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Jack Brunecz

Jack Brunecz was named the joint Director of Methodist's cross country and track & Field programs on May 29, 2019. Previously, he served as the head cross country coach and track's distance coach since January of 2015, the University's first full-time cross country coach. 

coach-inset-XC-Brunecz-20OctIn his seven seasons leading the Monarch cross country teams, Brunecz has seen 26 of his athletes garner all-conference accolades, and the men's team has finished in third place at four of the last seven conference championship meets, including one first place finish in the spring of 2021.

Following the 2021 spring season, the fall witnessed two Monarchs receive all-conference honors, as the men's team finished 6th overall, followed by a ninth place finish from the women. The highlight of the season was taking Drew Topoly to the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.

In the spring of 2021, Brunecz coached a total seven first team all-conference runners, with five from the men's team and two from the women's. Overall the men placed first at the USA South Conference Championships for the east and the women placed second.

In 2019, Brunecz coached four all-conference finishers, including one first team selection, junior Makayla Lawler. In 2018, Brunecz coached six all-conference finishers, including the individual champion on the women's side, Lawler. In 2017, he coached six all-conference finishers, including the individual league champion, Lindsey Pritchard, who broke a 14-year old program 6K record, and the USA South Women's Rookie of the Year, Lawler.

Since his arrival in 2015, from the mid-distance/distance events for track & field Brunecz has coached individuals and relays to school records in: indoor men's distance medley relay, indoor women's distance medley relay, indoor men's 4x400 relay, indoor women's 4x800 relay, outdoor women's 800 meter, outdoor women's 3,000 meter steeplechase, and the outdoor women's 4x800 relay. In the USA South Conference's first official  championship in the spring of 2019, Brunecz also coached the overall champion in the women's 5,000 and 10,000 meter races (Lawler).

Brunecz came to Methodist after serving as the head cross country and track & field coach at Pine Forest High School since 2010. At Pine Forest, Brunecz took a program with just three athletes and built it into a roster of over 50 and helped the program gain regional and statewide notoriety. He was named the 2011 Mid-South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year and in 2014 took the boy's program to the State Championship for the first time since 1987.

Brunecz developed six first team all-conference runners and 15 second team all-conference honorees in cross country, while coaching 12 conference champions, 10 regional champions, three state champions, 40 state qualifiers and 13 National qualifiers with a National Champion on the track & field side.
 
Brunecz ran collegiately at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where graduated from in 2006 with a bachelor of science in education. He still races competitively and in 2013 ran a personal best in the marathon of 2:40:48 in between racing in the Boston Marathon in 2012 and 2014. Brunecz also posted a new PR in the 5k in 2017 with a 15:31.

He holds a USATF Level 2 certification with a concentration in the endurance events.

Brunecz' Cross Country Record at MU…
Season
Women's USA So. Finish
(6K top 5 avg. time)
Men's USA So. Finish
(8K top 5 avg. time)
 NCAA Regional Finish,
W / M (top 5 avg. time)
2015 6th (28:26) 3rd (29:10) N/A / 28th (30:58)
2016 3rd (26:49) 3rd (31:06) 21st (26:49) / 27th (29:49)
2017 4th (24:53) 3rd (28:10) 25th (25:20) / 15th (26:43)
2018 4th (25:58) 3rd (28:47) 18th (26:45) / 22nd (28:45)
2019 6th (26:14) 4th (27:29) 25th (26:09) / 24th (27:58)
2020-21 2nd - East (28:03) 1st - East (28:40) Canceled
2021-22 9th (36:08) 6th (28:21) No team score / 15th