Owen McCall
In Motion Staff Writer
Judy Wilson is the first cross country coach in the history of Daytona State College. She comes to DSC with plenty of coaching experience, including at the University of South Florida, University of Connecticut and Indiana University at Bloomington.
Wilson began her college running career as a walk-on at the Indiana University, working her way up to team captain her senior year and participated in the Olympic trials. Coach Wilson brings her years of experience to DSC, where she is getting the Falcons cross county program off the ground. She sat down with In Motion for an exclusive one-on-one.
How much does being the first cross country coach in the history of Daytona State College mean to you?
Wilson: “It’s a very unique experience because there’s nothing really to base the results on. It’s exciting because everything’s a first. Every time someone runs faster during a meet, it’s a school record.”
Already this program has gotten national exposure with the article in the Washington Post. How big of a deal is it for this program, in its inaugural season, to get exposure in a national publication?
Wilson: “It’s a little surreal because I did not know if it would get that kind of attention having three women over the age of 40. But, I mean, it’s been great, they’ve had people come up to them at meets and say ‘Hey, I’ve seen you on Runner’s World!’ It’s served a very good purpose to get the name out there and get the word out we have cross country.”
On the women’s team, there are three runners over the age of 40. Could you tell us about the impact they have had on this team?
Wilson: “They kind of set the tone. They have lots of running experience and lots of life experience. For a college aged person, this is a challenge. For a married woman, they’ve had other life experiences. The younger people, they’re just team members. I was blessed with the group we got because they work hard, accept that things might not go right because we are a first-year program”
So far, how would you say the season is going?
Wilson: “My priorities were number one, field a team; number two, do some training; number three, run some races. I wanted to get people out and finish the season healthy. It actually looks like we might get into the top 25, top 30 at the national meet. I’d say it’s going very well.”
How do you think recruiting is going to go moving forward?
Wilson: “What I’m finding is at this level, it’s always going to be a bit of a struggle to field a strong women’s team. Our publicity has served us well that we have all local runners. I want to invite local runners to be a part of the Daytona State community”
Could you tell us about some of your past coaching experience?
Wilson: “I was at USF for a year. Then I went back to Indiana, and coached at DePauw University. I was there for four years, men’s and women’s track and cross country. Then I went on to Connecticut for two years. Then I went to Indiana, where I ran, and I was there for nine years”
What coached would you say influenced your coaching style the most?
Wilson: “My high school and college coaches. I had a very good high school coach and very good college coaches. Very successful and very good people. I lucked out. That’s probably why I coach is because I lucked out with that”
In other college sports, mainly football, we’ve heard stories of walk-ons and the rise of walk-ons. You were a walk-on on the track team at the Indiana University. What was the experience like to work up through the ranks?
Wilson: “I stayed healthy. I think it’s three or four things. I stayed healthy, I was very coachable, I never really questioned what they told me to do, I learned how to push myself and I was surrounded by great people who helped me. I was very blessed to have that experience, and that’s probably the reason I’m still running.”
What would you say is in store for the future of this program?
Wilson: “In three to five years, I’d like to maintain high academic standards and be in the top 10 in the nationals. That would be my goal. We have everything we need. This is a small Division 1 school. We have the resources to get people to the next step on both sides, men and women.”