Gina Procaccio (born July 19, 1964 in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania) is a retired American long and middle-distance runner. In 1995, she was the

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

National Champion in the indoor 5000 metres, which qualified her to run for her native country in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics in

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Early career

While running for Sun Valley High School in Aston, Pennsylvania, she was a perennial second place to eventual National Recordholder

Kim Gallagher Kimberly Ann "Kim" Gallagher (June 11, 1964 – November 18, 2002) was an American middle-distance runner who won a silver and a bronze medal at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Records National high school records *800 Meters – 2:00.07 *3200 Me ...

who ran in the same district. "I didn't think I was any good." But by her Junior year she was second in the Pennsylvania State Championships at

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

. After Gallagher graduated, Procaccio won the state meet in 1982 with a personal record of 2:10.53 She continued to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

for the first three years of college, but returned to her home state. She completed her collegiate eligibility at

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

where she ran leadoff for the still standing Indoor 4x800 metre relay record holding team for not only the

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but the entire

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and including

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the

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record, while winning the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Indoor Championships.

Professional career

Her primary distance was the mile or its metric cousin the 1500. She ranked in the top ten of the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

in the United States six times between 1989 and 1995. She established a solid reputation in top level Miles, including defeating the standing world record holder in the mile and winning the 1500 at the Penn Relays. She placed as high as 3rd in the USA National Championships. In 1995, she expanded her range by challenging and winning the National Championship in the

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

. That brought her to Europe where she challenged the top runners of the world, winning several highly competitive 3000 metre races and achieving the number one ranking that year.

Coaching

After a 1995 injury suddenly curtailed her running career, Procaccio accepted an offer to assist with the women's running programs at Villanova. In 2000, she became head women's track and cross country coach. In 2009, under her leadership, the Villanova Cross Country team won the NCAA Championships. Her 2010 cross country team repeated as NCAA team champions, with Villanova's top runner Sheila Reid winning the overall individual title. It was Villanova's 9th NCAA women's cross country title, the most of any university.

Coaching Accomplishments

As Villanova head coach (2000–present) * 2 team national championships (cross country - 2009, 2010) * 9 team Big East Conference championships * 9 individual national champions * 94 All-Americans * 142 individual Big East Conference, BIG EAST champions * 9 Championship of America Penn Relays titles * 2 Academic All-Americans * 395 selections to the Big East Conference, BIG EAST All-Academic Team * 2 time USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year * 6-time USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year * 7 time Big East Conference, BIG EAST Coach of the Year * 9 NCAA Champions (as HC) * 18 cross country All-American Awards * 47 Indoor All-American Awards * 18 outdoor All-American Awards As Villanova assistant coach (1994–97, 1998–00) * 10 NCAA individual national champions * 8 Championship of America Penn Relays titles * 40 All-Americans As of Nov 2015http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nova/sports/w-track/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_non_event/procaccio-bio.pdf

References

External links

*
USATF Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Procaccio, Gina 1964 births Living people American female middle-distance runners American female long-distance runners Villanova Wildcats women's track and field athletes Track and field athletes from Pennsylvania Florida Gators women's track and field athletes Villanova Wildcats track and field coaches Villanova Wildcats cross country coaches People from Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania