2022: Mike Spooner led Carson-Newman to their first SAC regional appearance in two years in his first year as the cross country head coach. Spooner led the women's team to 7th place finish at the championship, headlined by Rachel Strayer's 19th place finish with a time of 22:40.7. Under Spooner's regime, Strayer was able to earn Third Team All-SAC honors for the third year in a row. The men's team finished 9th led by Raymond Brugman's 50th place finish. 

Mike Spooner comes to Carson-Newman after spending the last four seasons as the assistant cross country and track coach for Hardin Valley Academy in Knoxville. While coaching the Hawks, Spooner helped develop 35 All-State individuals and relay squads in indoor and outdoor track and six All-State individuals in cross country.

Spooner assisted in coaching current Eagle track team members Jordan Hibbert and Timaya Ray while they competed at Hardin Valley. Ray made her mark instantly in her freshman season, earning the bronze medal at the 2021 SAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships with the women's 4x100 meter relay team. As a member of the 4x100 meter relay team, the squad of Ray, Morgan Bailey, Amanda Lowe and Tia Davis broke the school record in the event at the Montreat Invitational and then broke their own school record twice later in the year, finishing with a time of 47.32 seconds at the Lee Last Chance Meet. Hibbert was a member of the men's 4x100 meter relay team that set an NCAA Provisional Mark at the Lee Last Chance Meet with a time of 40.79 seconds. Hibbert was named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team after finishing the academic year with a 3.31 GPA. 

Spooner held two stints as the head distance coach of Knoxville Youth Athletics and the Knoxville Track Club. Spooner coached over 30 youth athletes while with KYA, including 27 All-Americans and one national champion in the steeplechase. Spooner and KYA produced four all-state high school athletes during his time with the program. 

Previously, Spooner held assistant coach experience at the college level at Lock Haven University. In his year with the Bald Eagles, Spooner assisted in coaching the men's cross country team to a national qualifying spot. LHU finished second at the 2012 NCAA Atlantic Region Championships before finishing 18th at the 2012 NCAA Division II National Championships.

During his collegiate years, Spooner competed on the cross country and track and field teams at the University of Tennessee from 2007-2011. Spooner was named to the All-SEC Freshman team in cross country in 2007. He earned All-SEC and All-South Region honors three times in his cross country career. In track & field, Spooner was a three-time SEC scorer in the 10,000 meter run and a two-time SEC scorer in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. Spooner was also a two-time national qualifier in the 10,000 meter run. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 2011.