Ep 200- From No Nationals to NCAA Champions: The Wingate System with Coach Pol Domenech

How does a team go from never making NCAA Nationals… to becoming D2 national champions?
That’s what I wanted to understand in this episode, when I sat down with Wingate Head Coach @poldomenechf
In 2021 Wingate had never made the national championships. Two years later they won the whole thing.
What fascinated me wasn’t just the result- it was the system behind it.
We talked about building belief in athletes who weren’t big recruits, the role of aerobic development and threshold training, and how they’ve created a culture where athletes just keep improving year after year.
We also spoke about the NCAA pathway for young runners- something a lot of Australian athletes are curious about.
There’s a lot of wisdom in this one. If you enjoy conversations about coaching, development, and the culture of distance running, I think you’ll really enjoy this episode. Out now on the Run Culture Podcast.
Episode 200 I might add!! Now, that's 200 conversations more wiser than when I started this project.
If you enjoyed this chat and are interested to find out more or follow Wingate College's progress over the coming years be sure to go to @wingatexctf