Of all the new additions that Gary Towne has brought to the Chico State men’s and women’s cross country programs this fall, the most significant may very well be to his coaching staff. Kyle Medina—one of the most decorated distance runners in Wildcat history—has returned to Northern California to serve as assistant coach for the 2022 season.
Since starring for Chico State in both cross country and track & field, Medina has built an impressive coaching résumé. Before re-joining the Wildcats, he served as an assistant at Azusa Pacific University, playing a large role in the Cougars’ cross country and track & field programs. From May 2019 to May 2020, Medina coached at San Bernardino Valley College.
In addition to coaching at the collegiate level, Medina created a small remote-based coaching company called Simple Athletics, aimed at helping individuals and teams become the best versions of themselves through running and a simplified look at the day-to-day process. Through Simple Athletics, Medina helped guide Melissa High School (Texas) to a runner-up finish at the 2020 Texas 4A State Cross Country Championships.
As Chico State fans already know, Medina is one coach that can back up his running philosophies. Competing for the Wildcats from 2014–2018, Medina racked up a staggering amount of award-winning accomplishments in both cross country and track & field.
In cross country, Medina earned three All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) honors, and in 2017 won the conference’s cross country championship. As a result, he was named CCAA Runner of the Year. Medina was a three-time All-West Region selection, and turned in All-America performances at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Medina was just as successful in track & field. A six-time All-CCAA performer, he won the conference’s 1,500m championship three times and was twice named the CCAA Men’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year. During the 2018 season, Medina was named the CCAA Men’s Athlete of the Year (an award that included all conference sports) and earned Senior Male Athlete of the Year honors from the Chico Enterprise-Record. He amassed six United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-West Region awards, and delivered six All-America efforts at the NCAA Track & Field Championships, finishing as the national runner-up in the 1,500m (2016 and 2017) and the 3,000m steeplechase (2018).
Medina is also a prominent figure in the Chico State record books. He holds the Wildcats record in both the 1,500m (3:41.80 in 2016) and the 3,000m steeplechase (8:34.83 in 2018), and is second in program history in the 5,000m run (13:54.87 in 2017).
After graduating from Chico State, Medina competed at the 2018 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, finishing 15th in the steeplechase. He then moved to Boulder, Colorado, where he trained and competed professionally as part of Tinman Elite, helping the team win the 2018 Club Cross Country Championships. Medina also qualified for the 2019 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the steeplechase.
As a prep runner, Medina was a standout in both cross country and track at Ventura High School. On the oval, he competed in both middle- and long-distance events. He finished in the top three in back-to-back years at the CIF Southern Section Finals 800m run, and recorded Top 10 performances in the 800m at the Southern Section Masters Meet in 2012 and 2013.
Medina received his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at Chico State in 2018, and earned his master’s degree in academic administration from San Diego’s National University in 2022.
