HAMPTON – Alonzo Moore has been named track and field and cross country coach for Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC), which is adding both sports for the 2023-24 academic year, with cross country starting in the fall.
Moore was a collegiate athlete at the University of Wisconsin and has been involved in the sport on every level, the college said, but the role at VPPC provides a new opportunity.
“I’ve never been a part of a program where I run the show,” Moore said.
More is a graduate of Phoebus High School in Hampton and has been the Phantoms’ boys track coach since March 2019. He also was an assistant track coach at Hampton University in 2021-22, helping with the jumps and pole vault.
According to VPCC, first on Moore’s to-do list will be the organization of the three seasons: a winter indoor season and spring outdoor season follow cross country’s debut in the fall.
“I’m talking with some other coaches trying to figure out what they have done,” he said. “Just getting input from other coaches and from there I’ll try to build off of that and see what will be the best route for me.”
According to VPCC, Moore’s experience as a college athlete showed him how important it is to have a support system, and not just for athletics. Moore said academics were hard for him, but his coaches stressed his schoolwork came first. That’s something he plans to do for his athletes.
“I’ve always had coaches making sure I address my academics,” he said. “That was key, having coaches that cared about me as a person and wanted the best for me.”
“(Academics) is important to them, whether they think so or not,” he added.
Moore earned a sociology degree from the University of Wisconsin in 2006, where he competed in indoor and outdoor track and field as well as cross country. He was a three-time All-American and a three-time Big Ten Conference champion in the triple jump. He later competed in numerous pro events from 2006-12 for the Human Performance Consulting (HPC) Elite team.
In 2008, he reached the finals of the triple jump at the Olympic Trails, finishing 11th, and in 2009, he placed third at the Indoor USA Championship.
The College also is adding men’s soccer to its list of intercollegiate sports for the 2023-24 academic year. Kevin Darcy recently was named the head coach. Women’s volleyball and softball were added for the 2022-23 academic year.
The addition of new intercollegiate sports for the 2023-24 academic year brings the number of sports the college sponsors to seven. Two more will be added for the 2024-25 year to complete its expansion from three teams to nine in a three-year span. The final two sports have yet to be decided.
For more information on VPCC athletics, visit vpcc.edu.
