Josh Jones enters his 17th season at the helm of the Pacific cross country team in 2025 and his 13th with the track program. Jones was hired on June 22, 2009 as Head Coach and was transitioned to Director of Cross Country and Track & Field prior to the 2025 season.

CROSS COUNTRY
Jones has had a multitude of successes with the Pacific cross country program both on and off the course. Under his guidance, the program has seen numerous records fall and personal bests set, including a program-record 6k time of 21:07.2 by Jasmine Gonzalez at the 2019 Bronco Invitational. 

In the classroom, Jones' Tigers have won have earned six USTFCCCA Team All-Academic awards and multiple all-conference awards between the Big West and WCC. Under his guidance, the cross country program had a string of 13 consecutive scores in the NCAA's Student-Athlete Graduation Success Rate (GSR).

In total, Jones has coached 30 runners in NCAA West Regionals, including five in 2021. That season, senior Emma Winkler recorded a 21:43.4 time on a 6,000-meter course, which ranked fifth-best all-time.

In 2019, senior Jasmine Gonzalez set the Pacific record in the 6,000 meters at 21:07.2. 

The 2017 season ended as the best in program history, as Jones led the Tigers to a seventh-place finish at the WCC Championships with 224 points.

In 2015, senior Mia Knipper set the Pacific 5,000-meter record that still stands at 18:00.4.

The previous best WCC finish was in the 2014 season when the Tigers ran their way to an eighth-place finish at the 2015 WCC Championships. Lindsay Wourms finished in 43rd with a time of 23:01, the best individual performance in program history at the time. Wourms ranks second all-time at both the 5,000 and 6,000 meter distance, setting the record at 5,000 meters as a freshman and the 6,000-meter mark, as a junior in 2014.

TRACK
Jones has guided a string of track athletes to personal bests in his 13 years with the program, and most recently, five Pacific records were tied or broken in the 2025 season. The 2022 team also set three Pacific indoor records.

PERSONAL

Jones was the head track and field coach at Hannibal-LaGrange College in Hannibal, Missouri, from August to December of 2007, designing and implementing the program while doubling as a professor in physical education. Since returning to the Stockton area in December of 2007, Josh has been a physical education teacher at Kohl Elementary School in Stockton and served in the same capacity in Tracy from August of 2004 to August of 2007.

Earlier in 2004, he served as a volunteer coach at Sacramento State with the track and field team, working with multi-eventers and pole vaulters. He began his college coaching career at Liberty University as an assistant track coach from 2001 to 2003.

An outstanding track athlete, Jones was a National Junior College Decathlon Champion at Mesa College in Mesa, Arizona, and was a two-time Junior College All-American. He also excelled at Liberty University as a student-athlete, earning NCAA Division I All-America honors in 2000. He graduated from Liberty University with a degree in physical education. Jones received his master's in exercise science in 2007 from California University of Pennsylvania.

He resides in Stockton with his three children: Mason, Micah and Morgan.

THE JOSH JONES FILE

Coaching Experience

Pacific Highlights

• 30 NCAA West Regional runners
• Six USTFCCCA Team All-Academic awards

Coaching History - Women's Cross Country & Track