Joel Pearson enters his second year as Head Cross Country and Assistant Track & Field coach at Kennesaw State University, where he primarily works with the distance runners. During his first year coaching distance, the Owls achieved a National Qualifier (10k - Natan Reuter), Conference Record Holder (5k - Reuter), 2 Conference Champions (5k - Reuter, 800 - Andzelika Bobrova), and 12 School Records. An avid runner since age nine, Joel is a nationally-certified running coach and instructor through USA Track & Field holding Level 2 certifications in Endurance, Combined Events, and Jumps. He also is a USATF Level 1 Instructor and holds an Endurance Specialist Certification from the USATFCCA.
Prior to Kennesaw State, Pearson worked as the Head Cross Country and Assistant Track & Field coach at North Carolina A&T State University, in Greensboro, N.C., where his athletes re-wrote the record book with 8 school records and recorded 40 all-time top 10 marks. He also coached the second best combined cross country team in A&T’s history.
Before representing the Aggies, Pearson was the Director of Track and Field Operations at the University of Iowa. While in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes saw BIG 10 Champions in Erik Sowinski (800), Troy Doris (TJ) and a NCAA National Cross Country Qualifier in Jeff Thode.
In 2007, at age 21, he became one of the youngest collegiate head coaches in history, leading the Whatcom Community College cross country and track and field programs. While with WCC, he coached 33 school record holders, four collegiate cross country All-Americans, two regional champions, eight all-region honorees, one cross country champion, and was twice named regional coach of the year.
As a private coach and founder of Harrier Track Club, an Olympic development program, Pearson has helped many runners meet their potential, ranging from a first-time race participants to Olympic Trials qualifiers. The club has seen many athletes qualify for prestigious events under Pearson’s tutelage. Among those are Canadian Olympic Trials qualifier (1500, 3k St), U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier (800, 10k), Canadian Track and Field National qualifier (1,500m/5k), World Junior qualifier (Mtn), and three USA Junior National qualifiers (3k, 5k, 10k). He also coached 24 National Junior Olympic qualifiers in cross country and two state high school 1600 meter champions. Among the record holders he has coached, includes an American Junior record in the 50k and an El Salvador National Junior record in the 800 meters.
His hard work and success over the years was rewarded by being selected to attend the USATF Emerging Elite Coaches Camp held at the Olympic Training Center in July 2013. Also, in 2012, he was selected as 1 of 2 representatives of USA Track & Field at the North American, Central American, Caribbean, Track & Field Athletics Congress in Nassau, Bahamas. There he studied under world-renowned coaches in track & field.
A native of Ferndale, Washington, Pearson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with double majors in history and coaching from Evergreen State in Olympia, Washington. He is currently finishing his master’s degree in sports science from the United States Sports Academy.
He is the son of former American 50-mile record holder and national champion Jim Pearson.
