Ryan Vanhoy Named Cal Poly's Director of Track & Field, Cross Country
6/20/2022 2:00:00 PM | Cross Country, Track and Field
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Ryan Vanhoy, who spent the last nine seasons building the Ole Miss cross country and track distance programs into powerhouses in the SEC, was named Cal Poly's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country on Monday.
"I'm so pleased to welcome Ryan Vanhoy to the Mustang Family," Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman said. "He has had amazing success developing a program at Ole Miss, and he'll bring that experience to the incredible training destination we have here at Cal Poly."
Vanhoy served as the associate head coach of men's and women's cross country at Ole Miss since 2015 and elevated the programs to heights never seen in the school's history, earning 14 NCAA Championship team berths along the way. Vanhoy plans on doing the same at Cal Poly.
"Our aim is to elevate this program to a place where people can think about the Cal Poly brand in track and field and cross country and know that it's one of the premier programs in the country," Vanhoy said. "We look forward to building teams that can compete at the highest level within the Big West and NCAA, and are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for this storied program."
Vanhoy replaces Mark Conover, Cal Poly's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country for more than 13 years, who passed away in early April after a year-long battle with a form of skin cancer. Chris Baptista took over on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
In 2021, Vanhoy was named the USTFCCCA South Region Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading both the Rebels' men's and women's teams to NCAA South Regional titles and second-place finishes at the SEC Cross Country Championships. The Ole Miss women went on to capture 10th at the NCAA National Championships, the best finish in program history, and the men 15th, their third-best result in school history.
Nationally, Vanhoy is the eighth coach ever to sweep the USTFCCCA regional men's and women's cross country awards since the current format was put in place, and the first to sweep the South Region awards.
Vanhoy also spent seven seasons at Ole Miss (2016-22) as the assistant track and field coach for the distance team. This spring, Vanhoy mentored two NCAA Champions in Mario Garcia Romo (men's indoor mile) and Sintayehu Vissa (women's outdoor 1,500-meter). Garcia Romo and Vissa were among four athletes Vanhoy coached during the 2022 outdoor track season that received All-American honors and two of 12 All-American honorees he oversaw during this year's indoor season.
"Ryan values the rich history we have at Cal Poly in cross country and track and field, and is committed to honoring this history by winning championships and advancing Cal Poly on the national stage," Oberhelman said.
Vanhoy said he couldn't pass up the chance to move across the country and lead a program with so much potential.
"What an amazing place to live, work, and raise a family," Vanhoy said. "From facilities, to trails, to the community as a whole, it's going to be a great environment for high level athletes to train and chase their dreams within our program. I'm hoping to take the experiences and lessons learned from building a program at Ole Miss, and scale it to fit what Cal Poly offers on the West Coast. There's already a great foundation for success here that we are excited to build upon."
Vanhoy arrived in Oxford, Mississippi in 2013 to take over as the men's cross country coach and serve as an assistant track coach for the men's distance team. Unprecedented success, school records and program firsts soon followed. He led the Rebel men to their first appearance in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2014, as well as their first South Regional title that same year.
Overall, Vanhoy led the Ole Miss men's cross country team to eight NCAA Championship appearances, five NCAA South Regional titles and the program's first two SEC team titles in 2018 and 2019. He won the men's South Region Coach of the Year award five times and helped the Rebel men place fourth at the 2016 NCAA Championships, a program best.
Vanhoy added to his coaching duties at Ole Miss in the fall of 2015 by becoming coach of the women's cross country team and the women's distance crew on the track. In cross country, he guided the women to six straight NCAA appearances, including the program's first in 2016, and two NCAA South Regional titles, and earned a pair of women's South Region Coach of the Year awards.
Across both cross country teams at Ole Miss, Vanhoy coached 61 NCAA All-South Region honorees, 34 All-SEC runners and eight total All-Americans. Ole Miss is also one of just four schools nationally to have both men's and women's cross country teams finish inside the Top 25 at each of the last six NCAA Championship meets.
On the track at Ole Miss, Vanhoy's athletes were just as impressive. Sixteen of the 20 indoor and outdoor school records in distance events are owned by Rebels Vanhoy coached. Vanhoy guided 65 Rebels to All-American honors (41 first-team, 24 second-team), 57 to SEC Championships and 21 to SEC runner-up finishes. Vanhoy was named USTFCCCA South Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year four times and his 2017 distance medley team won the NCAA title.
"The athletes in our program at Cal Poly can look forward to being in an environment where they will be cared for and developed, both on and off the track," Vanhoy said about his vision. "We want to be a program that has good engagement with our alumni, connects the past and present of the program together, and sets a clear course for the future and direction that we are headed. I want the people who love this program to be excited about the next era of track and field and cross country at Cal Poly."
Prior to his time at Ole Miss, Vanhoy coached at Northeastern University for one year and at his alma mater, University of North Carolina, for three years.
Vanhoy coached his runners at Northeastern to four Colonial Athletic Association conference titles. During his tenure at North Carolina, Vanhoy helped produce two ACC champions, five NCAA East Region qualifiers and two Olympic Trials qualifiers.
With the Tar Heels, Vanhoy was an assistant track and field and cross country coach during his first two seasons prior to be being promoted to head men's and women's cross country coach in January 2012.
Vanhoy, who competed on the North Carolina track and cross country teams in 2006 and 2007, graduated from UNC in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in biology. The Asheboro, N.C. native received his master's degree in exercise physiology from UNC in 2012.
