Vicky Pounds is in her eighth season with Clemson’s track and field and cross country program in 2026-27, serving as an assistant coach for cross country and the distance events. Since joining the Tigers, Pounds has helped build a consistently improving distance group while supporting the development of Clemson’s men’s and women’s cross country teams.
The 2025-26 season was one of the strongest of Pounds’ Clemson tenure. Silvia Jelelgo earned All-ACC honors after finishing third at the ACC Championships, placed fourth at the NCAA Southeast Regional and advanced individually to the NCAA Championships. Jelelgo finished 18th nationally in the 6K to earn NCAA All-American honors. Clemson’s women placed eighth at the Southeast Regional, while the men finished 15th.
Pounds’ distance athletes also made a significant impact on the track. Gladys Chepngetich won the ACC Indoor 800 meters and then captured the NCAA Indoor 800-meter championship. Nancy Cherop won the ACC Indoor 3,000 meters and earned Second Team All-America honors in the 5,000 meters outdoors. Chepngetich and Cherop helped lead Clemson’s women to ACC Indoor and Outdoor team championships in 2025-26.
In 2021-22, Pounds guided Josie Wirtz to a breakthrough season that included a top-10 Clemson mark in the 5,000 meters at the Penn Relays. Earlier, John Ward established himself among the fastest milers in Clemson history, while Pounds helped Meredith Finley, Riley Coggin and Wirtz make substantial year-to-year progress. Her cross country teams have also produced numerous personal bests and strong individual and team finishes since her arrival.
Before joining Clemson, Pounds spent seven seasons at the University of Montana. She coached the distance events and the men’s cross country program before assuming responsibility for the women’s cross country program in 2016. During her time in Missoula, she helped develop student-athletes across the cross country and middle-distance events.
Before entering coaching, Pounds was a world-class middle-distance runner for Canada and the University of Alabama. She was a 14-time All-American and six-time Southeastern Conference champion, recording personal bests of 2:02.00 in the 800 meters and 4:11.78 in the 1,500 meters. A two-time Canadian 800-meter national champion, Pounds represented Canada at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain.
A native of Leduc, Alberta, Pounds and her husband, Jason, have two daughters, Madison and Morgan, and a son, Teigen.