James Snyder - Men's Cross Country Coach

James Snyder

Title:
Assistant Coach (Cross Country/Distance)
Email:
james.snyder@temple.edu
Phone:
215-204-3563

James Snyder joined the Temple Athletics staff as the Assistant Track & Field/Cross Country Coach in July of 2013 and was named Head Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Coach in July, 2016. Snyder handles the day-to-day responsibilities for the cross country teams as well as the middle and long distance runners on the track.

No stranger to the Philadelphia area, Snyder is a Downingtown, Pa., native and graduate of Downingtown East High School. During his eight years at the helm of the Owls' distance running program, the team has experienced success at the conference, regional and national level.

Snyder by the Numbers

NCAA Mid-Atlantic Women’s Assistant Track & Field Coach of the Year (2021)
Has coached 15 men and 11 women to All-Conference Honors in Cross Country
Has coached eight men and five women to All-Region Honors in Cross Country
Led Temple women to the 2018 ECAC Cross Country team title
Led Temple men to the 2017 IC4A Cross Country team title
Has coached two individual IC4A Cross Country Champions (Steinsberger, Jensen)
Has coached one individual ECAC Cross Country Champion (Moore)
Has coached women to 10 individual conference track titles and 28 All-Conference honors
Has coached three women to five All-American citations in cross country and track

At Temple
During the 2021 outdoor track and field season, graduate student Emma Gee earned All-American honors after competing in the 3000m steeplechase at the NCAA Championships. She set and re-established the school record (9:56.19) on three occasions and became the third athlete during Snyder’s tenure to receive this distinction. Gee was joined at the NCAA East Preliminary Round by Alanna Lally and Grace Moore who, along with Michelle Joyce, established new program records at 800m (2:04.62), 5000m (15:47.98) and 10,000m (34:47.59), respectively, during the season. At the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the Owls had athletes earn All-Conference Honors (top three) in every middle and long distance event, helping the team to a program-best third place finish. Michelle Joyce won her first conference title in the 5000m and along with Moore & Gee, scored 21 points in the event. At the NCAA Championships, Snyder was named the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

The 2020 indoor season was a historic one for the Owls. The women established new school records in the 800m (2:06.35), mile (4:36.37), 5000m (16:38.15) and distance medley relay (11:14.87). At the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, the Owls scored points in every middle/long distance event, which culminated in a program-best third place team finish. Alanna Lally, Helene Gottlieb and Millie Howard went 1-2-3 in the 800m and also ran on the DMR, which won Temple’s first relay title since the formation of the American in 2013. Howard advanced to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the mile where she was honored with the NCAA Elite 90 Award. The Elite 90 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.

During the 2019 fall, the men’s cross country team took another step forward in championship competition by placing a program-best fourth in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region. All five scorers finished inside the top 30 of the field and for the first time in program history, the Owls received votes in the National Coaches Poll. Additional season highlights included a team title at the Penn State National open along with a runner-up finish at the American Athletic Conference Championships. The women’s team placed third at the American Championships and came back to finish seventh in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.

During the 2018-19 track season, the Owls established a new school record in the distance medley relay and Helene Gottlieb earned All-Conference honors in the 800m and mile at the 2019 American Indoor Championships. Outdoors, Millie Howard established a new 1500m championship record and she and Gottlieb advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary for the second year in a row. Lucy Jones also set a new school record in the 3000m steeplechase.

During the 2018 cross country season, the women won their first ECAC team championship, placed a program best fourth at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional and put three individuals on the All-Conference list at the AAC Championships. Grace Moore was the ECAC individual champion and she and Kira Von Ehren also earned All-Region honors for the first time. The men placed four runners on the All-Conference squad after finishing as the runner-up at the American Championships.

The 2018 Outdoor track season got off to a special start with the Owls hosting the first annual Temple Invitational at the Dan & Shelly Boyce Track. The combined collegiate and high school event brought hundreds of athletes and spectators to Temple’s campus in North Philadelphia. A few weeks later across the city, the women’s DMR won the college section at the historic Penn Relays. At the American Athletic Conference Championships, six of Snyder’s athletes scored in individual events, highlighted by Millie Howard’s runner-up finish in the 1500m. Both Howard and Gottlieb advanced to the NCAA East Preliminary in Tampa, Fla., where they established new school records in the 1500m and 800m.

At the 2018 American Indoor Championships, the mile run proved to be a special race for the Owls as Howard led the way, winning her first conference title with a new meet record of 4:46.21. Grace Moore also earned a spot on the podium in third, followed closely by Gottlieb (fourth) and Katie Pinson (fifth). Grace Moore doubled back to place second in the 3000m race and the DMR finished third with a new school record.

The 2017 season was highlighted by the men’s cross country team winning their first IC4A Cross Country Championship. This group was led by Marc Steinsberger, who also took the individual title at historic Van Cortland Park. Temple served as host for the American Cross Country Championships at Belmont Plateau, where three men and two women earned All-Conference honors, leading the Owls to program-best third-place finishes. This success continued at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, where Steinsberger earned All-Region honors for the first time in his career, was a USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree and the men’s and women’s teams earned their highest finishes in program history.

The 2016-17 year saw a number of newcomers step up in their first year competing in the Cherry and White. Freshman Millie Howard earned All-Conference honors in the 800m and advanced to the NCAA Preliminary Round in the event. She was also named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team for her accomplishments on the track and in the classroom. Classmate Grace Moore established a new school record in the 3000m steeplechase. The indoor season was highlighted by Katie Leisher, who broke the 5000m school record and earning All-Conference honors in the 3000m. Howard and Pinson also scored in the mile at the AAC Championships in Birmingham, Ala.

