Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges

Nick Spector enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's and men's cross country programs in 2024-25.

In his first season, Spector helped the CMS women's cross country team finish fourth in the country at nationals, just seven points out of first. He coached three All-Americans, with Natalie Bitetti finishing second, Riley Capuano 11th and Elle Marsyla 27th. Bitetti tied the highest finish for any cross country runner in SCIAC history (men or women), while Capuano had the greatest improvement in the country from 2022 to 2023 (258th place to 11th).  

Spector joined CMS after spending three seasons as an assistant cross country and track and field coach at the junior college level with Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California. During that time he helped coach Marikay Schwab to conference and regional championships, the first individual titles in program history, as well a runner-up finish at the California state championships in 2022.

Spector earned his first coaching experience at California State University at Chico, where he was a graduate assistant for both the cross country and track and field teams. In his second season in 2015, the Chico State women finished in fourth place at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships for their first podium finish in eight years, including the highest finish for an individual in program history (Sadie Gastelum. 12th place), while the men finished in sixth place with three individual All-Americans. 

An accomplished distance runner in his own right, Spector earned All-America honors at Soka University of America in the 5000 meters in 2014, when he was named the school's Athlete of the Year. He qualified for the NAIA national championships seven times in his four years, and earned the cross country team's MVP award. After graduating, Spector competed as a distance runner with Cal Coast Track Club from 2017-20, qualifying for the US Marathon Olympic trials. 

Spector earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Soka in 2014 and earned a master's in kinesiology and exercise science from Chico State in 2016.