Barry Coonan '84 Named Cross Country Head Coach
PAXTON, Mass.—Anna Maria College Athletic Director Laura Habacker is pleased to announce the hiring of Barry Coonan '84 as the next head coach of the men's and women's cross country teams.
"Barry brings over 22 years of experience to our cross country program," said Habacker. "That, coupled with his familiarity with Anna Maria College as an alumnus, really made him a great candidate for the position."
Over his career in the cross country field, Coonan has totaled over 292 dual meet wins, 18 league championships, and three state high school vocational championship titles.
"Coming back to Anna Maria as a coach 31 years after graduating is a new experience, but I'm looking forward to the cross country team adding to the positive changes on campus," said Coonan. "Not everyone gets this opportunity to come back and coach at their alma mater and I'm looking forward to making the most of it."
Coonan has most recently served as the boy's varsity cross country coach at The Bromfield School in Harvard, Mass. Prior to that, he was the head men's and women's cross country and track & field coach at nearby Assumption College, an NCAA Division II member.
At Assumption, Coonan produced the schools' first cross country national qualifier in over 30 years. He also led the program to it's first-ever team victory at the Worcester City Invitational. On the track & field side, he led the Greyhounds to 26 new school records in 2013 and coached the Greyhounds' first Northeast-10 Conference Champion.
Coonan will take over a program that saw its first-ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Conference member in rising junior Maureen Moore. Moore was the 10th runner to cross the finish line at the GNAC Invitational, posting a time of 22:00 in the five-kilometer race.
During his time as a student at Anna Maria, Coonan was a four-year member of the men's basketball team and also played men's soccer. Coonan served as an assistant women's basketball coach, aiding the AMCATS to a 14-6 record under then head coach Robert Meomartino in 1983-84. He graduated with a degree in social work and later pursued a Master of Education degree from the University of Maine.
Coonan and his wife Donna reside in Grafton, Mass. Together they have three children, Crystal-Lee, Samantha, and Patrick. Crystal-Lee and Samantha are both graduates of the Coast Guard Academy and are currently lieutenants in the Coast Guard, stationed in Alaska and Michigan, respectively. Patrick is a 2015 graduate of Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a reservist in the Coast Guard.
