Jessica Riden has served as the director of operations for Stanford cross country and track and field since January 2016, and in May, 2018, was awarded a new title: Assistant Athletics Director.
Riden, in her fourth year at Stanford, has been skilled in all areas of track and field management. She has served as director of high-profile home meets such as the 2018 Pac-12 Championships and Combined Events track and field meets, the 2018 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships, and the Payton Jordan Invitational, which annually serves as the nation's top distance running carnival.
She also organizes and manages the Stanford Invitational track and cross country meets, which draw more than 3,000 athletes each – the Stanford Invite track meet has 29 hours of competition over two days and the cross country meet consists of 14 races, and is one of the premier high school meets in the state.
Riden also oversees the Cardinal Classic track and field meet and in 2019 will be Stanford's point of contact in hosting the Prefontaine Classic, the only IAAF Diamond League meet held in the U.S.
Riden, a former Penn State distance runner, also coordinates travel and manages the day-to-day aspects of running the track and field operation, and provides much of the program's social media content.
Before coming to Stanford, Riden was a member of the track and field staffs at Washington and Penn State for nine years.
Riden, in her fourth year at Stanford, has been skilled in all areas of track and field management. She has served as director of high-profile home meets such as the 2018 Pac-12 Championships and Combined Events track and field meets, the 2018 Pac-12 Cross Country Championships, and the Payton Jordan Invitational, which annually serves as the nation's top distance running carnival.
She also organizes and manages the Stanford Invitational track and cross country meets, which draw more than 3,000 athletes each – the Stanford Invite track meet has 29 hours of competition over two days and the cross country meet consists of 14 races, and is one of the premier high school meets in the state.
Riden also oversees the Cardinal Classic track and field meet and in 2019 will be Stanford's point of contact in hosting the Prefontaine Classic, the only IAAF Diamond League meet held in the U.S.
Riden, a former Penn State distance runner, also coordinates travel and manages the day-to-day aspects of running the track and field operation, and provides much of the program's social media content.
Before coming to Stanford, Riden was a member of the track and field staffs at Washington and Penn State for nine years.