Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Dave Cianelli, the director of Virginia Tech's track and field and cross country programs, and Eric Johannigmeier, the men's and women's cross country head coach and the head of Tech distance running, announced Tuesday the hiring of Jason Cusack as an assistant coach.
Cusack, who had been serving as a volunteer assistant coach, moves into Johannigmeier's old role prior to Johannigmeier's elevation to lead position following Ben Thomas' departure for the head men's cross country/distance coach at the University of Oregon. Cusack will help with recruiting, assist in training, handle all team gear and other equipment needs, and play a role in creating an appealing visual identity for the program's social media platforms, which will be geared toward recruiting.
"Virginia Tech track and cross country has been a huge part of my life over the past 10 years," Cusack said. "Watching the program develop has been a great source of pride—both as a former athlete and as a volunteer—and I'd like to thank Eric Johannigmeier, Dave Cianelli, Chris Helms [senior associate director of athletics], and Whit Babcock [director of athletics] for giving me the opportunity to serve as assistant coach. Continuing to build on the success the track and cross country programs have achieved over the past decade is extremely important to me, and I can't wait to contribute toward future championships starting this fall."
Cusack certainly brings a Virginia Tech background to the staff, as he ran on Tech's track and field and cross country teams from 2008-13 and was a part of four ACC team championships. He excelled in the middle distances, and in particular, the steeplechase events, winning the gold medal at the 2012 ACC Outdoor Championships. He also won a silver medal in the same event at the league's outdoor meet in 2011.
Cusack, a native of Griswold, Connecticut, set the school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 2011, running a time of 8 minutes, 47.29 seconds and breaking a mark that had lasted for 33 years. His time still ranks third on the Hokies' all-time list. He also was part of the 4x1,500-meter relay team that still has the second-fastest time in school history.
"Jason Cusack has been a huge part of the cross country and track and field program's success," Johannigmeier said. "Jason has been on multiple ACC Championship teams as an athlete and as a volunteer coach. He was the first athlete at Virginia Tech to win an individual ACC title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, and he brings a wealth of knowledge to the program in the steeplechase and the other mid-distance and distance events. His creativity skills from his master's of science in architecture and his teaching experience will be very helpful to the team in coaching and recruiting."
Cusack graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in industrial design in 2013. He trained with a running group in New York for almost a year before returning to Tech in June of 2014 to move into a volunteer assistant role and to work on his master's degree. He also taught an undergraduate course for two years and worked at RunAbout Sports before earning his master's degree in architecture this past May.