Kishwaukee College has announced the hiring of Megan Costanzo as the Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Coach. Costanzo was hired in January and will start the 2022-2023 season in her first year at the helm of the Kougars’ program.
In her new role, Costanzo brings a wealth of running experience to the program. She attended Somonauk High School, where she qualified for the IHSA state cross country and track meets. Following high school, Costanzo continued running at North Central College in Naperville, where she served as co-captain of both the track and cross country teams. Costanzo was an NCAA DIII All-American, taking third place in the 10K Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2015 while following up with an NCAA DIII All-American fourth-place finish in the 10K Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2016. She was also recognized as the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Indoor Athlete of the Year in 2015 and 2016. Costanzo was a two-time Outdoor Cross Country NCAA national qualifier, a three-time Indoor national qualifier, and a four-time Outdoor Track national qualifier. She received CCIW All-Conference status from her results in both cross country and track, along with being the two-time 10K CCIW Conference Champion (outdoor), two-time 5K CCIW Conference Champion (outdoor/indoor), and the 3K CCIW Conference Champion (indoor).
Costanzo credits her collegiate experience in helping her make immense improvements as a runner, which she hopes to pass on as a coach.
“One of the biggest things from my athletic career was that I was able to really develop as an athlete with the right coaching,” Costanzo said. “I bought into the team — something greater than myself — and that really helped me become an All-American collegiate athlete. It was about development. And that’s what I hope to do at Kish is help establish a team atmosphere and have our athletes buy into it.”
Costanzo, a resident of Waterman, has coaching experience as an assistant coach in cross country for Naperville North High School, Maryville College and North Central College. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Central College with a minor in Sports Coaching and has plans to finish her master’s degree in Organizational Leadership in May. Costanzo currently works as a transfer counselor for North Central College and saw her passion for athletics and higher education as an ideal fit for the role.
“I am so excited to join the Kougar family. I look forward to continuing to develop this program, coaching students to succeed on and off the course, and serving the community I grew up in and live in,” Costanzo said.
Costanzo said an initial goal is to connect with local coaches and reach out to local students looking to continue their athletic careers. The Kish Cross Country women’s program was started in Fall 2018, while the men’s program was revitalized at the same time after several years of hiatus. The programs have had several runners qualify for the NJCAA National Meet in three of the past four seasons.
For more information on the Cross Country teams at Kishwaukee College, contact Megan Costanzo at mcostanzo@kish.edu or 815-825-9655 or visit www.kishkougars.com. For more information on Kishwaukee College, visit www.kish.edu.