SALEM, Va. --- Dr. Finn Pincus, who just completed his 25th year as head coach of the Roanoke College Cross Country and Track & Field programs, announced Monday that he is retiring.
Pincus will remain as a part-time assistant coach for the cross country programs through the end of the 2016 season. Roanoke Director of Athletics Scott Allison said a search for a new Director of Cross Country and Track & Field will begin immediately.
"I am amazed at how fast 25 years have gone by," said Pincus. "The phrase "time flies when you are having fun" is so true. I've been fortunate to have worked with so many athletes who have put their faith in the workouts and done what I have asked, even when those ideas were sometimes unconventional."
Under the direction of Pincus, Roanoke won 22 ODAC titles, which includes two men's and one women's ODAC Cross Country Titles, eight Women's Indoor Track & Field ODAC Titles and 11 Women's Outdoor Track & Field ODAC Championships. In addition, he has mentored two individual NCAA National Champions.
Pincus coached 13 individuals to 37 All-American honors in track & field and three in cross country. Thirty-eight RC cross country individuals earned 63 All Southeast Region honors, while 10 individuals competed at the NCAA Championships a total of 15 times. This season, Harrison Toney became the first male RC runner to earn NCAA All-American honors in cross country.
In the spring of 2001, Roanoke Hall of Famer Casey Smith won the NCAA National Championship in the outdoor 10,000 meters. Under Pincus' guidance, Smith earned five All-American certificates in track, including two national runner-up places in the 10,000m (2000), and 5,000m (2001 indoors). Smith also earned All-American honors in cross country on two occasions.
Pincus coached his second national champion, Robin Yerkes, to a victory in the 400 meters at the 2009 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships. That spring, he sent five athletes to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, including the 4x100 relay team for the fourth-straight year.
Pincus had 10 NCAA National Runner-Ups, including Smith (twice), Yerkes (four times) and Carmen Graves in the 800-meters indoors in 2013. The list also includes Roanoke's 4 x 100 relay team in 2007 & 2008 and the 2015 4 x 400 relay squad.
In addition, since joining the RC coaching staff in 1991, Pincus has had 25 men's cross country runners named to the ODAC's First-Team All-Conference squad, while 27 women have garnered that same honor. Pincus mentored four ODAC Runners of Year on the men's side and Smith, who won the honor twice on the women's side.
Pincus earned his share of accolades while at Roanoke. His latest accomplishment was being named ODAC Women's Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2016 and he earned the same award for both Indoor and Outdoor Track in 2013. He also was honored as the NCAA Southeast Region Women's Coach of the Year for Indoor Track in 2007 and 2008. He has won ODAC Coach of the Year honors between cross country and track a combined 21 times.
"While we hate to see Finn go, we thank him for his 25 years of indefatigable service to Roanoke College," said Allison. "We acknowledge the amount of work that it has taken over these past 25 years to build our track and field program to the level at which it performs today. To Finn though, such work was a labor of love."
Not only a mentor of student-athletes, Pincus has had several assistant coaches go on to future success, including current Ursinus College head cross country/track & field coach Carl Blickle, who was awarded the women's South/Southeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year three times by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) while at RC. Current Radford University assistant track & field coach Shelli Sayers '00 earned the same award on three occasions, making her the first woman to receive the award three times.
A fixture in the track & field world, Pincus was appointed to a four-year term with the NCAA Division III Track & Field/Cross Country Committee in 2000 and in his final year, served as the committee's chairman. In addition to his work with NCAA administration, Pincus has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees for ECPI College of Technology since 1992.
Pincus has also been active in the Roanoke community. Serving six years (1990-1996) on the Roanoke City School Board, he was chairman of the board for two years. Also, Pincus was a member of the Virginia Amateur Sports Board of Directors from 1993 to 2001.
--- This release is courtesy of the Roanoke College Office of Athletic Communications. ---
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