"I'm excited to get started and hit the ground running with our current team," Vanhoy said. "Looking at what has been accomplished here over the years, I believe there is much to look forward to as we move the Cal Poly program into the future."
"I'm so pleased to welcome Ryan Vanhoy to the Mustang Family," Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman said. "He has had amazing success developing a program at Ole Miss, and he'll bring that experience to the incredible training destination we have here at Cal Poly."
Vanhoy served as the associate head coach of men's and women's cross country at Ole Miss since 2015 and elevated the programs to heights never seen in the school's history, earning 14 NCAA Championship team berths along the way. Vanhoy plans on doing the same at Cal Poly.
"Our aim is to elevate this program to a place where people can think about the Cal Poly brand in track and field and cross country and know that it's one of the premier programs in the country," Vanhoy said. "We look forward to building teams that can compete at the highest level within the Big West and NCAA, and are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for this storied program."
Vanhoy replaces Mark Conover, Cal Poly's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country for more than 13 years, who passed away in early April after a year-long battle with a form of skin cancer. Chris Baptista took over on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
In 2021, Vanhoy was named the USTFCCCA South Region Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading both the Rebels' men's and women's teams to NCAA South Regional titles and second-place finishes at the SEC Cross Country Championships. The Ole Miss women went on to capture 10th at the NCAA National Championships, the best finish in program history, and the men 15th, their third-best result in school history.
Nationally, Vanhoy is the eighth coach ever to sweep the USTFCCCA regional men's and women's cross country awards since the current format was put in place, and the first to sweep the South Region awards.
Vanhoy also spent seven seasons at Ole Miss (2016-22) as the assistant track and field coach for the distance team. This spring, Vanhoy mentored two NCAA Champions in Mario Garcia Romo (men's indoor mile) and Sintayehu Vissa (women's outdoor 1,500-meter). Garcia Romo and Vissa were among four athletes Vanhoy coached during the 2022 outdoor track season that received All-American honors and two of 12 All-American honorees he oversaw during this year's indoor season.
"Ryan values the rich history we have at Cal Poly in cross country and track and field, and is committed to honoring this history by winning championships and advancing Cal Poly on the national stage," Oberhelman said.
Vanhoy said he couldn't pass up the chance to move across the country and lead a program with so much potential.
"What an amazing place to live, work, and raise a family," Vanhoy said. "From facilities, to trails, to the community as a whole, it's going to be a great environment for high level athletes to train and chase their dreams within our program. I'm hoping to take the experiences and lessons learned from building a program at Ole Miss, and scale it to fit what Cal Poly offers on the West Coast. There's already a great foundation for success here that we are excited to build upon."
Vanhoy arrived in Oxford, Mississippi in 2013 to take over as the men's cross country coach and serve as an assistant track coach for the men's distance team. Unprecedented success, school records and program firsts soon followed. He led the Rebel men to their first appearance in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2014, as well as their first South Regional title that same year.
Overall, Vanhoy led the Ole Miss men's cross country team to eight NCAA Championship appearances, five NCAA South Regional titles and the program's first two SEC team titles in 2018 and 2019. He won the men's South Region Coach of the Year award five times and helped the Rebel men place fourth at the 2016 NCAA Championships, a program best.
Vanhoy added to his coaching duties at Ole Miss in the fall of 2015 by becoming coach of the women's cross country team and the women's distance crew on the track. In cross country, he guided the women to six straight NCAA appearances, including the program's first in 2016, and two NCAA South Regional titles, and earned a pair of women's South Region Coach of the Year awards.
Across both cross country teams at Ole Miss, Vanhoy coached 61 NCAA All-South Region honorees, 34 All-SEC runners and eight total All-Americans. Ole Miss is also one of just four schools nationally to have both men's and women's cross country teams finish inside the Top 25 at each of the last six NCAA Championship meets.
On the track at Ole Miss, Vanhoy's athletes were just as impressive. Sixteen of the 20 indoor and outdoor school records in distance events are owned by Rebels Vanhoy coached. Vanhoy guided 65 Rebels to All-American honors (41 first-team, 24 second-team), 57 to SEC Championships and 21 to SEC runner-up finishes. Vanhoy was named USTFCCCA South Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year four times and his 2017 distance medley team won the NCAA title.
"The athletes in our program at Cal Poly can look forward to being in an environment where they will be cared for and developed, both on and off the track," Vanhoy said about his vision. "We want to be a program that has good engagement with our alumni, connects the past and present of the program together, and sets a clear course for the future and direction that we are headed. I want the people who love this program to be excited about the next era of track and field and cross country at Cal Poly."
Prior to his time at Ole Miss, Vanhoy coached at Northeastern University for one year and at his alma mater, University of North Carolina, for three years.
Vanhoy coached his runners at Northeastern to four Colonial Athletic Association conference titles. During his tenure at North Carolina, Vanhoy helped produce two ACC champions, five NCAA East Region qualifiers and two Olympic Trials qualifiers.
With the Tar Heels, Vanhoy was an assistant track and field and cross country coach during his first two seasons prior to be being promoted to head men's and women's cross country coach in January 2012.
Vanhoy, who competed on the North Carolina track and cross country teams in 2006 and 2007, graduated from UNC in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in biology. The Asheboro, N.C. native received his master's degree in exercise physiology from UNC in 2012.
"I'm excited to get started and hit the ground running with our current team," Vanhoy said. "Looking at what has been accomplished here over the years, I believe there is much to look forward to as we move the Cal Poly program into the future."
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