GROVE CITY, Pa. -- Grove City College has hired Paul Collier as head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach.

Collier joins the Grove City athletic department after working as assistant cross country/track and field coach at his alma mater, Washington & Jefferson College. He will work closely with Jessica Cooper, Grove City's head track and field coach and director of cross country.

"Our cross country programs are programs that we are proud of, not only for the achievements in competition, but also for the connected culture that runners value," Grove City College athletic director Todd Gibson said. "When we had the opportunity to meet Paul, it was clear that he loved cross country and track and field, and could help our runners excel athletically. But more importantly, he is a great fit for what the distance running program at Grove City College has always represented."

During the 2023-24 academic year at Washington & Jefferson, Collier helped lead the men's cross country team to a top 10 team finish at the NCAA Men's Cross Country Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. That performance tied the highest regional team finish in Washington & Jefferson history. He also helped lead the women's cross country team to its highest finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship.

With Collier's assistance, Washington & Jefferson produced three Presidents' Athletic Conference team runner-up finishes, three NCAA Championship qualifiers, five All-Mid-Atlantic Region athletes, four individual conference champions, two conference Newcomers of the Year and 23 All-Conference individuals.

Under Collier, the cross country and track and field teams achieved five school records in distance and middle-distance events, 49 Washington & Jefferson all-time top 10 track and field marks in distance events and 11 W&J all-time top 25 cross country marks.

Collier competed in cross country and track and field for four seasons at Washington & Jefferson. The Heath, Ohio, native won the conference championship in the 10,000-meter run in 2021 and earned conference Newcomer of the Year in men's cross country in 2019. He achieved all-conference three times in his college career and served as team captain for two years.

"We look forward to watching Coach Collier grow alongside Coach Cooper," Gibson said. "We feel that the future is very bright for the Wolverines in both cross country and in track and field."

Collier graduated from W&J with a bachelor of arts degree in English-Creative Writing with a minor in religious studies in 2023. He earned Presidents' Athletic Conference Academic Honor Roll distinction in cross country and in track and field throughout his career.