Bio

Philip Jennings Tabbed as Wellesley's Next Cross Country/Track & Field Head Coach (Jun 14, 2013)

The 2015 and 2021 NEWMAC Cross Country Coach of the Year, Phil Jennings enters his 10th season as Wellesley's Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach and Assistant Professor of the Practice in 2023-2024.

Jennings coached the Blue to a program-best 12th place finish at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Team Championship, which saw Ari Marks '22 win the national title in the 5000m and 10000m races, in addition to being named the NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track and Field National Track Athlete of the Year.

In 2015-16, Jennings guided the Blue Cross Country program to their second consecutive NCAA Championship appearance and a 19th place finish nationally. The Blue also captured the program's second-straight Seven Sisters Championship, doing so in record setting fashion with a Seven Sisters record team score of 16. In 2014-15, Jennings guided the Blue Cross Country program to its third appearance at the NCAA Championships, and first since 1986. Wellesley Cross Country put together back-to-back top-five finishes at NCAA Regionals in 2014 and 2015.

The Blue qualified two competitiors for the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2015-16, securing a pair of All-American honors. In 2014-15, the program sent three participants to the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, where all three competitors went on to finish in the top-ten in their events. In all, Jennings has seen eight All-Americans appearances between indoor and outdoor track & field, most recently Ella Whinney '26 in 2023.

Jennings came to Wellesley after spending 10 years at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), where he served as head coach for the men’s and women’s Cross Country and Track & Field teams for five years. He also spent the previous three years as the Head Coach of the Cross Country team, while beginning his career as an assistant in both programs in 2003. Under Jennings’ tutelage, TCNJ was a perennial power; combining for 53 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Team Championships between men’s and women’s Cross Country, and men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor Track & Field. 

Jennings has also had nine of his teams place in the top-ten at the NCAA Championships, while earning NCAA Atlantic Regional cross country titles for both men and women. He was honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) four times, being named the NCAA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year three times on the women’s side and once on the men’s side. In addition, Jennings has been named NJAC Coach of the Year 19 total times in his career.

Prior to his stint at TCNJ, Jennings served as assistant Cross Country and Track & Field coach at Division-I Rider University. During his time with the Broncs, his teams finished second at both the indoor and outdoor Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships.

Jennings ran at Hamilton College for four years, serving as a two-team captain for both the Cross-Country and Track & Field teams and earning 11 varsity letters. During his senior year, his Cross Country team finished eighth at the NCAA Regional Championships, while earning a fifth place finish at the New York State Championships.

A 1999 graduate of Hamilton with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, Jennings is a Level I and Level II certified coach. He also earned his Master’s Degree from TCNJ in 2005, completing the Physical Education curriculum with a concentration in Athletic Administration.