Mark J. Coogan (born May 1, 1966,

Manhasset, New York Manhasset is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in New York (state), New York. It is considered the anchor communi ...

, United States) is an American coach and retired

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

track

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

Running career

He attended

Bishop Feehan High School Bishop Feehan High School is a co-educational Catholic high school in Attleboro, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River. The school was built in 1961 and staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. The school has grown to ...

Attleboro, Massachusetts Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 census, Attleboro had a population of 46,461. Attleboro is ...

, and the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of Mary ...

. Coogan was coached at the University of Maryland by Charles Florence Torpey, who headed the Men's and Women's running teams at

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

until his untimely death. While in college, Coogan specialized in the

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

. Coogan was the first Massachusetts native to run the mile in under four minutes. In March 1995, at the Pan-American Games (Mar del Plata, Argentina), Coogan earned the silver medal in the Marathon, in a time of 2:15:21. He ran the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, placing 41st with a time of 2:20:27, after placing second in the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon with at time of 2:13:05 (his lifetime best). He also placed third in the U.S. 2000 Olympic Trials Marathon with a time of 2:17:04, but did not compete in the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

because he did not achieve the Olympic "A" standard qualifying time. He retired from competitive running in 2004.

Coaching career

He has served as head coach of several cross country teams, including at

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

and

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

, and coached the distance runners at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

for three years. Coogan served as the

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

women's cross country head coach after serving as an assistant for one season, and the assistant coach for the track programs as the primary coach of the distance runners. In 2014, he began working for

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...

in Boston, Massachusetts in sports marketing as well becoming the coach of Team New Balance Boston with athletes such as

Abbey D'Agostino Abbey Cooper (née D'Agostino; born May 25, 1992) is an American middle- and long-distance runner. Cooper is the most decorated Ivy League athlete in track and field and cross country running. She is the first Dartmouth female distance runner ...

whom he coached to 7 NCAA Championships at

. In June 2021, Mark successfully coached American New Balance sponsored distance runners

Elle Purrier St. Pierre Elinor "Elle" Purrier St. Pierre (born February 20, 1995) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in middle-distance running and long-distance running. In 2022, she earned her first global medal, winning silver in the women's 300 ...

of Vermont and Heather MacLean of Massachusetts in the 1,500 meters at the Olympic Trials at Haywood Field in Eugene, Oregon. Both women will represent the USA at the Tokyo Olympics.

Personal life

Coogan has three children, two daughters, Katrina Coogan, a professional runner for New Balance Boston, and Margaret Coogan, who runs at George Washington University, and a son, William Coogan, who runs at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Achievements

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coogan, Mark 1966 births Living people American male long-distance runners American male steeplechase runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic track and field athletes of the United States People from Manhasset, New York University of Maryland, College Park alumni Pan American Games medalists in athletics (track and field) Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games