Joey Nunes hired as cross-country coaching intern
July 12, 2013
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Head coach Scott Jerome announced the hiring of former west region runner Joey Nunes as the Alaska cross country coaching intern for the upcoming 2013-14 season.
"Coach Nunes has a great background in running," Jerome said. "He was a very good high school runner as well as junior college and at D2. Combined with his experience for the last two year while earning his masters as a graduate assistant in Missouri, he has a wealth of experience. He's energetic about running and we're pleased to have him on board."
Nunes spent the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Division II school Northwest Missouri State. While in Maryville, Mo., he was responsible for researching state results and reaching out to potential student-athletes. He also assisted with meet management for cross country and track meets and administered workouts for the team. Additionally, Nunes arranged travel and meals for road trips and also supported his athletes and discussed race strategy.
In December 2012, Nunes became a U.S. Track and Field Level I certified coach.
The Livermore, Calif., native was an NCAA Division II runner at Cal State Stanislaus, a California Collegiate Athletic Association institution in Turlock. He was a 2009-10 selection of the CCAA All-Academic Team and was named to the 2009 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team.
Nunes ran the third-fastest time in Stanislaus history in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14 minutes, 59 seconds. He also set the sixth-fastest mark in the 10,000 (31:22) and the ninth-best time in the 1,500 (3:58). He was a four-time All-Conference runner between two CCAA cross country and two track and field championships. In cross country, he was 12th in the 2008 championship and eighth in the 2009 championship. On the track side, Nunes was the conference runner-up in the 5,000 in 2009 and third in the 10,000 in 2011.
"It's important for D2 running because they understand what it means to be a student-athlete in the Division II setting," Jerome said of hiring a former Division II west region runner. "He'll be able to relate well to our student-athletes. He was a good runner in college so he'll be able to lead our men and women by example."
He also ran two years at the junior college level, running cross country at Las Positas Junior College, while competing on the track for Chabot Junior College, a sister school of LPJC. He was a three-time California State meet qualifier, twice as a team with Las Positas, and once as an individual representing Chabot in the 5,000. Nunes medaled both years of cross country at Las Positas, taking eighth in 2006 and sixth in 2007.
Nunes received his master's of science in applied health and sports science from Northwest Missouri State in 2013. He graduated from Cal State Stanislaus in 2011 with a bachelor of arts in communication studies.
For more information, contact Chris Brooks , Assistant Athletic Director for Operations and Media Relations, at cpbrooks@alaska.edu.