Sean Cleary is the head coach of the West Virginia University cross country and track and field programs in Morgantown, West Virginia, and enters his 18th season leading the teams in 2024-25. A native of Georgetown, Ontario, he has been connected to both programs for more than two and a half decades and has built much of West Virginia's success around distance running, producing All-America, all-conference, and regional honors across cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track.
In 2023-24, Cleary guided West Virginia to fourth place at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships and another fourth-place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, where Katherine Dowie, Alexis Lamb, and Sarah Tait earned all-region recognition. The Mountaineers then claimed the Big 12 indoor title in the distance medley relay, the program's first conference championship in that event since 2021, with Ceili McCabe, Kishay Rowe, Sarah Tait, and Mikenna Vanderheyden. Cassandra Williamson earned conference honors in the 800 meters while lowering the school record, and McCabe placed sixth in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships to collect her eighth All-America honor in a program-record performance. In the outdoor season, Vanderheyden and Williamson earned All-Big 12 honors, and Vanderheyden, Williamson, and Tait reached the NCAA East Preliminary Round. Williamson again reset the school standard in the 800, while Vanderheyden advanced to the NCAA Championships and finished 14th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to earn Second Team All-America recognition after also moving to third on WVU's all-time list.
