Clark College Athletics announced Scott Cook as the Head Coach of the Penguins Cross Country program in the spring of 2025 after Cook spent one season as an assistant coach with the track and field program. In his inaugural season leading the distance squad, Coach Scott guided all distance athletes to qualify for the NWAC Championships. He also coached five of the fastest steeplechasers in Clark history, on top of the significant number of Penguins reaching personal records. A former Division I runner, Cook coached the Penguin distance athletes in track last spring to huge success. His athletes won two NWAC Championships with
Ryan Koenninger taking the steeplechase title and Jake Beck winning the 5,000 meters. In total, he coached eight NWAC All-American's and thirteen NWAC All-Conference athletes in his lone season. It is clear that Cook has the pedigree to lead the program into the future. "Coming off of the track season, being offered the head cross country position was such a surprise blessing," said Cook. "Inheriting such a great program with a strong recruiting class was big. I am excited to continue the success of the program."
Coach Scott leads the Penguins Cross Country program, driven by a coaching philosophy rooted in nearly two decades of immersion in the sport, starting with his own transformative experience in 2005. He is passionate about not only the intricacies of training but, more profoundly, about unlocking an athlete’s belief in their own potential and celebrating the successes that follow.
For Coach Scott, the title “Coach” is the highest honor. He considers it the biggest privilege of his life to guide and motivate young athletes, helping them shatter perceived limits, achieve significant personal bests, and understand the powerful life metaphor that running offers: the effort invested directly shapes the outcome. His goal is to cultivate an environment where athletes learn to embrace a growth mindset, contribute to a positive culture, and find successes in themselves and their teammates alike.
“I’m truly excited about the direction Scott is going to take our program,” said Director of Athletics, Laura LeMasters. “He stepped in during Track season and did an outstanding job with the distance runners. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to see how far we’ll go under his leadership!”
Originally from Indiana, Coach Scott moved to the West Coast at the age of 22. For the past eight years, he has applied his analytical and problem-solving skills as a self-taught software engineer and currently works as a data analyst at Kaiser Permanente. When he’s not coaching or analyzing data, Coach Scott enjoys playing guitar, experimenting with new food recipes, and spending time with his dogs, Jinny and Moody.
