Head track and field coach, Jeff Buck, aims to repeat district and conference placements as well as qualify as much as possible through teamwork, dedication, and motivation.
Jeff Buck is the seventh grade civics teacher at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School and also coaches cross country and track and field at George Mason. This will be Buck’s second year coaching at Mason and first year as head cross country and track coach.
A two-time track and cross country captain at Unionville High School in Pennsylvania, Buck was a key a element to both teams; contributing both years to the league championships and also setting the school record for the Distance Medley Relay with a time of 10:38. He went to East Stroudsburg University, a D II college in Pennsylvania, competing in both cross-country and track & field. Buck made the PSAC XC conference team both junior and senior years in college and was also team captain for three years when he won the coaches award his senior year.
“Just to start: Coach Buck is one my favorite coaches here at George Mason. He has done such a great job building up both the Cross Country and Track program,” said Junior track and field and cross country runner, Blaise Sevier. “His positive nature is contagious. You will never see him without a smile, and is always encouraging the runners around him. Coach Buck is always one to make the team work. From core after practice to encouraging running on the weekend, he makes sure that we are doing our best.”
Though these key team mottos are both very different, Buck believes in both individual hard work and teamwork. “The effort and time you put into practice will show on the track or in the field, [you] can’t rely on talent alone in the sport…although track and field can be a very individual sport, if a team wants to be successful they need those individuals to work together; both coaches and athletes.”
“Running is as much of a team sport as soccer and basketball– he make sure that we are supportive and always help our teammates on and off the track,” said Sevier.
For the boys’ team, Buck aims to place in the top three at districts and conferences and qualify as many as possible for states. He says he looks to achieve this through Mason’s strong mid-distance and relay teams.
On the girls side, his goal is to repeat as district and conference champions, looks to place for the top five at regionals and also qualify as many athletes possible for states. He plans to do this through Mason’s strong sprinters, mid-distance and distance runners, and jumps .
“On the girl’s side we are very strong in almost all of our events. We have lots of postseason experience and some promising underclassmen talent. On the boy’s side, it is a rebuilding year after a very successful previous season. We have a large amount of boys coming out for the team so we are very excited to see what kind of new talent we might have,” said Coach Buck.
