Rustlers Welcome Nick Spector as Head Coach of Men's and Women's Cross-Country
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Golden West College Athletics is proud to announce the hiring of Nick Spector as the new head coach for the men's and women's cross-country programs, beginning with the 2025–26 season. A familiar face to the Rustler community, Spector returns to GWC with an impressive resume and a clear vision for building upon the program's competitive legacy.
"I'm excited to be coming back to GWC and to pick up where I left off with Coach Monique, building up both the cross country and track teams into the competitive programs they are capable of being," Spector said.
Spector rejoins the Rustlers after two highly successful seasons as an assistant coach at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS), where he helped elevate the women's cross-country program to a fourth-place national finish in 2023—just seven points shy of a national title. Under his guidance, CMS produced three All-Americans: Natalie Bitetti (2nd), Riley Capuano (11th), and Elle Marsyla (27th). Bitetti's performance tied the highest individual finish in SCIAC history, while Capuano achieved the most dramatic year-over-year improvement in the nation, leaping from 258th in 2022 to 11th in 2023.
Prior to his time at CMS, Spector served as an assistant coach at GWC from 2020 to 2022, where he played a pivotal role in the development of standout athlete Marikay Schwab. During his tenure, Schwab earned the first conference and regional individual championships in program history and finished as the state runner-up in 2022.
Spector began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Chico State, where he helped guide both the men's and women's cross country and track and field programs to top national finishes. In 2015, the Chico State women's cross-country team earned its first NCAA Division II podium finish in eight years, while the men's squad placed sixth nationally with three All-Americans.
A former All-American distance runner himself, Spector competed at Soka University of America, where he was named the school's Athlete of the Year in 2014. He qualified for the NAIA national championships seven times and continues to compete at an elite level. Most recently, he won the 2025 Carlsbad Marathon and previously qualified for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials as a member of Cal Coast Track Club.
Spector holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Soka University (2014) and a master's degree in kinesiology and exercise science from Chico State (2016).
Golden West College is thrilled to welcome Coach Spector back to the Rustler family and looks forward to the energy, experience, and excellence he brings to the cross-country program.