THE HOME OF DAYTONA STATE ATHLETICS

Bio

The 2024 season begins Judy Wilson's seventh season at the helm of the men's and women's cross country program.  In all, Wilson has coached or ran in 32 seasons of cross country and has been involved with the sport since the early 1980s.  She is the first coach for cross country for Daytona State and has brought the program into the national spotlight in many ways.  

Since 2018, the men's program has won the Region 8 championship on five occasions, 2018, 2020, 2021,2022, and 2023.  The 2023 squad dominated the Region by setting a 'perfect' score of 15 points.  The Falcons took the top six spots in the field, scoring 15 points.  The women's team has been in the top two of the Region 8 championship every year since 2018 and took home the title in 2020 and 2023.  Wilson has mentored individual Region 8 champions for four straight years for both the men's and women's races.  Harleigh Bilz Crist took home individual honors in 2020 and 2021,  with a course record in 2021, Shannon Jones won in 2022, and Giovana Meade in 2023.  On the men's side, Andy Martinez won two Region 8 titles in 2020, and 2021, with Sebastian Hernandez in 2022, and Jared Falchook in 2023.    At the national level, the Falcon men finished fourth in 2020, second in 2021, and third in 2023.   The 2021 squad was within 20 points of the title, running an average 8000 meter team time of 26:23.  Andy Martinez, Sebastian Hernandez, and Christian Ruocco would claim All America honors.  In 2020, Martinez and Adam Mastrobuono became the first ever men's cross country All Americans in program history.   The women have placed in the top 10 each of the last four seasons, with Jones a two time All American in 2022 and 2023 and Giovana Meade joining her by placing 4th in 2023.   Harleigh Bilz Crist had broken into the top 20 in both 2020 and 2021.  

Wilson has been named Region 8 men's Coach of the Year on five occasions, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 and the women's Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2023.  She has been recognized by the US Track and Cross Country Coaches Association with Coach of the Year honors for the Atlantic Region in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 for men and in 2020 and 2023 for women.  

Wilson has been credited with building a solid program for young Florida runners.  However, since the NJCAA has no age limit for participation, she is also known for finding runners who might want a second chance at earning a degree and running college cross country.  In 2018, Daytona State College was featured in the Washington Post and Runner's World for having three women over 40 years of age on the team.  Bego Lopez, Kristine Gray, and Jenny Enslin took on a challenge of running against young women many years younger.  And in 2022 and 2023, Shannon Jones picked up cross country after an 18 year break from her high school days.  She has also been instrumental in sending Falcon runners onto the next level.  Over 19 runners in just six years have moved on to run at the NCAA Division 1 or 2 level.  

No stranger to running and competing, Wilson is a two time TAC (now USATF) national runner up in the 3k and 10k, placed 10^th in the US Cross Country Trials, and set a half marathon record at the 1989 Olympic Festival in Oklahoma City, OK.  She ran at Indiana University, starting out as a walk on and ending her career there in the 1988 Olympic Trials.  She has lifetime bests of 4:48 mile, 9:18 3000m, 16:13 5000m, 52:07 15k, and 1:16:43 in the half marathon.  

Wilson holds bachelor's degrees in Exercise Science and Physical Education from Indiana University. She also earned a master's degree in Kinesiology/Athletic Administration from Indiana, and in 2016 earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Stetson University.  She has USATF Level II Coaching Certifications and has spoken at numerous coaching clinics ranging from training young runners to coaching the psychology of racing.  Still an avid runner and competitive age group triathlete, Wilson can be seen in and around DeLand running with friends in the early morning hours preparing for the next 5k, Boston Marathon, or Ironman triathlon.  She and her husband Mark have one son, Hunter, now a Florida State University student.  

Coaching Highlights and Accomplishments prior to Daytona State College:

Indiana University: 1998-2007
Big Ten Steeplechase Champion
Big Ten 10k Champion
12 All Big Ten Cross Country Individuals
2 NCAA Div 1 Steeplechase All Americans
24 NCAA Div 1 Qualifiers
3 Cross Country All Americans
3 NCAA Cross Country Team Appearances
Big Ten All Academic Team
NCAA Div 1 All Academic Team – top 3
2 Post Graduate Scholarship Award Winners
1 NCAA Woman of the Year Honoree
Assisted with 3 Big Ten Track and Field Team Titles

University of Connecticut: 1996-1998
Coached UConn’s highest place finisher ever in the NCAA Championships
NCAA Div 1 10^th place in the 5k
NCAA Div 1 10^th place finisher in the 10k

DePauw University:  1992-1996
Coached 1995 team to ICAC conference championship
Coached school record 1500m runner freshman Jake Carpenter
Earned Coach of the Year honors
Grew program from 25-85 student-athletes
Highest team GPA among all sports 

University of South Florida: 1990-1991
Sun Belt Conference Champions
Co-coach of the Year honors 

Bloomington South High School: 1988-1990
First girls’ cross country team to qualify for the state meet
Coached Gwen Thayer to a state championship in the 400m
Coached state qualifiers in the 800m, mile, 2 mile and 4x800
Regional Coach of the Year honors