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Paul Longano named Northern Kentucky track & field and cross country head coach

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky University Norse vice president & director of athletics Mike Odom has announced the promotion of Paul Longano to head coach of the Track & Field and Cross Country programs. Longano succeeds longtime track & field and cross-country head coach Steve Kruse, who retired in August 2026 after a 32-year career.  
 
"Paul's passion for our student-athletes, his championship results, and his dedication to NKU make him the ideal person to lead our program," said Northern Kentucky University vice president & director of athletics Mike Odom. "I'm excited to work alongside Paul as he steps into this new leadership role and to watch him, along with our entire track and cross-country staff, continue to build a best-in-class experience for our talented and hard-working student-athletes. There is tremendous potential within this program, and I'm excited about what lies ahead under Paul's leadership." 
 
Longano has spent 15 years with the Norse as the Associate Head Coach of the track & field program, responsible for coaching sprints, hurdles, and women's recruiting. He has trained and recruited 27 Horizon League Champions and a pair of Horizon League Championship record holders during his time with the Norse.  
 
"I am incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead Northern Kentucky University Track & Field and Cross Country," said Longano. "I want to sincerely thank Mike Odom for his confidence in me, and the student-athletes, both past and present, for their faith and belief in me throughout this process. Most importantly, I want to thank my wife, Bernadette, and our four children, Tommy, Tony, Teresa and JP, for their unwavering love, support and sacrifice throughout my coaching career. I am excited for what we can build together and for the opportunity to lead this program into its next chapter."
 
Longano recruited and developed many of Northern Kentucky's most successful track & field student-athletes, including seven-time Horizon League champion and two-time Horizon League Outdoor Championships Outstanding Running Performer Cameron Bittermann. He also coached nine-time Horizon League champion Lynsey Shipley, six-time champion Andrea Armstrong, five-time champion Megan Sullivan, and four-time champions Olivia Kennedy and Erika Nageleisen. 

Since 2019, athletes recruited by Logano have helped Northern Kentucky's women's track & field program consistently produce Horizon League champions, including seven 4x400m relay championships, six 400m championships, six 200m championships, and three 800m championships. His impact also extends to the field events, where athletes he recruited and developed earned conference success, including Julia Pohl, a two-time Horizon League high jump champion and the 2022 Horizon League indoor freshman of the year, and Demondrea Starnes, a two-time Horizon League triple jump champion.  
 
Longano has spent his entire track & field coaching career in the greater Cincinnati area. Before arriving at Northern Kentucky, he served as the head cross country and track & field coach at Mount Saint Joseph (MSJ), where the program broke 46 school records, claimed 17 individual conference titles, saw two student-athletes named field-event athletes of the year and two national qualifiers under his leadership. Before his time at MSJ, Longano was an assistant at Xavier University, where he completed his master's degree in Sports Administration and coached student-athletes who went on to set 25 program records.  
 
Longano also earned experience at Ohio high schools, Mariemont and Taylor, where his athletes won 73 conference, 44 district, and four regional championships, including one athlete who finished runner-up at the State Championships. The teams he coached won 11 conference, seven district, four regional, and one state title. In 2005, he was named CHL Cross Country Coach of the Year and City of Cincinnati Boys' Division II Coach of the Year. 
 
FOLLOW NKU NORSE TRACK & FIELD 
Get in the game and follow Northern Kentucky's NCAA Division I track & field teams through @NKUNorseXCTF on Twitter, @nkunorsexctf on Instagram, Northern Kentucky University Cross Country/Track & Field on Facebook, and subscribe to the NKU Norse YouTube channel. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Julia Pohl

Julia Pohl

Senior
Cameron Bitterman

Cameron Bitterman

Senior
Olivia Kennedy

Olivia Kennedy

Senior

Players Mentioned

Julia Pohl

Julia Pohl

Senior
Cameron Bitterman

Cameron Bitterman

Senior
Olivia Kennedy

Olivia Kennedy

Senior