SALEM, W.Va.- Salem University Athletic Director, Steve Potts, has named Marshall Leonard as the new head coach for Track and Field and Cross Country.
Leonard has 20 years of coaching experience including Nash Central, Northern Nash, Southampton and T.L Hanna High Schools. He previously was the head coach at North Carolina Wesleyan College (D3), where he started the men's team Cross Country team in 2017 and men's and women's track program in 2021. In the programs' first year, the men's team placed eighth and the women's team placed sixth in the largest D3 conference in America. In 2019, his team beat eight division 1 programs and 28 division 2 programs.
"Marshall has a proven track record of building and sustaining championship excellence. His coaching values and philosophies align perfectly with our mindset and culture," said Potts "Our search committee was determined to find someone who will provide our student-athletes with the best experience possible, and I believe we've found that in Marshall."
Leonard had a successful career as a track athlete at Northern Nash High School. He competed in many conference, regional and state championships. After this, he returned to his alma mater as coach to help lead them to a state championship. He then attended Anderson College before going into the United States Navy for four years. During this time, he achieved the status of Quartermaster Second Class Petty Officer.
After returning home, Leonard began coaching again at Nash Central. While there, he helped his team get multiple state titles in different events. While coaching here, he returned to school to finish his degree in Health and Physical Education at Barton College.
Leonard places recruiting at a top priority. He takes pride in his ability to recruit internationally. Over the past few years, he has had athletes from: Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Moldova, Japan, Argentina, Venezuela, Jamaica, and South Korea. He also strives to have a disciplined team that represents the school in the best way possible.
