Director of Cross Country and Track & Field, John Paul Blankenship enters his 10th season at the University of Charleston as the head track coach. Blankenship is a certified strength and conditioning coach while also holding specialist certifications from the USTFCCCA in endurance, jumps, sprints, hurdles, & relays. He is also in the masters endorsement program for high jump. Blankenship holds a USATF Level I and received the USATF's cross country specialist certification in 2017. The program is taught by the "Father of U.S. Distance Running" Joe Vigill. He is recognized as a certified coach from the USATF. Other coursework completed include "Sports Science for the Speed and Power Events," and "Sports Psychology for the Track & Field Coach." Blankenship is the only coach in the state of WV or the MEC to hold these certifications.
Blankenship also serves as the meet director and USATF certified official for all UC track & field meets, featuring the Golden Eagle Invitational. Coach Blankenship was also the meet director, course designer and preparer for all cross country meets through 2017. Blankenship has been selected as an official for major meets, including NCAA national championship, Nike Nationals, ACC Championships as well as several others.
To date, Blankenship has coached 25 NCAA National Qualifiers, 194 All Conference Athletes, 85 Conference Champions, 11 Academic All-Americans, 14 All-Academic teams, 22 First Team All Region Athletes, a WVIAC Cross Country Team Championship, and a two Track & Field Team Championship. In 2018, UC finished the season as the fastest shuttle hurdle team in the country.
Other noteworthy events:
2018-Coached Nai Soto-Thompson to a gold medal in the 400mh and runner up in the 200m dash at the Polynesian Regional Championship for American Samoa.
2013-Coach Blankenship was tasked with restarting the men's cross country/track & field programs
2012-UC finished as the national runner up for team GPA (3.72)
As fitness center director, Blankenship has led UC to two Corporate Cup Championship in three years of participation.
Blankenship is a local legend in the track & field community posting facility and meet records while dominating top 10 lists (Marshall, Marietta, UC, CCS, Kenyon & Concord to name a few). In 2012 he was ranked 13th for USA Indoor Championships. As a student-athlete he earned three discus titles, two shot put titles, and one hammer title while at Concord University. Blankenship is a three-time All-American in shot put, while also garnering Academic All-American honors. Blankenship was also an All-Conference football player and played a year of Professional Football. In 2011, Concord University inducted Blankenship into their athletic Hall of Fame.
2017-2018 Led the sprints, jumps and multis…At the MEC Championship Kelly Whittaker was named MVP, Maitri Pansania was named Field Athlete of the Year, and Blankenship was named Coach of the Year. Whittaker won the 800 and 1500 while placing second in the 5k and 4x400 earning 30 points for Charleston. Pansania won the triple jump for the second time in her career earning her fourth All-MEC award in the event. Freshman Jamaicia James won the 400m and finished runner up in the 200m breaking both school records in route. Diana Castillero was the runner up in the 100hh, but was selected for the NCAA National Championship with her season best 13.81. The 4x400 team of Jamaicia James, Tricht Jocelyn, Maddie McClintic and Kelly Whittaker picked up All-MEC honors finishing runner up in school record time. Haley Snodgrass was runner up in the pole vault for her first All-MEC honor. Julia Onrubia repeated as an All-MEC in the triple jump finishing in second. Abby Watson picked up her fourth All-MEC award finishing runner up in the shot and discus. On the men’s side, UC swept the podium in the 100m with Jaylond Butler taking the title after a year hiatus. Aaron Banks and Ronnie Fitzgerald finished in second and third respectively earning All-MEC honors. In the 200m UC posted four out of the eight times in the final, with Michael Strachan winning the championship. Charleston posted eight of the top 10 times during the year. Strachan also posted the top time in the 400m with teammate Zack Marcum in tow for runner up. Bryson Dennison was the runner up in the pole vault, earning his second All-MEC honor. Christov Cornish improved from the 2017 season finishing runner up in the triple jump for his second All-MEC award. Steven Brown was the runner up in the javelin throw, earning his first All-MEC honor. Chris Roy finished in third in the Decathlon earning his first All-MEC award. The 4x400 team of Strachan, Chris Burnham, Tre Brooks and Roy broke the meet record in route to securing the first team title in track and field for the University of Charleston.
During the indoor season #jUmpCity posted four national qualifying marks with Maitri Pansania, Julia Onrubia and Christov Cornish posting top marks in the triple jump while David Moralez-Perez qualified in the long jump. During the outdoor season Diana Castillero finished the season 15th in the NCAA and 20th at the national championship. Michael Strachan qualified in the 400m and Christov Cornish again qualified in the triple jump. . Pansania, Onrubia, Cornish (2), Moralez-Perz, Burnham, Marcum, Brooks and Strachan (2) were named All-Atlantic Region during the indoor/outdoor season(s). Diana Castillero, Maria Castillero, Jeanette Corpuz and Hanah Gordon finished the season as the fastest shuttle team in the country.
2016-2017 Led the jumps, throws, multis and women’s cross country programs…At the MEC Championship UC dominated the triple jump winning both events, snagging four All-MEC awards and 34 points. Julia Onrubia and David Moralez-Perez picked up their first championship. Maitri Pansania earned her third consecutive All-MEC award in the event. Both school records were broken this year. Christov Cornish, a sprinter convert picked up his first. In the long jump, UC women posted the runner up, this time with freshman Carol Burgess. The Golden Eagles scored 13 points in the event. Morales-Peres broke the men’s long jump record. In the pole vault, Bryson Dennison hit an NCAA indoor qualifying mark and finished runner up at the MEC Championship. Dennison and Kaylyn Harris both took UC to new heights scoring 10 points at the MEC Championship. Despite injury, Mael Cantu broke the school record in the high jump. In the multis, UC was able to sneak out six points. It was a banner year in the throwing events with UC picking up three ALL-MEC awards. Abby Watson earned two of those, in the shot and discus respectively. Aaron Elliot took the other, winning the hammer throw. James Volpe posted spectacular improvements, missing out on All-MEC by one centimeter. UC totaled 29 points in the throws. The women’s cross country team was able to improve the point total from the 2015 season finishing in fifth.
