Former All-American Jon Phillips returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach of both the New York University’s men’s and women’s track & field and cross country teams in 2009-10. Now in his fourth year on Head Coach Nick McDonough’s staff, Phillips’ responsibilities include helping spearhead NYU’s recruiting efforts and training the program’s distance runners.
The 2011-12 season was another successful one for Phillips and the Violets. The men’s cross country team placed second at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship, fifth at the NCAA Atlantic Regional and 19th at the NCAA Championship (the sixth-straight top-20 national finish). On the track, senior distance runner Matt Turlip earned the fifth and sixth All-America honors of his career, finishing fifth indoors in the mile and eighth outdoors in the 1,500 meters at the NCAA Championships.
The women’s teams also had outstanding campaigns. The cross country squad qualified for the NCAA Championship for the third consecutive year and finished 30th in the nation. The Violets also posted a best-ever second-place finish at the UAA Championship, as seniors Maeve Evans and Paige Zelinsky earned First Team All-UAA honors.
Phillips’ distance runners also fared well on the track. Evans, a two-time All-American, qualified for both the indoor (5,000 meters) and outdoor (1,500 meters) NCAA Championships. Indoors, senior Laura Santoski won the mile at the Metro Coaches Invitational and Zelinsky captured the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) 3,000m championship. In addition, the distance medley teams (12:10.72) and the 4x1,500m relay team (19:21.98) established NYU records.
In 2011, the men’s cross country team finished 10th at the NCAA Division III Championship, its fifth-straight top-20 national finish, while the women’s team qualified for its second consecutive NCAA Championship.
Phillips’ distance runners also flourished during the 2011 track & field seasons. Turlip won the mile at the UAA Indoor Championships and went on to capture three NCAA All-America honors. He finished fourth in the mile indoors, sixth in the 1,500 meters outdoors and was a member of NYU’s seventh-place distance medley relay indoors (along with James Patterson, Daniel McKinney and Steven Au-Yeung). Under Phillips’ tutelage, Turlip also broke NYU’s 44-year-old 1,500-meter record, running 3:45.76 in the event at the Swarthmore Invitational.
On the women’s side, Evans captured the 5,000-meter title at both the indoor and outdoor UAA Championships and earned All-America honors indoors with a fifth-place finish (team record-breaking time of 17:04.50). Under Phillips’ guidance, Evans set three more NYU indoor records (1,000m, 3,000m, mile) during the season.
In his first year on staff, Phillips helped lead the men’s cross country team to its fourth consecutive UAA Championship and to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championship, while two runners (Zach Maher and Sebastian Schwelm) earned All-America honors.
It was also a banner year for the women’s cross country team, as the squad qualified for the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history.
On the track, a pair of distance runners earned All-America honors in Phillips’ inaugural season on staff. Turlip, who won the mile event at the UAA Indoor Championships, earned All-America honors with a sixth-place finish in the event at the NCAA Indoor Championships, while Evans earned All-America honors with an eight-place finish in the mile.
A 2007 NYU graduate with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Spanish and communications, Phillips earned All-America honors with a 13th-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Cross Country Championship as the Violets finished as national runner-up. He also earned All-American kudos by placing second in the nation in the 5,000 meters at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
A former team captain, Phillips was also a member of NYU’s 2007 Division III National Championship cross country squad.
A two-time UAA indoor 3,000 meter champion (2006 and 2007), Phillips was a six-time UAA All-Academic honoree. He also earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Academic All-America honors in 2007.
Phillips, who has worked in a variety of capacities for Nike and still competes with the New York Athletic Club, is a native of Shawnee on Delaware, PA, and resides in Brooklyn, NY.
