Ryan Vanhoy Named Cal Poly Director of Track & Field and Cross Country 

After nine highly successful seasons at Ole Miss, associate head coach Ryan Vanhoy has been named the director of track & field and cross country at Cal Poly, the school announced Monday afternoon.

Vanhoy came to Ole Miss as its men’s cross country coach in 2013, before assuming control of both the men’s and women’s distance programs both in cross country and track & field in the 2015-16 school year.

On the track at Ole Miss, Vanhoy has coached six NCAA Champions, six NCAA runners-up, 65 All-Americans, 57 SEC Champions, 21 SEC runners-up, and his runners have scored 126 NCAA points. In cross country, Vanhoy led the Rebels to their first two SEC titles in program history in men’s cross country in 2018 and 2019, while also being named USTFCCCA South Region Coach of the Year seven times, coaching eight cross country All-Americans, 61 NCAA All-South Region honorees and 35 All-SEC cross country runners.

Since 2019, his wife, Michelle Chewens, has worked on staff in a volunteer capacity, and has coached an NCAA Champion and runner-up (Sintayehu Vissa), 11 total All-Americans across both cross country and track, and won three SEC individual track titles (all in 2022).

“I would like to thank Ryan for all that he has done for Ole Miss cross country and track & field. I would also like to give a big thank you to Michelle for all of her hard work as well,” said head coach Connie Price-Smith. “Ryan has been such a valuable part of the success of our program, and he will be greatly missed here at Ole Miss. It was a pleasure getting to know Ryan these last seven years, and to see the growth that he has gone through shows that he is ready to run his own program. He is one of the best coaches that I know, and I am happy for him to have this opportunity. I wish him and Michelle all the best, and I know that they will do a great job.”

“It’s been an incredible nine-year run at Ole Miss that has truly been the time of my life,” Vanhoy said. “I’d like to thank the numerous student-athletes that helped build this program into what it has become, and I’m excited to now follow along from the West Coast as a fan. Many thanks to Coach Connie Price-Smith for her leadership and guidance over the years. We would not have experienced nearly the amount of success we’ve had without her constant support. I’m excited about this new opportunity for our family at Cal Poly, and look forward to using many of the lessons learned here in Oxford as we move forward.”

A national search for a new cross country coach and assistant track & field coach for distance is underway.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports