E-mail this pageJohn Lynch, Head Coach
John Lynch, a former track and cross country standout at Cortland State, was named Plattsburgh State men's and women's cross country coach in August 2005. Then in September 2007, his title changed to Director of Track & Field and Cross Country to reflect assuming additional responsibilities with the Cardinals track and field program, after serving the previous two years as an assistant coaching track distance runners.
"We are excited to have John joining the coaching staff at Plattsburgh. John brings a great deal of experience and enthusiasm to the position. He has been fortunate to work with the legendary cross country coach, Jack Daniels, and has competed at both the NCAA Division I and III levels," Athletic Director Bruce Delventhal said at the time of his hiring. "I was immediately impressed with John's knowledge of the sport, but even more so with his concern for the student-athlete. He cares first and foremost about the academic growth and social development of his athletes."
Last spring, Lynch coached 2008 NCAA Woman of the Year candidate Toni Wiszowaty to a No. 1 national ranking in the 10,000-meter run and No. 3 in the 5,000. He also mentored Alyssa Recny who earned her first career All-America citation in outdoor track with a fifth-place finish in the 10,000 at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Wiszowaty was voted by region coaches to be the Atlantic Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
Lynch led Plattsburgh to its best women's cross country season ever in 2007, when the Cardinals were the national runner-up in NCAA Division III. The program also set a school record with a No. 5 national ranking in the final poll and appeared in every poll during the season. The Cardinals captured their first Atlantic championship and third regional title in school history (1997 and '98). Allison Busby (6th), Wiszowaty (7th) and Recny (17th) garnered All-America performances. Busby and Recny, along with the entire team, were named to the All-America Scholar Team by the U.S. Track&Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. For his efforts, Lynch was named the USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Women's Coach of the Year.
In 2006, Lynch guided the Cardinal women to its first appearance in the NCAA Championships in eight years, finishing 29th in the nation and All-American Wiszowaty set a career-best with her fourth-place showing. The men's and women's teams combined for six invitational wins.
In his first season at the cross country helm, Lynch piloted the Cardinals to championships in six men's and women's invitationals, coached All-Americans and Atlantic Region champions Matt DeShane and Busby, and saw both teams improve their standings at the 2005 State University of New York Athletic Conference Championships and NCAA regional meet from the previous year.
In addition, the Cardinals men's track and field squad improved one spot to fifth place at the 2008 SUNYAC Championships despite losing several senior point-scorers from the previous year. The women's and men's programs combined to set seven school records.
A certified personal trainer by the National Federation of Professional Trainers, Lynch has coached 16 NCAA All-Americans, 38 automatic and provisional qualifiers, 59 all-conference honorees and 20 league champions in cross country and track. In July 2007, he earned endorsement as a Level 1 coach by USA Track and Field.
A native of Clifton Park, N.Y., Lynch received a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and sport studies from Cortland in 2005. He was an accomplished distance runner for the Red Dragons' track squad, setting school records in the distance medley relay and 1200 meters while participating on several indoor and outdoor SUNYAC championship teams.
Greg Wisser, Assistant Coach
For the 2008-09 academic year, Greg Wisser enters his third season as the assistant director of track and field at Plattsburgh State. He developed Jon Daly into an All-America decathlete two seasons ago, who broke a 30-year-old school record with 6,786 points at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Wisser, who is from Pittsburgh, Pa., came to Plattsburgh in August 2006 after two seasons as an assistant coach for track and field and cross country at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, an NCAA Division III institution based in Kings Point. He designed the sports' weightlifting program, coached throwing events, multi-events, hurdles, pole vault and high jump, groomed 15 NCAA and Eastern College Athletic Conference qualifiers and helped the Mariners to back-to-back Skyline Conference cross country championships for both men and women.
Wisser earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa. He was a four-year decathlon letterman on the Gator track and field squad, which captured both indoor and outdoor North Coast Athletic Conference championships in 2003 and '04.
He holds memberships with USA Track&Field and National Pole Vault Coaches Association, and is a certified Level 1 coach from the former.
Wisser also worked as a volleyball assistant coach for the Cardinals from 2006-07 and is the scoreboard operator for Plattsburgh home basketball games.
Contact Information
For more information about Track & Field at Plattsburgh State, please contact:
John Lynch, Director (Distances)
Phone: (518) 564-4145
E-mail: lynchjp@plattsburgh.edu
Greg Wisser, Assistant Director (Throws/Jumps)
Phone: (518) 564-4145
E-mail: wissergc@plattsburgh.edu
Ted Santaniello, Interim Assistant Coach (Sprints)
Phone: (518) 564-4145
E-mail: sant2718@plattsburgh.edu