Jason Munsch Named Head Coach of Florida Tech Track & Field

By  //  October 28, 2015

Florida-Tech-Track-&-Field-580-2
Florida Tech Athletics Director Bill Jurgens announced Wednesday the hiring of Jason Munsch as head coach of the Panther track and field program. (FIT Image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech Athletics Director Bill Jurgens announced Wednesday the hiring of Jason Munsch as head coach of the Panther track and field program.

Bill Jurgens
Bill Jurgens

“We’re excited about having Jason as a member of the Florida Tech Athletics program,” said Jurgens.

“When I interviewed him, I could tell he was going to be a great fit for the university and he would work very well with the track and field coaches. I’m confident that Jason will be an asset to the continued growth of this five-year-old program and develop a broad based program that is highly competitive at the national level.

“We’d like to welcome his entire family to our Panther Athletics family,” said Jurgens.

Munsch is replacing former assistant coach Nick Dodson, who resigned from the university in late summer to accept a head coach position at Brewton-Parker College.

As the new coach, Munsch will be responsible for all recruiting, fundraising and compliance for the track and field program in addition to managing all day-to-day operations.

Pete Mazzone and Ja’Mar Watson will continue to coordinate the long-distance runners and throwers, respectively.

Jason-Munsch-180-2
Jason Munsch

“I am honored and excited to accept the role as head coach of the Florida Tech track and field program,” said Munsch.

“I would really like to thank Bill Jurgens and Pete Mazzone for everything. It was a long journey for me to get here, so I truly appreciate their hard work and persistence to make this opportunity a reality for me.

“Above all, I would like to thank my wife, Priscilla, for her continued support as I pursue my passion in coaching track and field.”

Munsch has held a number of collegiate coaching positions in his career, most recently at NCAA Division I College of Charleston, where he served as the assistant women’s cross country/track and field coach.

While at Charleston, he coordinated the Cougars’ recruiting efforts along with travel and other administrative activities. In his one year, Munsch’s squad broke 17 school records and had seven student-athletes receive All-Southern Conference recognition.

Before his time at Charleston, Munsch held coaching positions at Division II Central Missouri State University, as a graduate assistant, and at Division I Bowling Green State University, where he served as a volunteer assistant.

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Prior to joining FIT, he taught science courses and served as the head track and field coach at Riverview High School in Riverview, Florida.

The 2015 Western Conference Coach of the Year for boys track found much success during his five years leading the Sharks.

Under his leadership, the Sharks broke 21 school records from 2010-15. Munsch coached 37 student-athletes to be Florida High School Athletic Association state qualifiers with 13 earning medals at the state championships.

Three Sharks earned state runner-up honors and one other claimed the state championship in their respective event.

In total, nine of Munsch’s former student-athletes at Riverview earned college track and field scholarships.

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Munsch graduated Cum Laude from the University of Toledo where he was a member of the track and field team from 1999-2003. He earned a number of prestigious awards as a member of the Blue and Gold, including the Physical Education Department’s Most Outstanding Senior Award, the Mid-American Conference Presidential Award and the Downtown Coaches Association Scholar Athlete Award.

Munsch earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Toledo. He completed his master’s in sports business administration from Central Missouri State with a cumulative 4.0 grade point average.

Pete Mazzone
Pete Mazzone

“Jason’s hire is the next step in the growth of our track and field program,” stated Mazzone.

“He’s coached at both the high school and collegiate level, so having him assume the full-time role as head coach is going to be huge as he brings a lot of experience to our program. We have a lot of talent at this school, and Jason is going to help them reach a whole new level.

“His energy and passion for this sport will make him an excellent coach, as well as a great recruiter and fundraiser for us. Jason is a much needed addition for Florida Tech.”

A native of Ohio, Munsch officially started at FIT on Oct. 27.