Methodist University Women's Cross Country

Brunecz was announced as the University's first full-time cross country coach in January of 2015. Brunecz came to Methodist after serving as the Head Cross Country and Track & Field coach at Pine Forest High School since 2010. At Pine Forest, Brunecz took a program with just three athletes and built it into a roster of over 50 and helped the program gain regional and statewide notoriety. He was named the 2011 Mid-South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year and in 2014 took the boy's program to the State Championship for the first time since 1987. Brunecz developed six first team all-conference runners and 15 second team all-conference honorees in cross country, while coaching 12 conference champions, 10 regional champions, three state champions, 40 state qualifiers and 13 National qualifiers with a National Champion on the track & field side.   Brunecz ran collegiately at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where graduated from in 2006 with a bachelor of science in education. He still races competitively and in 2013 ran a personal best in the marathon of 2:40:48 in between racing in the Boston Marathon in 2012 and 2014. Brunecz also posted a new PR in the 5k in 2014 with a 15:41. He has been teaching at Howard Hall Classical Elementary school since 2008, and he holds a USATF Level 2 certification. Jack Brunecz was announced as the University's first full-time cross country coach in January of 2015. Brunecz came to Methodist after serving as the Head Cross Country and Track & Field coach at Pine Forest High School since 2010. At Pine Forest, Brunecz took a program with just three athletes and built it into a roster of over 50 and helped the program gain regional and statewide notoriety. He was named the 2011 Mid-South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year and in 2014 took the boy's program to the State Championship for the first time since 1987. Brunecz developed six first team all-conference runners and 15 second team all-conference honorees in cross country, while coaching 12 conference champions, 10 regional champions, three state champions, 40 state qualifiers and 13 National qualifiers with a National Champion on the track & field side.   Brunecz ran collegiately at the State University of New York at Fredonia, where graduated from in 2006 with a bachelor of science in education. He still races competitively and in 2013 ran a personal best in the marathon of 2:40:48 in between racing in the Boston Marathon in 2012 and 2014. Brunecz also posted a new PR in the 5k in 2014 with a 15:41.  He has been teaching at Howard Hall Classical Elementary school since 2008, and he holds a USATF Level 2 certification.

Helms joined his alma mater's cross country and track and field staff in August 2013. In addition to his responsibities at MU, he also works at College Lakes Elementary in Fayetteville as a first grade teacher. Helms graduated from Methodist in May 2006 with a degree in elementary education. As a college student-athlete, he competed on three Monarch cross country teams that qualified for NCAA Southeast Regionals, and earned All-Mason-Dixon Conference honors for the distance medley relay in track and field. Helms earned his master's degree in physical education-sports administration at the Univeristy of North Carolina at Pembroke in December of 201 and currently holds a USATF Level II certification.