Greg Jack

Associate Head Men's Track & Field Coach (Throws) Contact Coach Jack
   E-Mail: gjack@vt.edu
   Phone: (540) 231-2154

 

Greg Jack, the associate head men's track and field coach, is in his eighth season at Virginia Tech, and coaches the Hokie throws crew.

"I consider Greg Jack to be one of the top throws coaches in the nation," Dave Cianelli, director of track and field, said. "He consistently develops and prepares his athletes as well as any coach I have seen during my 27 years in the business."

Last season, Jack guided his veteran-laden unit to a strong campaign, with five ACC Championships and six throwers earning All-American status. Under Jack's tutelage, Brittany Pryor won the ACC crown in the indoor weight throw and the indoor shot put to earn the indoor USTFCCCA Southeast Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year. The Niagara Falls, N.Y., native won the outdoor shot put at the conference meet and captured three All-America honors on the year.

Along with Pryor, former Hokie Kristen Callan earned two All-America honors on the women's side. The men's throwers were led by Justin Clickett, who won the ACC title in the outdoor shot put and took sixth in the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Rising senior Matej Muza received his second All-America honor with a fifth-place effort in the hammer throw at the national meet.

The 2007 season was another successful one for the Tech throwers, with 12 All-ACC selections, four All-America honors and concluding with Jack being named the USTFCCCA's National Throws Coach of the Year after all three of his hammer throw athletes earned All-America honors, including the national champion.

In 2006, three throwers earned All-America honors during the indoor season and four in the outdoor season. During the indoor season, weight thrower Spyridon Jullien won his second straight NCAA weight throw title. During the outdoor campaign, Jullien won the NCAA hammer throw title to conclude his Virginia Tech career with four national championships.

Jack and his throwers had a school-record-setting 2005 season. At the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships, Jullien became the school's first NCAA champion by winning the men's 35-pound weight throw. Jullien then captured the hammer national title at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June, 2005 and coached four others who earned All-America honors, Burns (indoor weight throw), Callan (hammer), Sven Hahn (oudoor shot put) and Ryan Norwood (indoor shot put).

In 2004, Jack had several athletes place in the top-five at the NCAA East Regional Championships. Jullien's second-place performance in the hammer throw was 231'11" (70.70m) at the NCAA outdoor championships and earned him his third All-America honor. Jullien took fourth place at the NCAA indoor championships in the 35-lb. weight throw.

Jack's Hokie thrower squad claimed four BIG EAST Conference Championships - two indoor and two outdoor.

In 2003, two of Jack's throwers represented Tech at the NCAA Championships. Jullien took sixth place in the hammer throw at the championships while reaching All-American status for the first time. Three athletes were BIG EAST Champions, while three more were runners-up. They broke five school records and one BIG EAST Championship record in the men's weight throw.

Jack's first year coaching at Virginia Tech in 2002 saw Dee O'Connell win the BIG EAST javelin throw, earn All-America honors and have a fifth-place finish at the U.S Championships. O'Connell took fifth place at the 2002 U.S Championships and posted third-place finishes at the 2003 U.S. Championships and the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.

In international action, Callan won the hammer throw at the 2004 U.S. Junior Championships and set a meet record with a throw of 193'11" (59.11m). She represented the United States at the World Junior Championships that were held in Grosetto, Italy.

With 2004 being an Olympic year, Jack served as a national coach for the country of Trinidad and Tobago. As the national coach, he helped Cleopatra Borel capture her country's national championship with a new record, finish 10th in the shot put finals at the Olympics in Athens and earn a top-eight world ranking by the IAAF. Borel set a personal record of 63'11" (19.48m) in the shot put in 2004.

At Tech, Jack has coached a total of 27 All-Americans, 42 NCAA qualifiers, 22 conference champions, six conference record holders, eight school record holders, a North America, Central America and Caribbean under-23 Champion and one USA Junior Champion.

The Ottawa, Canada native graduated from Florida State with a B.S., in physical education. He was an eight-time All-ACC selection while competing for the Seminoles and was the 1997 conference champion in the shot put. He also had the honor of representing Canada in the discus and javelin at the Canada vs. USA Dual Meet.

Jack is married to the former Jacquie Keats, a doctor of chiropractics, and they currently reside in Blacksburg. Twin daughters MacKenzie and Morgan were born on Oct. 25, 2007.

"I think Virginia Tech offers a great opportunity for athletes in the throwing events," Jack said. "Coach Cianelli is aggressively moving the program forward and has enabled our throwing squad to attract the best throwers in the United States and around the world."