Sept. 18, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Director and Head Coach of Track and Field/Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan has announced to hiring of Randy Bungard, who will step in as an assistant coach, overseeing the Nittany Lions' highly successful sprints, hurdles, and relays contingent. Bungard brings over 20 years of coaching experience to Happy Valley, most recently serving as the Head Men's and Women's Track and Field Coach at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. Over his career, Bungard has coached numerous NCAA Champions, and nearly 100 All-Americans.
"I am so excited to add Randy to our staff," said Alford-Sullivan. "He brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to the program and I am thrilled he will lead our great corps of sprinters and hurdlers. Randy is an outstanding coach that has had huge success throughout his career. He is a true teacher of the events and our student-athletes will gain greatly from his expertise of our sport. Randy is a wonderful person as well and I will enjoy working with him each and every day."
Upon arrival at Penn State, Bungard will oversee one of the country's premiere men's 4x400-meter relay squads, with all four legs returning for the Nittany Lions' sizzling 3:01.52 effort last spring. The Nittany Lion 4x400 earned a pair of banner NCAA finishes 2012, finishing second at the NCAA Indoor Championships and fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
"Penn State is one of those universities that a person always desires to be a part of," said Bungard. "I thank Coach Sullivan for the opportunity to come here and work with a great staff, be at a great university, and be a part of a fantastic team. Coach Johnson did an outstanding job with the sprinters, hurdlers, and the relays and my goal is to keep that level of excellence where he and Coach Sullivan worked so hard to put it. I'm really excited about being a NIttany Lion and look forward to helping this team achieve the level of excellence that Coach Sullivan and Penn State expect."
Bungard spent the last four years in Corpus Christi, where he coached men's and women's sprints and hurdles, as well as the high, long, and triple jumps. During his tenure with the Islanders, Bungard coached nine Southland Conference Champions, as well as 37 All-Conference performers. Bungard also led Islander athletes to 48 school-record performances.
Throughout his career, Bungard has worked with some of the top track and field programs in the country, having spent 11 years as the Director and Head Coach of Track and Field/Cross Country at the University of Virginia, while also boasting coaching stints at the University of Texas, and Clemson University. He started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at East Tennessee State University in 1987.
While in Charlottesville, he was responsible for 33 All-America finishes, as well as 34 ACC Champions. The Cavaliers also experienced some outstanding team finishes under Bungard's watch, including victories at the ACC Men's Cross Country Championships in 2005 and 2007. Personally, Bungard was named the ACC Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year in 2001, and was voted the Southeast Region Men's Track and Field Coach of the Year the same season.
Bungard was a part of highly successful stint at the University of Texas from 1995-1997, helping the Longhorn women's program to second-place finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 1997. The year prior, the Longhorns finished third at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and second at NCAA Outdoor. All told, Bungard assisted in coaching 11 NCAA Champions and 50 All-Americans in just two years in Austin.
Early on in his coaching career, Bungard spent several successful seasons at Clemson University, overseeing 11 All-Americans and 22 ACC Champions as an assistant for the women's program from 1988-1983. The Tigers won ACC titles during the 1991 outdoor season, and 1992 indoor season with Bungard on staff.
A true student of the sport, Bungard has coached athletes in all event areas in track and field and cross country, including Kim Graham, who was a member of the United States' gold-medal 4x400-meter relay at the 1996 Olympic Games. Graham was also the U.S. 400-meter champion in 1998. While at East Tennessee State, Bungard led Angela Baker to top honors in the shot put at the 1988 NCAA Indoor Championships.
Bungard earned a B.S. in Education from Virginia Tech University in 1987, before completing his M.Ed. at East Tennessee State in 1988.
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