Off And Running With MGA's New Cross Country Coach

Author: Sheron Smith
Posted: Wednesday, March 26, 2025 12:00 AM
Categories: Faculty/Staff | Students | Pressroom

Macon, GA

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John Green, the new head coach for the MGA women's cross country and distance track teams. Image by Tyler White.
John Green is the new head coach for 名媛直播's (MGA's) women's cross country program and the newly formed distance track team. He joins the University at an exciting time for athletics as the get ready to transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II and the Peach Belt Conference. Green comes to MGA from Georgia College & State University, where he was head coach, and brings experience from his own collegiate success in competing in cross country for Lipscomb University and the University of Tennessee-Martin. In 2023, Green finished in the top 100 of the Boston Marathon men's division and competes regularly in local and regional races.

Ahead of a new season competing on MGA's improved and expanded Cross Country Course, here's a quick check-in with the head coach.

You've had a successful coaching career. How do you plan to build on that experience to develop the Knights' cross country and distance track programs here at MGA?

"From my previous experiences in coaching, I've been able to weed out some training ideas that don't work from the ones I know to be effective. As a result, I'm confident that I'll be able to come in and set a solid foundation to build up from as we get things going here at MGA."

As MGA's cross country and distance track programs are just beginning to take shape, what are your immediate goals for the teams?

"The first thing I want to do is establish a sense of pride and confidence in our team as we have the exciting new challenge of moving to the NCAA and competing in a new conference. I want our girls to be proud of the logo on their uniform and compete in a way that makes other teams take notice of our logo, too. If we practice and compete with that confidence, the results will come."

You’ve had a notable career as a competitor, including running in the Boston Marathon and setting school records in high school and college. How will that experience help you inspire athletes at MGA?

"One of the fun things about continuing to compete alongside my coaching career is that I get to be my own 'lab rat,' so to speak. I often take more risks in my own personal training than I do with my athletes, and that has taught me quite a bit about what is effective and what may not work as well. I think it also lets the athletes know that I really believe in the methods I use in training. When I give them a difficult workout at 6 a.m. on a Tuesday morning, I think it makes it easier when they know I've put myself through the same thing before I brought it to them."