Justin Duncan - Track & Field Coach - University of Tennessee Athletics

Justin Duncan

Title:
Head Cross Country Coach
Email:
justin.duncan@utk.edu

Updated: December 2025

Tennessee Director of Track & Field Duane Ross announced the hiring of Justin Duncan as the program’s head coach of men’s and women’s cross country on August 3, 2024. Duncan also oversees the development of Tennessee’s distance runners during the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons.

Through his first two seasons leading the Tennessee cross country programs, Duncan has guided the Lady Vols to back-to-back appearances at the NCAA Championships and coached two individual men’s national qualifiers. Across men’s and women’s cross country, his athletes have combined for six All-SEC honors, 11 All-Region performances and one All-America certificate.

The 2025 cross country season marked continued postseason success and growth for both programs. The Lady Vols placed seventh at the SEC Championships and finished runner-up at the NCAA South Region Championships, earning their third consecutive NCAA Championships berth. Freshman Mary Nyaboke Ogwoka jumpstarted the postseason run with All-SEC and All-Region honors before finishing 24th at nationals to become Tennessee’s first cross country All-American since 2015, while three additional Lady Vols earned All-Region recognition.

That same season, the men’s team finished ninth at the SEC Championships and fourth at the NCAA South Region Championships. Zouhair Redouane and Ty Steorts earned All-Region honors, with Redouane advancing individually to the NCAA Championships where he placed 78th overall.

Duncan’s first year overseeing Tennessee’s distance runners was highlighted by graduate student Zach Jaeger capturing a bronze medal in the steeplechase at the SEC Outdoor Championships. During the 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons, the Vols and Lady Vols combined for 11 all-time top-10 performances in program history and recorded four scoring marks at SEC Championship meets. Rookie mid-distance standout Gavin Genisio etched his name into the record book, setting Tennessee freshman records in the indoor 1,000-meter (2:26.15), indoor mile (4:01.38) and outdoor 1,500-meter (3:41.73).

In his debut cross country season on Rocky Top, Duncan guided the Lady Vols to a second-place team finish at the SEC Cross Country Championships which was the program’s best conference showing since 2009. Four Lady Vols earned All-SEC honors, while Ashley Jones and Jillian Candelino added All-Region recognition. Tennessee advanced to the NCAA Championships on the women’s side, finishing 26th in the team standings.

During that same inaugural campaign, Christopher Middleton-Pearson emerged as a key contributor for the men, earning All-Region honors with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA South Region Championships. His performance helped the Vols secure third place as a team and punched his individual ticket to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Prior to Tennessee, Duncan spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State where he helped the Cowboy and Cowgirl track & field and cross country teams maintain their position as one of the nation’s premier distance programs.

During his five seasons in Stillwater, Duncan helped guide the Cowboys to four cross country Big 12 titles and the Cowgirls to three league championships on the grass. The crowning achievement for the men’s team came in 2023 as the Cowboys won the NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Championships at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The Cowboys earned 49 points, the lowest winning score since 2005 (Wisconsin, 37), to secure the program's first national title since 2012. Denis Kipngetich, Brian Musau and Fouad Messaoudi were the first three Cowboys across the line with all three placing in the top 10.

In addition to seven combined conference titles in cross country, Duncan was instrumental in the Cowgirls winning their first indoor Big 12 crown in 2023.

With Oklahoma State, he mentored three individual national champions and coached OSU’s men’s Distance Medley Relay squad to a national title in 2023.

Duncan has seen his athletes garner 100 All-America accolades and win 39 combined individual conference titles in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. His distance athletes have also captured seven DMR conference titles – four men’s and three women’s.

Prior to his time at Oklahoma State, Duncan served as a graduate assistant at the University of Toronto where he studied exercise physiology.

An outstanding runner in his own right, Duncan was a nine-time All-C-USA selection in his career at Tulsa. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships of the 1,500 meters twice, including a trip to the semifinals in 2009.

He finished his career with the school record in the 4x1,600-meter relay and was also in the top four of seven other categories, including the second-best mark in the indoor 800 and the outdoor 1,500.

Duncan graduated from Tulsa in May of 2011 with a degree in exercise sport science. He and his wife, Kristen, have three children – Cullen, Jude and Evander.