Barry Coonan, longtime cross country coach at Blackstone
Valley Tech (Upton, MA), was named the men and women's cross
country coach at Assumption College in August.
Coonan coached the Valley Tech program for the past 15 years
and won 14 Colonial League championships---most recently the 2008
Massachusetts State Vocational Championship. He also coached cross
country at Saint Thomas More Prep (Oakdale, CT) for three
seasons.
His impressive resume includes over 275 wins at the high
school level and an incredible seven-year unbeaten streak in dual
meets. He has also coached the girl's basketball team for the past
two years qualifying for postseason play in each season. He
previously coached the boy's team for six years earning four
straight district opportunities. His track and field teams won two
state vocational titles and two Colonial League championships,
while his Grafton, MA High girl's lacrosse team set the school
record for wins and qualified for the district tournament in its
second varsity season.
He received his bachelors in social work from Anna Maria
College in 1984 and has since earned a masters in education from
the University of Maine (1991) and a certificate of advanced
graduate study in educational administration from Fitchburg State
College (2006).