By Rosie Sculco
While the Plattsburgh State Track and Field team gears up for the outdoor season, focusing on personal bests and team goals, it also adjusts to a new chapter in its coaching staff.
Former cross country coach and assistant track and field coach Jordyn Naylon has accepted a new job opportunity with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s cross country program at the Division I level.
Naylon was in her fourth season at Plattsburgh and worked primarily with the distance and middle-distance runners.
Naylon attended SUNY Cortland, earning All-America honors in the mile at the 2012 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships and two All-Region honors in cross country.
Naylon graduated from Cortland in 2013 and qualified for nationals five times between cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field.
“We are happy for her and this opportunity,” head track and field coach Andrew Krug wrote. “We expect to launch a national search for our next XC/distance coach later this spring,”
For now, Krug will take over coaching the distance and middle-distance runners as they head into the outdoor season.
“Coach Krug has a history coaching distance and definitely has the skills to train us at the level we need, and I believe the team trusts him to get us there,” senior JT Zimmerman said.
The Cards successfully concluded their 2024-2025 indoor track season seeing improvements across the board.
“There was increasing momentum built up throughout the season, and much progress was made across our team. We also saw returners provide stability and see growth,” Krug said “It was great to walk away from SUNYACs with a couple of champions and school records broken during the season,”
Junior Marissa LeDuc earned a 2024-25 SUNYAC Championship in the Pentathlon, and junior Charles Cypress earned a 2024 SUNYAC Championship in the 60-meter dash.
“I would like to finish this outdoor season strong, make sure to give all that I have to give, set some new personal bests and place at SUNYACs and regionals,” LeDuc said.
Cypress also holds the indoor program record in the 200-meter dash (22.03 on 3/7/25), the 60-meter dash (6.86 on 2/28/25), and the 55-meter dash (6.42 on 2/4/25).
“I achieved my goal of bettering my start. I won the 60m title while I was training for the 400,” Cypress said. “I can carry this outdoors because now, instead of the 60m, it’s the 100m, and my last 40 in the 100 is the better part of my race.”
The transition to the outdoor season is not always easy for the Cards.
“We have to readapt to a 400m track as opposed to a 200m track,” Zimmerman said. “Some adversity we face during this transition is recovering after a demanding season while simultaneously preparing for a whole new season.”
Plattsburgh was set to open the 2025 outdoor season on March 29 at St. Lawrence University, but the contest was canceled due to weather conditions.
“Outdoor season always brings way more energy and excitement, getting to compete outside in the fresh air and on bigger, better facilities,” LeDuc said.
The outdoor season introduces a few events that are not seen indoors, such as the hammer, discus, javelin, 100m, 4x100m relay, 1500m, 3000m, steeplechase, and 10,000m.
As the Cards continue to build on the momentum from the indoor season, they expect to have representation at SUNYACs in all of those events and at NCAAs in Ohio at the end of May.
“We would like to see our team improve our finish at SUNYACs. This will be possible if we focus on our daily routines, habits, and training to be better prepared and able to execute strong performances when it matters on meet day.” Krug said.
Plattsburgh is set to travel to Hamilton College on April 5 and open their season at the Hamilton Outdoor Invitational.
“Our goal is to leave everything on the track and place top three as a team at SUNYACs,” Zimmerman said.