During the 2016 cross country season, Leisher and Steinsberger earned All-Conference honors as Temple was one of just three teams in the American to have a male and female runner on the podium. Three weeks later at the IC4A Championships, Steinsberger placed sixth and was named All-East.

Blanca Fernandez completed her storied career as an Owl in June 2016 by earning Second Team All-American honors in the 5,000m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. At the NCAA Preliminary Round, she also established a new school record in the event. Continuing her dominance at the conference level, she defended her 1500m crown from the previous spring and doubled back to win the 5,000m, scoring 20 points for the Owls. Pinson also earned All-Conference honors in the 3,000m steeplechase and established a new school record in the process that year. At the AAC Indoor Championships, the women’s DMR placed second to earn All-Conference recognition.

In the fall of 2015, Fernandez completed an undefeated regular season prior to earning All-American honors with her 29th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. She became the first female cross country All-American in Temple history and was also honored as the NCAA-Mid Atlantic Cross Country Runner of the Year, American Athletic Conference Champion and Temple University Female Athlete of the Year. On the men’s side, seniors Matt Kacyon and Alex Izewski earned All-Conference honors leading the team to a program-best fourth-place finish at the American Athletic Conference Championships.

Snyder’s second year on North Broad was a memorable one for the Owls as Fernandez became Temple’s first female track and field athlete in nearly 30 years to qualify for the NCAA Championships. She went on to earn Second Team All-American Honors in the mile. At the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, Fernandez was named Track Performer of the Meet after winning both the mile and 3000m in meet-record times. Snyder’s athletes broke three school records during the indoor campaign (mile, 3000m, 5000m) and this success continued onto the outdoor oval where the women’s distance group established new program bests in every event from 800m through 10,000m. Fernandez replicated her performance indoors by earning Second Team All-American honors in the 1500m at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She won the 1500m at the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships and also was named All-Conference in the 5000m.

On the cross country course, Kacyon became Temple’s first All-Conference honoree when he finished eighth at the American Athletic Conference Championships. Two weeks later at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, Kacyon earned All-Region honors and was named to the USTFCCCA Academic All-American Team. The men’s distance group continued to thrive on the track where Izewski became the first Owl in 38 years to break the 30-minute barrier in the 10,000m run. He and Kacyon each qualified for the IC4A Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

In his first year at Temple, Snyder’s distance runners established numerous school records as the team adapted to his training philosophy. Five athletes earned All-Conference accolades in the Owls' inaugural year in the American Athletic Conference. Competing in the IC4A/ECAC Championships, Jenna Dubrow (women’s 10,000m) and Kacyon (men’s 3,000m steeplechase) earned All-East Honors. Kacyon also represented the Owls in the East Preliminary Round of the NCAA Championships in the 3,000m steeplechase in 2014.

Off the course, Snyder’s men’s and women’s cross country teams have earned USTFCCCA Academic All-American Honors each year of his tenure and in 2019, the men’s (3.59) and women’s (3.70) programs both earned the highest semester grade point average in the athletic department. In 2018, Ashton Dunkley was also selected as a finalist for the Truman Scholarship, a post-graduate fellowship for those pursuing careers as public service leaders.

Before Temple
Snyder came to Temple from Florida State University where he served as the operations assistant for the Seminoles’ cross country and track & field program for a year. Among other duties, Snyder was responsible for managing the equipment budget, planning team travel, assisting with home meet management, coordinating on-campus recruiting and assisting with the day-to-day administration of the Seminole men's distance program. Team accomplishments during the 2012-13 season included an NCAA fifth-place finish for men’s cross country as well as an ACC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field title.

Prior to his summer 2012 arrival in Tallahassee, Snyder spent two years as a graduate assistant at Appalachian State University, where he assisted with both the men's and women's distance programs. The Mountaineers enjoyed wide-ranging success both in cross country and on the track, with both the men and women establishing numerous school records, NCAA East Preliminary qualifying marks and Southern Conference championships and honors.

Snyder is a USA Track & Field Level I and II (Endurance) coach and was selected by USATF to participate in the inaugural Coaches Mentorship Program held in conjunction with the 2012 Olympic Track & Field Trials. A firm believer in the importance of resistance training for distance runners, he is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and has received the distinction of Sport Performance Coach from USA Weightlifting. In 2016, he was selected by USATF to attend the NACAC Congress for Track & Field Coaches in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Snyder graduated as the '09 class valedictorian from the exercise science department at George Mason University, where he was a multiple letter winner for the cross country and track & field programs. In 2012, he completed a master's degree in exercise science (strength & conditioning concentration) from Appalachian State.

While in graduate school, Snyder’s research focused on sport science and distance running performance. He has presented his work before the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength & Conditioning Association. Snyder has also had his work published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, The Journal of Sport Science as well as the International Journal of Athletic Therapy and Training.

As a student, he completed an internship with the United States Olympic Committee in Lake Placid, N.Y., and also spent three summers working for ZAP Fitness, a Team USA Distance Running Training Center in Blowing Rock, N.C. In addition to his work with the Owls, Snyder coached Brandon Hudgins, a post-collegiate athlete who qualified for the 2016 Olympic Trials in the 1500m. He also serves on the selection committee for the Belmont Plateau Cross Country Hall of Fame and is the Mid-Atlantic Representative on the Division 1 Cross Country Executive Committee.

Snyder, his wife Rachel and son Dylan reside in Philadelphia.