Bio

Five seasons at Mount Mercy (2017-present)

Hulst has led the cross country program and endurance group to new heights since joining the coaching staff in 2017. The men’s cross country team finished in the top 30 in the nation each of his first two years at the helm, while the women have excelled as well, with two individual national qualifiers in his first year and placing top-25 nationally as a team twice (2018, 2019). Hulst also coached Mount Mercy’s first-ever cross country NAIA all-American, as James Lindstrom placed sixth in the nation in 2018). The Mustangs won the 2019 Heart of America Athletic Conference title as Hulst earned Heart of America Women's Coach of the Year honors and Vanessa Cortes was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Athlete of the Year.

On the track, the Mustang endurance crew has garnered 50 all-conference honors under Hulst, including eight individual conference champions and two conference champion relays. Hulst has coached nine individual national qualifiers and three national qualifying relays on the track, with three Mustangs earning NAIA all-America honors (Kathryn Vander Poel, Cortes, and Andrea Ertz). Vander Poel also earned the 2019 USTFCCCA Midwest Region Track Athlete of the Year award. during the 2019 indoor season under Hulst. Ertz became the first Mustang to earn two NAIA all-American honors in two running events at a national championship, finishing sixth in the mile and third in the 1,000 meters.

In total, Hulst’s athletes have accrued 75 all-conference honors, 15 conference titles, five all-American honors, and currently hold 14 school records.

Prior to joining Mount Mercy, Hulst was the head cross country/track & field coach at Iowa Wesleyan College (2012-14) and was a volunteer cross country/track & field coach at the University of Iowa (2009-12). The Hawkeye men's track & field team won their first Outdoor Big Ten Track & Field title in 44 years in 2011.

Hulst earned his B.A. in Communications from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., in 2008. As a member of Calvin’s cross country and track & field teams, he was a member of teams that finished in the top four at the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships in three consecutive years, including winning the national championship as a team in 2006. Hulst was an NCAA Division III all-American in cross country as a senior for the Knights (2007). On the track, he was a two-time provisional national qualifier in the 5K.

Hulst currently resides in Iowa City with his wife, Tammy, and their two children, Kellen and Kayla.

Favorite Sports Moment: “My favorite moments are when I get to see student-athletes commit and embrace the process. I love to see when they buy in, believe in themselves, and commit to doing the little things to become the best they can be in the classroom, as athletes, and as teammates. When they do, I know they are becoming people that will excel beyond MMU and be great leaders wherever they end up.”