Bellingham, Wash. – Whatcom Community College Athletics has hired Jay Sloane as the head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country programs. Sloane, who has lived in Whatcom County for decades, will lead the programs after many years of cross country coaching experience.

“Jay’s vision for our Orca cross country programs and focus on the entire student-athlete academic and athletic experience made it clear that he is ready to help students achieve their goals individually and as a team,” said WCC Director for Athletics and Recreation Danny Day. “We cannot wait for him to get started!”

Sloane comes to WCC following coaching at Nooksack Valley High School and Mount Baker Senior High School over the course of the last 22 years, building on the strong tradition of running in Whatcom County. During that time, he coached numerous individual state champions and state record holders in both cross country and track while also leading the squad to the state championship as a team. On top of coaching at the high school level, Sloane has worked with runners who train to qualify for the Olympic Trials and also runs a coaching business for novice to expert-level runners, both locally and nationally.

“Our area is rich in running talent, and I look forward to keeping some of this talent local, in addition to bringing in student-athletes from out of the area,” said Sloane. “One of my favorite aspects of coaching is tailoring workouts to match all levels of student-athletes with their individual training needs and building team camaraderie. Using my extensive coaching experience and knowledge combined with student-athletes’ dedication and hard work will make for a strong team.”

WCC announced early in 2020 that it had officially added men’s and women’s cross country as varsity sports. Both teams will compete in the NWAC (Northwest Athletic Conference) in fall 2020 against other community colleges in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. WCC offers seven athletic programs total, including men’s and women’s basketball; men’s and women’s soccer; and women’s volleyball.

Sloane begins his duties as head coach immediately and is actively recruiting student-athletes. Currently, cross country practices are scheduled to begin in August. If that changes, the latest information will be communicated to our campus community. If you are interested in running for either the men’s or women’s cross country programs at WCC, please contact Sloane at jsloane@whatcom.edu.

About Whatcom: Whatcom Community College in Bellingham, WA is regularly recognized as one of the top 150 community colleges in the nation by the Aspen Institute. The College, a destination for cybersecurity, healthcare and business studies, offers a bachelor of applied science degree, transfer degrees, career preparation, online courses, and community education classes. While WCC's physical campus is closed through May 4, our online services and commitment to student success continue. Spring quarter starts online April 15. For more information, visit whatcom.edu.

Contact: Marisa Ellis, Whatcom Community College PIO, 360.383.3310, pio@whatcom.edu