ORLANDO – Bryan Harmon has joined the UCF track and field staff as an assistant coach where he will oversee the cross country/distance squad, head coach Dana Boone announced Tuesday afternoon.
Harmon makes the short move south after serving as the Stetson Cross Country Head Coach from 2016-22. His tenure with the program saw the Hatters achieve unprecedented success, leading both the men’s and women’s squads to strong finishes at the A-Sun Conference Championships.
During his first season in Orlando, coach Harmon welcomed in a talented crop of freshmen to go along with a rising squad. A vibrant start to the indoor campaign saw Charlotte Crook break her own program record in the 1000m (2:52.16). There were a total of nine top-10 performances in program history throughout the campaign, resulting in multiple strong times at the conference championships, including freshman Hannah Taylor’s leg in the Knights’ 4x400m squad who placed seventh.
As outdoor season rolled around, Ali Del Re continued her breakout campaign under coach Harmon, securing the fourth-fastest 5000m in program history (17:02.01). After a promising indoor season, freshman Karin Dobiasch continued to climb the ranks with the program’s eighth-fastest 800m (2:08.88).
In his seven seasons leading Stetson, Harmon transformed the programs to compete among the best in the A-Sun. The men’s program saw its best performance at the A-Sun Cross Country Championships in 2018, finishing fourth. The placing came on the back of an upward trend following Harmon’s first season in 2016, as senior Joe Beery became the first-ever athlete on the men’s team to earn All-Conference honors. Since Harmon’s arrival, multiple cross-country records have been broken, with nine of the top 10 women's all-time 5k marks consisting of athletes in the past five seasons.
Before his time in DeLand, Harmon spent two seasons serving as an assistant coach at Florida A&M, leading both cross-country squads. His impact was immense, as 36 of his athletes garnered all-conference honors at the MEAC Championships. In 2016, Harmon guided the women’s track and field program to its second consecutive outdoor conference championship.
Harmon returned to his alma mater, Tiffin, where he served as an assistant cross country and track and field coach for one season, before moving to the sunshine state.
His first coaching job came in 2006 when he was named head coach of men’s and women’s cross country at Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, where he oversaw all facets of the team. In 2007, he helped launch the indoor program for both teams.
Harmon sent athletes to each NCAA Division II National Championships from 2010-13, spotlighted by high jumper Jamil Dudley’s National Championship in the event, the first-ever athlete to achieve the feat at Lake Erie. Dudley later went on to compete at the United States Olympic Team Trials in 2012.
Throughout his career as a coach, Harmon has always emphasized academic excellence, along with athletic prowess. During his time at Lake Erie, he had six teams earn a USTFCCCA Team Academic Award, along with four individuals garnering Academic All-America honors. Fifty-four athletes earned Division II national qualifying marks, while the teams saw three top-25 finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Division II National Championships from 2011-13.
A native of Mentor, Ohio, Harmon graduated from Tiffin University with a degree in business administration. He was a four-year letter winner for the Dragons cross country team and a three-year letter winner in track and field. Harmon competed in the 2006 and 2007 Boston Marathons and is currently a member of USTFCCCA.