University of North Carolina Athletics
Track & Field
- Title:
- Head XC Coach, Asst. Coach Track & Field (Distance)
- Email:
- coachmva@unc.edu
- Phone:
- 919-962-5215
Mark VanAlstyne is in his sixth year as the head cross country and distance coach for the University of North Carolina track and field and cross country programs. Prior to Carolina, he served 21 seasons at the helm of North Florida’s track and field program. VanAlstyne has coached athletes to numerous All-ACC and All-Region performances with several athletes going on compete in NCAA Championships. He also led the 2014 women's cross country team to the program's fourth conference title in his second season at the helm.
The 2017 cross country season was defined by youth with nine underclassman competing in the top seven for the Tar Heels. Highlighting the fall were the All-ACC and All-Region performances of veterans Caroline Alcorta and Morgan Ilse. Both Athletes had top-20 finishes at the ACC Cross Country Championships and NCAA Southeast Regional. Alcorta also earned ACC Performer of the Week honors on October 18.
The 2016-17 track and field season was highlighted by Morgan Ilse's All-ACC fifth-place performance in the 3,000 at the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships. Three athletes also qualified for the East Preliminary Round (Mark Derrick in the 5,000 and 10,000, Blake Dodge in the 800 and Morgan Ilse in the 5,000). Blake Dodge and Erin Edmundson were recognized as USTFCCCA All-Academic Individuals, which contributed to the women's program being honored as a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team.
During the 2016 cross country season, two athletes earned All-ACC honors (Morgan Ilse and Logan Carroll) and Mark Derrick was an All-Region honoree. Under the direction of VanAlstyne, the men captured sixth at the ACC Cross Country Championships and Morgan Ilse had a breakout season in which she became the clear leader for the women’s team in the absence of Caroline Alcorta. Ilse finished 20th at the ACC Championships and 36th at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
During the 2015-16 track and field season, VanAlstyne led seven Tar Heel distance runners to the NCAA East Preliminary Round, including Mark Derrick, Logan Carroll, Stephen Mulherin, Lizzy Whelan, Caroline Alcorta, Josette Norris and Hannah Christen. Lizzy Whelan and Caroline Alcorta also earned All-ACC honors in their respective events at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
The 2015 cross country season saw three All-ACC honorees (Caroline Alcorta, Josette Norris and Mark Derrick) and five All-Region honorees (Hannah Christen, Josette Norris, Caroline Alcorta, Stella Radford and Stephen Mulherin) between the men's and women's teams. Stephen Mulherin also qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships as an individual, placing 118th. Mulherin finished ninth at the regional meet while sophomore Hannah Christen finished sixth.
The 2014-15 seasons for Carolina distance saw enormous strides in the program. Freshman Caroline Alcorta was named the ACC Freshman of the year for cross country while also becoming a bronze medalist in the 5,000 at the Pan-American Junior Games. Hannah Christen, another talented freshman, earned the silver medal at the Pan-American Junior Games in the steeplechase. Under VanAlstyne's direction, Lizzy Whelan broke the school record in the indoor 800, a record previously held by Alice Schmidt. She went on to compete at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships earning first-team All-America honors for placing sixth.
During the 2014 cross country season, VanAlstyne coached the women’s cross country team to its first ACC Championship in 10 years and fourth in program history. VanAsltyne also qualified both teams for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, a feat that had never been accomplished by Carolina before. The men ultimately placed 12th, their highest finish at the Championships since 1985 while the women finished 22nd. With the men’s team competing at the Championships, VanAlstyne guided the squad to two consecutive championships, which hadn’t been done for nearly 40 years in North Carolina history. Under VanAlstyne’s guidance the team’s had eight All-ACC Honorees (Annie LeHardy, Lianne Farber, Karley Rempel, Caroline Alcorta, Lizzy Whelan, Ryan Walling, John Raneri, and Pat Schellberg) and eight All-Region Honorees (Annie LeHardy, Lianne Farber, Karley Rempel, Ryan Walling, John Raneri, Stephen Mulherin, Pat Schellberg, and Scott Morgan).
In his first season with the Tar Heels, VanAlstyne coached 10 Tar Heels to the first round of the NCAA East Preliminary Round with LeHardy advancing on to the NCAA Outdoor Championships to compete in the 5,000 while Farber went for the 1,500. Both women earned All-America honorable-mention honors.
At North Florida, VanAlstyne acted as an assistant athletic director and was essential in transitioning the program from NCAA Division-II to Division-I status in 2005. In his tenure with the Ospreys, he coached six national champions, 35 All-Americas in track and 12 All-Americas in cross country. One of VanAlstyne’s athletes went on to win a U.S. Championship while another gained a berth in the 2004 Olympic Marathon.
VanAlstyne has accrued numerous coaching honors, including the 2002 NCAA South Region Coach of the Year, 2003 Peach Belt Conference Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year and the 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, and most recently 2014 ACC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year.
VanAlstyne was inducted into the North Florida Hall of Fame in October of 2013 for his coaching and athletic accomplishments.
A graduate of North Florida and a former standout athlete there, VanAlstyne set the school record for the marathon ran the third-fastest 10,000 in school history. VanAlstyne is married to Patty, who was a six-time All-America track & field athlete at North Florida. They have a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Kaley.
