Barry Coonan Named Head Cross Country Coach

WORCESTER, Mass. --- Barry Coonan, longtime cross country coach at Blackstone Valley Tech (Upton, MA), has been named the men and women's cross country coach at Assumption College.

The announcement was made by Ted Paulauskas, Director of Athletics.

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).

He is currently a social studies instructor at Blackstone Valley Tech (Upton, MA), a lecturer in history at Wachusett Community College (Gardner, MA) and the basketball director for summer and instructional clinics for the Grafton, MA Recreational Department.