SEWANEE, Tenn. - Announced on Wednesday by Director of Athletics
John Shackelford, long-time coach at Appalachian State University
Michael Curcio has been chosen to lead the University of the South cross country and track and field programs.
"Mike Curcio brings a wealth of successful experience to our cross country and track programs," said Shackelford. "He is a proven winner with a long history of building meaningful relationships with his student-athletes, their families and Appalachian State's alumni base. We're confident that our student-athletes will benefit from his knowledge and passion for running."
Curcio spent the last 28 seasons as head coach of the cross country teams at Division I Appalachian State University and assisted with the distance athletes on the track and field squads. Over his tenure, he has won 13 men's titles and four women's championships. Additionally, he was named the Coach of the Year 14 times between the Southern (SoCon) Conference and the Sun Belt Conference.
His men's distance team from 2000-12 won ten SoCon Men's Cross Country titles, including three straight from 2000-02 and six in a row from 2005-10.
Individually, he has coached 12 Freshmen of the Year winners and four individual champions. Posting 167 All-Conference standouts in his career, he has seen 38 All-Region selections between cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field. Along with a USATF Junior National Champion in Sean Soderman in the 3,000 steeplechase in 2009, he has coached four All-Americans.
As a part of his coaching career, six athletes have gone on to represent their native countries at the World Championships, while three participated in the Olympic Games.
"I would like to thank John Shackelford, Carrie Austin, the search committee and the administration of the University of the South. It means a great deal to my family and I that they put their trust in me to lead these programs. I see this as a mountain of opportunity to continue the student-athlete experience of a successful liberal arts college like Sewanee. I look forward to embracing the storied history and traditions that make up Sewanee athletics," said Curcio.
With the track and field squads at App State, Curcio coached 70 individual conference champions and 273 All-Conference selections between the indoor and outdoor seasons. In 2003, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) named him the Division I Men's National Assistant Coach of the Year.
He was a part of a staff that won 21 indoor conference championships and 22 during the outdoor season.
In the classroom, he has seen 20 named Academic All-Americans by the USTFCCCA and two NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients.
Along with his work in directing the App State Distance Camp, he has served as Meet Director for a number of events, notably the ACC Outdoor Championships, the USATF Five Nations Junior International Track Meet and the USATF World Cross Country Championship Trials.
Prior to his time in Boone, N.C., he served as an assistant with the cross country and track and field programs at the University of South Florida from 1993-95 and an assistant cross country coach at Eastern Kentucky University in 1992.
Along with working as a graduate assistant with the cross country and track programs at Florida State, he began his career as a high school track and field coach at St. John the Baptist High School.
"I look forward to meeting the team and learning more about their athletic and academic goals. The expectations for myself will be to help individuals reach those goals," added Curcio.
Earning a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with a Psychology minor from Appalachian State in 1987, he completed a Master of Science in Administration and Physical Education in 1992 from Florida State University.
Curcio is married to JoLynn and have three children, Christopher, Coeburn and Marcie, a daughter-in-law, Tina, and one grandson, Max.
For the latest news on the Sewanee Tigers, follow @SewaneeTigers on
Twitter and
Instagram, and like us on
Facebook.
