John Gondak Position: Assistant Coach (Middle Distance) Experience: 6th Year Alma Mater: Syracuse, '95

Coaching Awards and Honors:
* 2010 USTFCCA Mid-Atlantic Men's Outdoor Assistant Coach of the Year
* 2009 USTFCCA Mid-Atlantic Men's Indoor Assistant Coach of the Year

Outstanding Athletes Coached:

Ryan Foster
* Three-Time NCAA All-American
* Two-Time NCAA Bronze Medalist
* Four-Time Big Ten 800-Meter Champion
* Three-Time Mid-Atlantic Track Athlete of the Year
* Penn State Record Holder (800i, 1000i, DMRi, SMR)
* Australian National Indoor Record Holder (800m, 1000m)

Casimir Loxsom
* IAAF World Junior Silver Medalist (800m)
* Penn State 800-Meter Record Holder (1:45.28)
* Five-Time Penn State Record Holder (500i, 4x400i, 800m, 4x400, SMR)
* USATF Junior Champion (800m)
* World Junior Best 600-Meters (1:16.92)
* Two-Time Mid-Atlantic Region Track Athlete of the Year

Owen Dawson
* NCAA All-American (800m)
* 2009 Big Ten Runner Up (Indoor 800m)
* 2009 Big Ten Bronze Medalist (Outdoor 800m)

Mark Miller
* 2008 NCAA Qualifier
* 2008 Big Ten Champion (Indoor 800 meters)
* 2006 Big Ten Champion (Outdoor 800 meters)
* Four-Time Big Ten Medalist

Bekka Simko
* 2011 NCAA First Round Qualifier
* Two-Time Big Ten Scorer
* Penn State 4x800-Meter Record Holder (8:39.44)

John Gondak enters his sixth year as an assistant coach at Penn State, working with Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan and the Nittany Lion cross country and distance runners as well as serving as the primary mentor for the Penn State middle-distance athletes. Gondak's middle distance charges experienced unparallelled success in 2011, including six school records, two All-America performances, and two Big Ten victories. The Doylestown, Pa., native has also had a huge impact on the Nittany Lions' success on the cross country course, including a Big Ten title by the women's squad in 2009, and NCAA-qualifying efforts by the women's squad in 2009 and 2010, and by the men's team in 2008, and 2010.

Under Gondak's watch, the Nittany Lions ripped through the Penn State records books, led by then-sophomore Casimir Loxsom, who set two individual school records, and was a member of three school-record relays. Individually, Loxsom clocked 1:01.28 for the 500-meters to start the indoor season. The time would stand as athe fastest run by a collegian in 2011. Outside, Loxsom would blitz to a school-record 1:45.28 in the 800-meters, bettering Randy Moore's 1:45.96, which had stood since 1985. In the relays, Loxsom - and fellow Gondak charge - Lionel Williams - would assist on the record-setting 4x400-meter relays during both the indoor (3:07.27) and outdoor (3:07.19) seasons. Also making a mark in Nittany Lion history in 2011 was senior Ryan Foster, who clocked a school-record 3:58.49 for the mile run and posted an NCAA-leading time of 2:19.96 for the 1000-meter during the indoor season. Nationally speaking, Loxsom would place fourth in a blistering 800-meter final at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, running 1:45.31. Foster starred during the NCAA Indoor Championships, placing third in the mile run, while Loxsom and Williams ran legs on the Lions' fifth-place 4x400.

The Nittany Lions also made a splash at the prestigious Penn Relays Carnival, taking top honors in the sprint medley relay, thanks to outstanding splits from Loxsom on the 400-meter carry and Foster on the 800 anchor. The team, which claimed Penn State's first Penn Relays win since 1987, would also clock a school-record 3:17.10 in the effort. Gondak also led the Nittany Lions to a second-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay (Williams, Samuel Borchers, Loxsom, and Foster) in an epic battle at Penn Relays, where the team clocked 7:12.90 - the seventh-fastest time in collegiate history.

2010 was a breakout year for the Nittany Lion middle distance contingent, sending a grand total of four 800-meter athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships, including Foster, Owen Dawswon, Williams, and Loxsom. In total, the Lions came away with three All-America certificates, thanks to a bronze-medal effort from Foster, to go along with eighth and 11th-place finishes from Dawson, and Williams, respectively. The three All-America finishes were the first for the Penn State program in the 800 since 1985. Gondak's charges also had a remarkable season in the record books in 2010 with Foster setting new school standard in the 800 (1:47.32), and 1000-meters (2:19.60). Foster's 1000 mark, and his Ashenfelter facility record 1:47.48 from the Penn State National were also recognized as Australian National Indoor Records.

Gondak would also guide then-freshman Loxsom to a sizzling 1:16.92 for 600-meters, which is stands as World Junior (Under-19) Best. Loxsom would go on to post an impressive victory in the event at the the USATF Junior title and advance to the IAAF World Junior Championships. Loxsom would post a silver-medal finish at the World Junior event, clocking 1:46.57. Loxsom's finish was the highest-ever finish by a U.S. athlete in a distance event at the world junior competition. Gondak led his middle distance contingent to outstanding results in 2009, while also being recognized by the coaching community as he was named United States Track and Field/Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Region Assistant Coach of the Year during the indoor season. Gondak's athletes achieved outstanding strides at all levels in 2009, highlighted by an eighth-place and All-America finish from Foster, who ran 1:46.78 in the 800 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Indoors, Gondak and Alford-Sullivan oversaw the Lions' school-record and NCAA automatic-qualifying distance medley relay. The team combined to run a sizzling 9:32.94 at the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame to advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships, where the squad placed ninth overall. Gondak's athletes had an immeasurable impact on the Lions' success at the conference level in 2009, as Foster captured gold-medal honors in the 800-meters at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

Gondak would also oversee a pair of runner-up efforts at the indoor championships with Dawson finishing off a Penn State one-two sweep in the 800, and Williams claiming second place in the 600-meters. Outdoors, Gondak's middle distance standouts would capture three of the top four finishing spots in the 800 with Foster leading the way with his second Big Ten win of the year. In 2008 Gondak led Mark Miller to an 800 victory at the Big Ten Indoor Championships, as well as a silver-medal effort outdoors.

Prior to Penn State, Gondak spent nearly eight seasons at the University of Kentucky before moving to Georgia Tech in 2006. As an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Wildcat middle distance/distance runners, Gondak oversaw 25 All-America finishes in his event area, while 19 athletes earned All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors. Prior to working at Kentucky, Gondak was the cross country and assistant track and field coach at Georgia Tech from 1995-96, and Toledo from 1996-98.

Gondak started out as a walk-on athlete at Syracuse and quickly improved, qualifying for the IC4A Championships as a sophomore, junior and senior in the distance-medley relay and mile run. During his senior year, he was placed on scholarship and named captain of the cross country program. Gondak graduated summa cum laude as the valedictorian of the civil engineering program.