Mark VanAlstyne

Mark VanAlstyne is in his fifth 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.

During the 2016-17 track and field season, one Morgan Ilse earned All-ACC honors for placeing fifth 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 5000). Blake Dodge and Erin Edmundson were also 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 Roberts, the men captured sixth at the ACC Cross Country Championships, while the women took 13th place. Morgan Ilse had a breakout season for the Tar Heels 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.

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.

VanAlstyne acted as an assistant athletic director at North Florida and was essential in transitioning the program from NCAA Division II to Division I in 2005. He coached six national champions, 35 All-Americans in track and 12 All-Americans in cross country while leading the Ospreys. 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. In 2010 he also coached the women's team to its first conference title.

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 stand-out athlete there, VanAlstyne holds the school record for the marathon while his 10,000 meters time ranks third all-time in the school record books. VanAlstyne is married to Patty, who was a six-time All-American track & field athlete at North Florida. They have a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Kaley.