WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson Department of Athletics has selected Andy Upton as its head men's and women's cross country and track & field coach.

Upton brings a wealth of coaching experiences to the position. He comes over to W&J from Presidents' Athletic Conference member Bethany College, where he served as head track & field coach for the past 19 seasons. Upton led the Cross Country program at Bethany last fall after serving as an assistant football coach for the Bison for the better part of two decades. 

"We are very excited to announce Andy as the leader of our cross country and track & field programs," said Scott McGuinness, W&J Director of Athletics.  "Andy is a proven, veteran coach who has led individuals and teams to produce great success in the Presidents' Athletic Conference and NCAA Division III.  We feel confident that Andy will build upon our recent success at W&J and provide a first-class experience for our student-athletes."

Upton, who was Bethany's longest tenured current member of its athletic department, also recently served as Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities, Operations and Intramurals.

"It's a huge honor to be named the next Head Coach of the track & field and cross country programs at W&J," Upton said. "I would first like to thank Bethany College for the last 19 years. It has been a special place for me and my family and I will always cherish the memories that I've been able to create with all of my athletes and colleagues during that time. Next I would like to thank W&J Director of Athletics Scott McGuinness and the rest of the selection committee at W&J for giving me this opportunity. From the moment I stepped on campus, I felt the energy from both the athletic department and the entire college and I am super excited for this next chapter of my coaching career.   W&J will be an opportunity to make new memories and to build off the recent successes both the TF/XC programs have had. The historic tradition of excellence in the classroom and in the athletic department is something that I look forward to contributing to and being a part of over for many years to come."

He is a three-time PAC Indoor Track & Field Coach of the Year. Upton twice led the Bison men's track & field team to PAC indoor championships. Bethany earned back-to-back conference indoor crowns in 2015 and 2016.

Upton has coached six All-Americans, 11 NCAA qualifiers, seven PAC Most Valuable Performers and one ECAC Most Valuable Performer. During his tenure, Bethany has produced 60 individual PAC champions, 178 All-PAC performers and 87 ECAC qualifiers. A total of 55 school records have been broken under Upton's guidance.

He has helped Bethany host numerous track & field meets over the years including the first-ever two-day championship meet back in 2011. Upton worked with the PAC to help orchestrate the move of the PAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships to WVU's Mylan Park in 2021.

Upton was also a long-time member of the Bethany football coaching staff, as he served in an assistant coach role from 2003 through the 2021 season. Primarily serving as the wide receivers coach, his players earned All-PAC honors 26 times and 10 school records were broken during that stretch.

Upton, a 1997 graduate of West Virginia Tech, earned Bachelor of Science in Business Management with an emphasis on marketing. He then added a Masters of Business Administration in 2001 from West Virginia Wesleyan.

Upton served as an assistant football coach at both West Virginia Tech and West Virginia Wesleyan. During his time at Wesleyan, the football program captured the 2002 WVIAC Championship. This past April, Upton was inducted into the West Virginia Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame as part of that championship team.