Harvard University

Judy Pendergast '22 enters her seacond season as an assistant coach for Harvard track & field and cross country for the 2025-26 season. A former Crimson standout, Pendergast works with the women's and men's distance and middle distance groups. 

In her first season as a coach in Cambridge, Pendergast played a key role in a landmark year for Harvard's distance group. Pendergast aided senior Graham Blanks to a second-straight NCAA Men's Cross Country National Championship, as both Crimson cross country squads earned spots at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships as well. The indoor season saw Pendergast usher in more success for the Crimson, as sophomore Sophia Gorriaran, the women's 4x400m relay and the women's distance medley relay all earned All-America First Team honors at the meet, as the outdoor season saw senior Ben Rosa and sophomore Ferenc Kovacs take All-America recognition at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships. 

The team captain for the 2021 Harvard women's cross country team, Pendergast returns to Cambridge after serving as the assistant cross country/distance coach for the University of Tennessee for the 2023-24 season. The Volunteers enjoyed an excellent season with Pendergast on the staff, as Tennessee's men's and women's cross country squads finished in first place at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country South Regional Championships. Benefiting from Pendergast's guidance, Tennessee's women's team finished in sixth place at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships, matching the best finish in program history.

Prior to her arrival in Knoxville, Pendergast worked with Harvard track & field and cross country as an assistant coach for the cross country team and distance groups for the 2022-23 season. During Pendergast's initial stint as a coach with the Crimson, Harvard's women's team won the 2022 Ivy League Cross Country title, and the men finished in 17^th at the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships.