Penn State Altoona Athletics held its annual Intercollegiate Athletics Honors Ceremony on Sunday, May 1, hosting student-athletes, coaches, and department staff for an evening of individual and team recognitions.
ALTOONA, Pa. — Penn State Altoona Athletics announced on July 10 the hiring of Joey Zins to be the head coach of its recently reinstated men’s and women’s cross country program.
Zins brings a wealth of high-level coaching experience, including stints at Division I Florida State University and, most recently, Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He becomes the fourth head coach all-time for Penn State Altoona’s cross country program, and he will also lead the department’s track and field program, which is still in the developmental stages.
“I am happy to welcome Coach Zins to our department,” said Penn State Altoona Director of Athletics Brent Baird. “His passion, experience, and knowledge will be great assets to build the cross country program again and to plan for the new track & field program in the future.”
Penn State Altoona previously sponsored men’s and women’s cross country as an NCAA Division III sport from 2002-15, before the program was paused indefinitely. However, the department announced in April that it would be reestablishing cross country this year and begin intercollegiate competition in 2025. Now, Zins will guide the teams through their first season in 10 years this fall.
“I am very excited for the opportunity to serve as the head cross country coach at Penn State Altoona,” said Zins. “I want to thank Brent and the hiring committee for putting their trust in me to help build the program and lead the men’s and women’s cross country programs. I am very much looking forward to getting started and working towards the program’s future success.”
Zins’ coaching experience began in 2004 with Florida State’s cross country and track & field teams. He served as a volunteer coach for one year before taking a graduate assistant coach position with the Seminoles, which he held from 2006-08.
In August 2008, Zins was hired as the assistant coach of IUP’s cross country and track & field programs, a title he held until February 2011, when he began a three-year stint as the Crimson Hawks’ head coach for cross country while continuing as a track & field assistant. Zins ascended to head coach of the IUP men’s track & field team in March 2014 while remaining at the helm of the cross country teams. He became the Director of Cross Country and head overall head coach of track & field at IUP in June 2021, remaining in that position until this summer.
As a collegiate runner himself, Zins was a four-year letter winner at Division I Georgia Tech. He won the team’s Most Improved Runner Award in the 1998 and 2001 seasons, as well as being named the squad’s Most Valuable Runner and earning All-South Region honors in 2001, serving as team captain the same year.
Zins’ post-college running career has included several prominent races across the country, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in 2018. He has also competed in the US 12K Championships, the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, the Penn Relays 10K, the Houston Half Marathon, and the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon.
Zins earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from Kennesaw State University in 2003, after majoring in the same field during his time at Georgia Tech from 1997-2002. He also worked toward a Master of Education in Physical Education during his time at Florida State from 2005-07.
Penn State Altoona’s men’s and women’s cross country teams will release their 2025 schedules this summer. Additional information about the resurrected program can be found on the Penn State Altoona Athletics website.
