After an extremely successful decade and a half with the Hillsdale College men's and women's cross country and track and field programs, coach R.P. White is choosing to step back from his role with the team this summer.

White resigned the job as the Chargers' head men's and women's cross country coach and as an assistant track and field coach this week to spend more time with his family and begin a new chapter.  Hillsdale is in the process of conducting a national search for its next cross country coach to replace White.

"It's never easy to leave a place like Hillsdale, but I think this is the right time for me and for the program," White said. "I'm going to miss working with great coaches and phenomenal athletes, but I have great gratitude for the experiences I've had working here, and I'm glad to be leaving on a high note, and with a strong foundation for success in place for this team in the future.

"Jessica (Bridenthal), Brian (Thill) and Justin (Fawley) are some of the top coaches in the country in this sport, and they have this program moving in the right direction. I know they'll continue to have great success and the program is in excellent hands."

In recent years, White has delivered some incredible successes in his role with the cross country team and Hillsdale's track and field distance program. He led the Chargers to the G-MAC men's cross country crown in 2024, the program's first conference title since 2000, in an epic race at Hayden Park. On the women's side, runners under White have captured the last three G-MAC Cross Country championships, won by Elizabeth Wamsley in 2023, Evyn Humphrey in 2024, and Allison Kuzma in 2025. On the track under White, Hillsdale has produced All-American distance runners in four consecutive seasons, culminating in Kuzma becoming just the sixth Hillsdale women's athlete to become a multi-time national champion in track and field in program history with NCAA DII national titles in the indoor 5K and outdoor 10K this past season. White's distance crew played a key role in Hillsdale winning the G-MAC Outdoor Championship as a team for the first time since 2022 this past May, and placing eighth in the nation at the NCAA DII Championships, the program's best finish since 2016.

"R.P. White has been an excellent coach and leader for the Hillsdale College cross country and track and field programs, an incredible mentor and advocate for the student-athletes he recruited and coached, and someone who's represented our institution with honor, class and tremendous success throughout his career," said Hillsdale College Director of Athletics John Tharp. "We're deeply sorry to see him go, but we're extremely grateful for everything he's done for our athletic department and the track and field program, and we wish him the best for the next chapter in his life."

White first arrived at Hillsdale as an assistant in 2011 under then-coach Jeff Forino, making an instant impact as a coach with three-time national champion Amanda (Eccleston) Putt. After three years with the Chargers, White briefly stepped away from coaching in 2014 but returned to the Chargers in 2016 under head coach Andrew Towne, helping coach seven G-MAC Championship teams and working directly with All-Americans Molly Oren, Hannah McIntyre, Arena Lewis, Ally Eads and Maryssa Depies on the women's side, and Joseph Humes and Caleb Gatchell on the men's side.

In 2022, White took over as head cross country and track and field coach of the Chargers following Towne's retirement, and led the program to impressive showings in three seasons, with 15 All-American honors and several school record performances recorded by Hillsdale under his leadership.

For the 2025-26 campaign, White focused in on the cross country program while Jessica Bridenthal took charge of the track and field programs for Hillsdale, a strategic masterstroke that empowered both programs and led to Hillsdale's best overall year in a decade.

While White did much to help add to Hillsdale's trophy case and produced an impressive list of All-Americans and conference champions for the Chargers, he's most proud of the way the program has built up student-athletes during his time with the Chargers.

"The honors and awards are great, and I have so many performances and memories of success that I'll treasure for the rest of my life," White said. "But what makes me the most proud is when I meet former athletes and I see the successful and high-character people they've become out in the world.

"The times and places and medals, they fade away, but the lessons this sport teaches you about hard work, dedication, battling through adversity, and competing with honor and class, those are what impact you as a human being for the rest of your life. I've been fortunate to work at a place that never loses sight of that, and tries to impart those lessons to people every day."

White includes himself among those impacted by the lessons of the sport over his time at Hillsdale, even as a coach.

"I've spent nearly my entire adult life working at Hillsdale, and this place really helped me grow into the person I am today," White said. "I've had great mentors and colleagues during my entire time here, worked with wonderful human beings as student-athletes, and all of those experiences have made me a better coach and a better person. 

"I couldn't have asked for more and I am eternally grateful for what this job has meant for me in my life."