INSTITUTE, W.Va. – West Virginia State University Athletic Director Nate Burton announced the hiring of John Boisette as the Head Coach of the men's and women's track & field and cross country teams on Tuesday afternoon.

"We are excited to have Coach Boisette join WVSU Athletics to lead our Track & Field and Cross Country programs," remarked Burton. "This is the first step in our process to bring these programs back to WVSU.

"During the interview process, we were impressed by his experience as a student-athlete and coach. We look forward to competing in the fall of 2023 under his leadership."

"I am excited to join WVSU and have noticed that all the athletic programs' win percentages are over .500" said Boisette. "I look forward to embracing the winning culture.

"I have been at the collegiate level for a decade, having the opportunity to be mentored by some of the best coaches and athletes. Outside of earning accolades such as conference, regional, national and All-American titles, you learn that a family environment is most important to the athlete experience.

"I look forward to creating a championship culture where athletes can fail with passion and self-reflect without criticism while understanding that you cannot develop resilience without failure.

"An athletic community where everyone's identity is optimized by their strengths and equal opportunity give student-athletes the best chances to excel academically and athletically."

Boisette joins West Virginia State with six years of experience coaching both track & field and cross country at the collegiate level. Most recently, he was named the Head Coach of the men's and women's track & field and cross country programs at Division II Post University in 2022. He provided direction and oversight for six teams, including men's and women's indoor track & field, while developing and supervising three assistant coaches.

Prior to being named head coach at Post, Boisette spent a year as the Associate Head Coach of the men's and women's track & field teams at DII Lees-McRae College. He coached an indoor All-American in the 400 meters and six national qualifiers at Lees-McRae while his teams broke 20 school records and set two Conference Carolinas meet records. The men's team earned All-Academic honors during his year there and he managed to raise $15,000 for the track & field programs.

Boisette also spent two years each as the Assistant Coach at Division III institutions Utica College and Regis College. He was integrally involved in the day-to-day activities of the men's and women's track & field and cross country teams at both schools. He recruited 100 male and female student-athletes in his four years as an assistant coach and trained seven national qualifiers. While at Regis, the men's and women's track & field teams captured Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championships while establishing 48 program records.

Boisette holds numerous track & field coaching certifications through the sport's top associations. He has a Level 1 USATF Coaching Certificate and Level 2 USATF certifications in sprint, hurdles and relay. He also possesses a USTFCCA Strength and Conditioning Certificate as well as a USTFCCA Track & Field Technical certification. Additionally, he has completed ALTIS Education and X Pollination courses in javelin, hammer, shot put, discus, pole vault, long jump and sprint. 

Boisette earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with a minor in Health Sciences from Eastern Connecticut State University in 2017. He earned All-New England, All-ECAC and All-LEC honors as a student-athlete on the track & field team there. He then went on to earn a Master of Science in Health Administration from Regis College in 2019 while performing his duties as an assistant coach.

Student-athletes interested in joining the men's and women's track & field and cross country teams at West Virginia State are asked to fill out the Track & Field Recruiting Questionnaire.
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