Cal Poly release >>>
Storied athlete and track & field and cross country coach Mark Conover has passed away at the age of 61 after a fierce battle with cancer. The Cal Poly Director of Track & Field and Cross Country has been a staple of the San Luis Obispo community since 1989 and has been the leader of the Mustangs running programs for the past 25 seasons, moving from cross country head coach to director of track & field and cross country in 2009.
Conover is survived by wife Kelly, triplets Audrey, Marley and Cordell, and countless student-athletes, colleagues, administrators, friends and fans who have been impacted by Coach Conover throughout his career.
“Coach Conover’s loss will be felt by the entire conference as he was respected by everyone and mentor to so many individuals, myself included,” noted Big West Director of Championships and former Cal Poly student-athlete Tyler Huntley. “The culture Coach Conover cultivated during his time at Cal Poly is second to none. He pushed all of his student-athletes to our limits, challenging us both physically and mentally, while at the same having a priceless sense of humor, and providing legendary one-liners. His influence on my life cannot be understated as the lessons he taught me and the experience he provided made me want to work in college athletics and try to help improve the experiences for other student-athletes. He will be deeply missed.”
Conover was a 21-time Big West Coach of the Year in his time at the helm of the program, mentoring 14 All-Americans since 2003 and 70 individual Big West champions during his career. Also keeping academic success a priority of his program, Conover’s squads featured 25 USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams and 43 individuals UCTFCCCA All-Academic honorees since 2007.
A decorated athlete as a distance runner, Conover was a nine-time All-American at Humboldt State (now Cal Poly Humboldt) and a two-time NCAA Division II Champion winning both the 10,000 meters and cross country individual titles in 1981.
In 1988, Conover was the U.S. Olympic Trials champion in the marathon after an unexpected strategic victory and went on to run at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He competed professionally from 1984-96 and was a four-time Olympic Trials qualifier.
His time as a professional runner was cut short in 1993 by a two-year battle with Hodgkin’s disease when he transitioned to coaching at Cal Poly shortly after.
A graduate of Miramonte High School in Orinda, Calif., Conover earned his bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Planning and Interpretation at Humboldt State in 1983 and his master’s degree from Cal Poly in City and Regional Planning in 1989. Prior to coaching the Mustangs, Conover was an assistant planner with San Luis Obispo County from 1989-92 and editor of The Runner’s Schedule magazine from 1992-95.
The Big West offers its condolences to the Cal Poly community in mourning the loss of Mark Conover.