Jim Spisak has served as assistant coach for distance with Duquesne University's men's and women's cross country and track and field programs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, since July 2023. A 2014 Duquesne graduate, he returned to his alma mater after previous coaching work at Pitt and Point Park. He was a volunteer assistant at Pitt from 2014 to 2015, then joined Point Park in 2018, serving as an assistant coach, head coach from August 2019 to 2021, and again as an assistant from 2021 to 2023. At Point Park, he helped lead the program to its first River States Conference men's outdoor track and field title in 2019 and to consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023.
As a runner at Duquesne, Spisak was a three-time NCAA national qualifier who still holds school records in the 1500 meters, 5,000 meters, and 10,000 meters. He reached the NCAA final in the 10,000 meters in 2014 after finishing as regional runner-up, becoming the second Duquesne men's track and field athlete to advance to an NCAA final. That same year, he won Atlantic 10 titles in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and earned Duquesne Student-Athlete of the Year honors for 2013-14. After college, he competed professionally, qualified three times for the U.S. Olympic Trials, finished as the top American at the 2018 Pittsburgh Marathon, and won the Pittsburgh Great Race three times. Spisak earned his bachelor's degree in secondary social studies education and was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American.
