of the past decade as an assistant with the Duke University men's and women's cross country and track & field distance programs.
A 2011 Duke graduate, Oswald competed for the Blue Devils from 2007-11 as an 800-meter specialist and concluded his collegiate career holding four school records, including the indoor and outdoor 4x800-meter relay, the indoor distance medley relay and the indoor 800 meters. Following graduation, he transitioned to longer-distance racing and has completed more than 25 marathons and two Ironman triathlons, including a marathon personal best of 2:44.
Oswald began his coaching career at North Penn High School in Pennsylvania from 2011-13 before returning to Duke as a volunteer assistant under longtime head coach Norm Ogilvie. After a brief period living and working internationally in France, he rejoined the Blue Devils' coaching staff in 2020, where he helped support the men's and women's distance and cross country programs through one of the strongest stretches in recent program history.
During his time with the Blue Devils, Duke athletes set program records for NCAA Championship qualifications, All-America honors and ACC medals, and re-wrote the school record books for nearly all events above 800 meters. The Duke women also captured five ACC Track and Field Conference Championships, and in 2025 the Duke men won their first-ever ACC title in outdoor track. Oswald worked closely with athletes throughout every stage of development, assisting with training, recruiting, competition preparation and the day-to-day operations of a nationally competitive Division I program. He was also instrumental in planning and implementing training as the director for the Duke Cross Country Camp and as a senior staff member, coach and speaker at the Smoky Mountain Running Camp, helping develop hundreds of high school athletes each summer.
Before joining Idaho State, Oswald also spent 15 years with the pharmaceutical company Merck while simultaneously coaching at the collegiate level, bringing a unique blend of high-performance coaching, leadership and professional experience. He is passionate about athlete development, building positive team cultures, and helping student-athletes maximize both their competitive potential and personal growth.
Oswald earned his bachelor's degree from Duke University in 2011.
James Milholen | Assistant Coach, Sprints/Hurdles
Milholen joins the Idaho State Track & Field coaching staff after two successful seasons at Kansas State University, where he served as an assistant coach working with the sprints, hurdles, relays and strength & conditioning programs.
During his time at Kansas State, Milholen helped develop 11 NCAA Division I All-American honors, 11 All-Big 12 performances, two Big 12 champions in the women's 400-meter hurdles, and the 2026 Big 12 Indoor Champion men's 4x400-meter relay. His athletes also established school records in the women's 400-meter hurdles and women's 4x400-meter relay while producing multiple USATF Championship qualifiers and a Jamaican National Championship qualifier. In 2026, he coached the USATF Indoor Long Jump National Champion.
Prior to Kansas State, Milholen served as an assistant coach at Adams State University, where he coached the sprints, hurdles, relays and jumps. He helped the Grizzlies capture the 2024 NCAA Division II Women's Indoor National Championship and finish as the NCAA Division II Women's Outdoor National Runner-Up. During his tenure, Adams State athletes earned 10 NCAA Division II All-American honors, won two individual national championships, finished as national runners-up twice, and set four school records.
Before entering the coaching profession, Milholen competed collegiately at the University of Arkansas and the University of Colorado. A six-time NCAA Division I All-American, three-time All-SEC selection, NCAA Academic All-American and team captain, he continued his career professionally with TrackWired Elite, qualifying for four USATF Championships.
Milholen earned his bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in history from the University of Arkansas in 2022, graduating cum laude. He completed a Master of Science in organizational leadership at the University of Colorado in 2023.
