The Citadel Adds Katie Buss to Track & Field / Cross Country Staff
10/7/2026 4:00:00 PM | Track & Field
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Kris Kut announced the addition of Katie Buss as an assistant track & field and cross country coach.
Buss joins the Bulldogs following a distinguished 24-year career in the U.S. Air Force, along with extensive experience as a collegiate student-athlete, coach and business leader.
"We are incredibly excited to officially welcome Katie to our staff as an assistant track & field and cross country coach," Kut said. "She represents so much of what we want to instill in our cadet-athletes, and we are truly blessed to have her join our Bulldog family. Katie brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience from both the athletic and coaching perspectives. Having competed at the Air Force Academy, she understands firsthand what it takes to be a Division I student-athlete and the demands that come with balancing academics, athletics and the responsibilities of being part of a military college.
"More importantly, Katie is the type of person who will make a lasting impact on the young men and women in our program. She is a relentless worker, brings incredible positive energy every day and simply does not know how to fail. She has faced challenges, overcome adversity and continued to find ways to get better, and that is exactly the kind of role model we want our cadet-athletes to have. I truly believe our student-athletes will become better athletes, better leaders and better people because of Katie's influence. She has been there and done that, and she knows what it takes to push yourself to become the best version of yourself. We are extremely excited to have her on our staff and look forward to everything she will bring to our program and our Bulldog family."
A retired Air Force colonel, Buss began her professional career as a track & field coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she coached the multi-events. She later transitioned to a tactical warfighter role and served as a special operations C-17 pilot, accumulating more than 500 combat flight hours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During her military career, Buss also served at the Pentagon as an international affairs strategist and as an ROTC commander at the University of Kentucky. She later served as a diplomat and senior defense official at the U.S. Embassies in Bolivia and Colombia.
Following her retirement from the Air Force and return to Charleston, Buss served as CEO of a private aviation company and founded two startups.
Buss competed in track & field at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she was a two-time school record holder in the pole vault and pentathlon. She served as a two-year team captain, was the team's high-point scorer and was voted team MVP during her senior season.
Her coaching experience includes time at the Air Force Academy as well as numerous youth sports programs during her family's military moves. Buss has also coached locally at Wando High School and Bishop England High School. Most recently at Bishop England, the sprint program set nine school records and produced several high school national qualifiers under her leadership.
Buss earned her bachelor's degree in operations research from the U.S. Air Force Academy. She also holds three master's degrees: aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, international affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky.
Buss is married to her husband Jake, and the couple has three children, Griffin, Grace and Lexi.
Stay up to date with The Citadel track & field and cross country programs at CitadelSports.com. Follow the Bulldogs on X and Instagram at @CitadelTFXC for news and updates throughout the season.
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#FortressOfTheSouth
Buss joins the Bulldogs following a distinguished 24-year career in the U.S. Air Force, along with extensive experience as a collegiate student-athlete, coach and business leader.
"We are incredibly excited to officially welcome Katie to our staff as an assistant track & field and cross country coach," Kut said. "She represents so much of what we want to instill in our cadet-athletes, and we are truly blessed to have her join our Bulldog family. Katie brings a tremendous wealth of knowledge and experience from both the athletic and coaching perspectives. Having competed at the Air Force Academy, she understands firsthand what it takes to be a Division I student-athlete and the demands that come with balancing academics, athletics and the responsibilities of being part of a military college.
"More importantly, Katie is the type of person who will make a lasting impact on the young men and women in our program. She is a relentless worker, brings incredible positive energy every day and simply does not know how to fail. She has faced challenges, overcome adversity and continued to find ways to get better, and that is exactly the kind of role model we want our cadet-athletes to have. I truly believe our student-athletes will become better athletes, better leaders and better people because of Katie's influence. She has been there and done that, and she knows what it takes to push yourself to become the best version of yourself. We are extremely excited to have her on our staff and look forward to everything she will bring to our program and our Bulldog family."
A retired Air Force colonel, Buss began her professional career as a track & field coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she coached the multi-events. She later transitioned to a tactical warfighter role and served as a special operations C-17 pilot, accumulating more than 500 combat flight hours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During her military career, Buss also served at the Pentagon as an international affairs strategist and as an ROTC commander at the University of Kentucky. She later served as a diplomat and senior defense official at the U.S. Embassies in Bolivia and Colombia.
Following her retirement from the Air Force and return to Charleston, Buss served as CEO of a private aviation company and founded two startups.
Buss competed in track & field at the U.S. Air Force Academy, where she was a two-time school record holder in the pole vault and pentathlon. She served as a two-year team captain, was the team's high-point scorer and was voted team MVP during her senior season.
Her coaching experience includes time at the Air Force Academy as well as numerous youth sports programs during her family's military moves. Buss has also coached locally at Wando High School and Bishop England High School. Most recently at Bishop England, the sprint program set nine school records and produced several high school national qualifiers under her leadership.
Buss earned her bachelor's degree in operations research from the U.S. Air Force Academy. She also holds three master's degrees: aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, international affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky.
Buss is married to her husband Jake, and the couple has three children, Griffin, Grace and Lexi.
Stay up to date with The Citadel track & field and cross country programs at CitadelSports.com. Follow the Bulldogs on X and Instagram at @CitadelTFXC for news and updates throughout the season.
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#FortressOfTheSouth
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