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Coach Joe Compagni is a retired Cross Country and Track & Field Head Coach from Monmouth University, where he led the program for 24 years to numerous NEC & MAAC Championships. Compagni is still extremely active in the Track and Field community, serving as the coach for the Shore Athletic Club and assisting in and running of some of the biggest Track & Field meets on the East Coast. Compagni talks about team community, the importance of leadership, and the impact of hard work.

When do you think your team was the most successful and what do you credit it to?
3 things:

• That the school is supportive of your program. Something a coach might not be able to control, but can really can really up your competitive level. It is really valuable to have that support.
• Great assistant coaches. They were able to run their own event group independently where they would recruit, coach, and mentor their own people, so when they come together, it is a great team.
• The leadership on the team. Extremely valuable as it could only take a small group of people to take the team in a positive or negative space.

Related: Coach Hird on What Makes a Good Coach and Athletic Citizen

What advice would you give to some of those athletes that might feel lost on such a big team?
That's definitely a downside to Track & Field. You want to be able to give your event coaches enough people to train up and to develop, while also giving everyone their own individual attention. If they are a younger athlete, they should look back, self-reflect, and try to understand why they aren't getting that attention. If they do this and change what they can control, they can move to the next level.

What should a walk-on athletes' mentality be like?
There's this impression that everyone is on a scholarship, and that's just not true. For track alone, the scholarships given compared to the size of the team is jarring. There [are] a lot of people that aren't getting any help or even getting a small amount of help. As a coach, once my team was set, nothing else mattered, everyone was the same and everyone got the same opportunities. And, as an athlete you need to have that mentality that you are given the same opportunities as those who might be receiving more scholarship awards than you.  

Related: Rate your Coaches, Facilities and Campus Visits

What was your favorite part about coaching these teams?
I miss all of it. I loved it. I was really fortunate to come into Monmouth at the time that I did. The school evolved while I was there. Athletics evolved, [there are] facilities that they have now that just weren't there before. I think as a coach the thing you miss the most is the day-to-day with the athletes. Working hard but having a good time. When you are in the moment, you take that a little for granted.

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* Originally published on March 28, 2022, by Catherine Light