Courtesy of Camel Athletics
As Conn’s dozens of track and cross country athletes trickled onto campus this summer, they were welcomed with the bombshell that 40% of the previous year’s coaching staff would not return for the 2024-2025 school year. The Assistant Cross Country/Track and Field Coach Jack Wood, and the Associate Head Coach of Sprints, Hurdles, Jumps, and Multi Symonne Scott have not returned to Conn to continue coaching. Their coaching profiles on the college website are bare, only harboring a title and email. Both coaches were only on staff for a short period, with Scott coaching Camels for a year and nine months and Wood for a year and six. While official track practices have yet to begin, the cross-country season begins in early September, and it is unclear how the loss of such a significant portion of the staff will impact the teams.
Even with the shake-up, there is a ton of hope going into each respective season as all four teams wracked up an impressive resume with strong finishes across the board to end the year. The women’s cross country team had truly elite performances, finishing fourth out of 11 teams at the NESCAC Championship, third out of 24 at the NCAA Mideast Regional, and 28th in the NCAA DIII Championship. The men’s team also showed promise with a 14th place of 26 team finish at the Connecticut College Invitational, seventh out of 11 at the NESCAC Championship, and ninth out of 25 teams at the NCAA Mideast regional. The track teams also performed quite well, with the women’s track and field team placing sixth out of 52 teams at the New England DIII Championships, 21st out of 36 at the NEICAAA Championships, and 64th of 131 teams in the NCAA DIII Outdoor Championship. Finally, the men’s track and field team placed eighth out of 11 at the NESCAC Championship, tied for fourth out of 50 at the New England DIII Championship, and 34th out of 39 teams at the NEICAAA Championships. Each team exhibited a ton of potential to climb to a new height with another year of continuity in the locker room.
The coaching staff, in particular, did not appear remotely worried about the shape of the roster going forward. In an interview with Head Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field Coach Sam Alexander, he commented,
“I’m really excited to see what’s around the corner. The individuals on both our Men’s and Women’s teams, and especially the leadership, have created so much forward momentum that it makes success inevitable.”
Head Women’s Track & Field Coach Ned Bishop also affirmed that the returning leadership is incredibly potent and has continued to step up in a more significant role while he and Coach Alexander focused on administrative tasks during the pre-season. Even though two coaches moving on from the team is not common, Coach Ned stated that a few times he has had assistant coaches leave the team in August, and each time, the remaining staff has been able to adjust and move towards bringing in someone else to fill the assistant role.
With the two coaches no longer with the school, it poses the question of what they are doing now. Former Coach Wood informed the rest of the coaching staff in early August that he would be heading to Smith as their head coach for the upcoming season. It was seemingly a logical decision as he spent the 2021-2022 and most of the 2022-2023 season as their Assistant Track & Field Coach. He also received his Master’s degree in Exercise and Sport Science at the school during that time. With years of familiarity with the institution, it makes sense from Coach Wood’s perspective to return to Smith now with a virtual promotion to the Head Coaching role. In a brief conversation with the coach, it appears that work at Smith is fully underway as they begin preparing for this upcoming season.
Former Coach Scott made her decision not to return in mid-August and informed the rest of the staff immediately. Scott does not appear to have informed the staff of a particular reason for her departure, and her minimal social media presence can only leave people guessing what she is up to for the time being. Even during her time at Conn, Scott worked as the owner and coach for her private and group training company, Azimuth Athletics. The company has been providing track coaching and training services across Rhode Island and Massachusetts since 2015, and it is possible Scott has decided to commit to private coaching full-time.
The fall sports season is officially underway, and the cross-country teams have not skipped a beat; if anything, both are off to a blazing start. On the September 7th Trinity Invitational, the men’s team had a strong 3rd place finish led by Matt Scardigno ‘25 with the second fastest time of the event. The women’s team took home the crown at the invitational, with Abby Fernald ‘26 and Grace McDonough ‘26 placing in the top five. With such a hot start, it would be hard to believe the coaching changes have slowed the cross-country teams down even a hair. The first track practice begins October 22nd, so the teams have plenty of time to acclimate to a few new faces. Faces that Coach Bishop commented could be in place as early as next month. The job listing is already live, and the college has received a slew of qualified options to comb through as the interviewing process begins in the near future. The optimism demonstrated by the coaching staff and team leaders has clearly rubbed off on the rosters and should only create a more welcoming environment for the two incoming coaches to slot in and bring success to Connecticut College track & field and cross country.
