Dawn Godwin is joining the athletics department as the Associate Head Cross Country Coach. Godwin will also serve as Assistant Track & Field Coach for distance runners.
Godwin found her passion for running in high school while participating in Cross Country and Track. She would go on to compete in NCAA Cross Country at Oglethorpe University. In addition to running many 5ks, 10ks and half marathons, she has completed 15 marathons and a 50-mile ultramarathon.
"Coach Godwin is no stranger to success and I am excited to have her join our team," said Director of Track, Field and Cross Country Gerald Phiri.
Godwin has been coaching since 1996, when she began as an assistant track coach at Ritenour High School. In her first year, she coached the girls 4x800m team to the state championship meet. She then moved on to Incarnate Word Academy, where she served as the Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach for five years. At Incarnate, Godwin qualified for states in Cross Country every year, with individuals consistently qualifying and earning medals in track.
Upon moving to Florida, she served as Head Coach for the girls cross country and track & field teams at Jupiter Christian School. While there, she coached several individuals to the podium in the state meet in various events including the 1600m, 3200m, 4x800m, 300m hurdles and triple jump.
After seven years in Florida, she moved to South Carolina to take over as Head Coach at Pinewood Prep. She would go on to coach an athlete to the state title in the 800m, a 5th seeded girls 4x800m to the state title, the boys 4x800m to the title, a 1600m runner up and several other podium spots. The boys and girls cross country teams also finished in the top five in the state every year.
Mrs. Godwin will also join the MVA Upper School as a math teacher, utilizing her Bachelors of Science in Mathematics and 24 years of teaching experience.
