Jeff Magley is entering year seven with the Warriors, and his 25th season of collegiate coaching in the 2024-25 season. Magley has an experienced resume in coaching, leading several teams to conference championships, including the spring of 2021 as Magley was named GSAC Coach of the Year after Jessup captured the first GSAC title in program history.
"I am blessed to be part of a Christ-Centered program that develops great Christian leaders through the medium of athletics,” said Magley. “This has been a long-time career goal for me, and to have the opportunity to fulfill that goal with the Warriors is very exciting and truly a blessing."
Coaching Experience
The 2023-24 season was filled with national qualifiers for the Warriors, beginning in the fall when senior Azalea Prince returned to Vancouver for her second NAIA Cross Country National Championship berth. Prince made another trip to nationals in the spring, this time with teammates Erica Waseq and Paloma Baumert, as the Warriors sent three athletes to the NAIA Indoor Track & Field National Championship. Waseq and Baumert qualified again in outdoor competition, while Jessica Pedretti, Julia Pisenti, and Gianni Miles joined them in Jessup's final NAIA meet. It was there in Indiana where the highlight of the season occured, as Pisenti ended her freshman season with a national runner-up finish and All-American selection in the women's discus. Pisenti also made history at the GSAC Championship where she earned Field Athlete of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Overall Athlete of the Year honors.
Magley guided the Warriors to a successful Cross Country season in 2022, ending with Azalea Prince earning her third All-GSAC selection. It was a highlight season for Prince, which included a new lifetime PR and GSAC Runner of the Month honors for October. The Warriors continued to progress throughout the season, with a new PR being set by at least one runner in each race. Prince would add to her accolades in the spring, qualifying for nationals twice in both indoor and outdoor competition. Magley guided five Warriors to secure a trip to the NAIA National Championship in Indiana, four punching their ticket for at least the second time in their career. The year also saw Jessica Pedretti claim GSAC Field Athlete of the Year honors, and Erica Waseq was named GSAC Freshman of the Year.
The 2021-22 season saw continued success for the Warriors, beginning with the cross country season in the fall. Ryan Hanks was twice voted the GSAC Runner of the Month, and later capped off his year with the GSAC's Cliff Hamlow Champions of Character Award. Azalea Prince earned her second consecutive All-GSAC honors, clinching a trip to the NAIA National Championship. On the track, Magley guided Rachel Travis to two All-American honors in the pole vault (indoor and outdoor). Thrower Michelle Flint captured GSAC gold and was named the Women's Field Athlete of the Year by the GSAC. Flint later received honors from the USTFCCCA as West Region Field Athlete of the Year. Jessup also took a program record seven runners to the NAIA National Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama, including two (Rachel Travis, Alexis Jones) who were making their second appearance.
Jessup's 2020-21 season was historic for both the Cross Country and Track & Field programs. Magley and the coaching staff spent the summer months refurbishing Jessup's on campus cross country course, which officially opened in October of 2020 for the Warrior Invitational. The cross country season was capped off by Allison Eskenazi and Azalea Prince earning All-GSAC honors. Both the men's and women's teams earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors in 2020.
On the track in 2021, Jessup made history as the women's track team captured the first GSAC Championship in program history. Women's Track & Field also cracked the top-10 of the USTFCCCA coaches poll for the first time in program history. In addition to the team title, five Warriors qualified for the Indoor National Championship, while six qualified for the Outdoor National Championship. The year was capped off by Bailey Cossentine winning her second consecutive national title in the marathon. The Warriors featured 12 GSAC scholar-athletes in 2021. Magley was named the GSAC Women's Track and Field Coach of the Year following the 2021 season.
The 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19, but not before the Warriors made their presence felt with fall and winter National Championship appearances. For the third straight year, the Warriors had an individual qualify for the Cross Country National Championships followed by a program-first All-American at the NAIA Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships. During the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season, the Warriors had six women qualify for the NAIA Indoor National Championships, the most in school history, where they also recorded their highest team finish in school history. In addition, senior Vendela Williams earned the program’s first-ever Indoor All-American honor with her 7th place finish in the pentathlon, and the Warriors qualified their first-ever relay team to the National Championships while breaking the school record on their way to South Dakota. During the 2020 indoor season, the Warriors broke 16 school records, the most in school history, and set 37 new all-time top 10 marks.
The Warriors also had a stellar 2019-20 season in the classroom, with the women's cross country team leading the way earning USTFCCCA All-Academic recognition with the best GPA in the country. The men's cross country team and the men's and women's track & field teams also earned USTFCCCA and NAIA Daktronics All-Academic Team Honors. Individually, the women's team earned six USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the most of any school in the GSAC, and had eleven women and five men earn Daktronics NIAIA Scholar-Athlete honors. The men's and women's teams also had 16 GSAC Scholar-Athletes to lead the conference. The Warriors also had their first two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, with Bailey Cossentine and Vendela Williams earning 1st team honors.
In 2018-19, his inaugural season with Jessup, Coach Magley led the Warriors to new heights as the team set numerous program firsts throughout the year. The season was highlighted by the highest team finishes at the GSAC Track & Field Championships in school history. The women's team finished 2nd, and the men's team finished 3rd, improving from their 5th place finishes the year before Magley's arrival. The year was compiled of seven individuals making National appearances, one national title winner, two All-Americans, four GSAC individual champions, and 21 All-GSAC honorees. During the season, the men and women broke 17 new school records while rewriting the record books with 79 new top 10 all-time marks. Bailey Cossentine became the first athlete of any sport in school history to win an NAIA National Championship with her victory in the Marathon, and teammate Vendela Williams, who earned All-American honors heptathlon, led the women's team to their first-ever top-25 team finish at the national meet. Cossentine and Williams were also the first two women in school history to qualify for the NAIA Indoor National Championships.
Prior to Jessup
Before joining the Warriors, Magley served as the Head Coach for Sacramento State. In his three seasons in charge, the Hornets won the 2016 Women's Indoor Big Sky Conference Championship and the 2017 Men's Outdoor Big Sky Conference Championship. Magley was named Big Sky Coach of the Year by his peers two out of his three years. Overall, in those three seasons at the helm of the Hornets, Magley coached two NCAA All-Americans, 25 NCAA national qualifiers, and 20 individual Big Sky Conference champions. His men's and women's teams earned 41 all-conference honors, broke eight new school records, and set 140 new top 10 all-time marks. Magley's teams also excelled in the classroom, with 21 student-athletes earning USTFCCCA All-Academic honors and the men's and women's cross-country teams earned All-Academic team honors each of his three years at the helm.
Magley started his time with the Hornets as an assistant coach working with the throwers. During his ten years as an assistant coach, Magley was on staff for 17 Big Sky Conference championships teams, coached two NCAA All-Americans, 3 USA national qualifiers, and five USA junior national qualifiers. Magley's throwers qualified for the NCAA national championships 42 times, set five Big Sky Conference records, won 17 Big Sky Conference individual championships, earned 51 all-conference honors, and broke 27 school records, all while excelling in the classroom as 12 throwers earned Academic All-American honors.
Prior to Sacramento State, Magley served as an assistant coach at Slippery Rock University in the cross country and track and field programs from 2000-2005. During those five years, The Rock won three conference championships. Magley's throwers and multi-event athletes also made 10 NCAA national appearances, won nine individual conference championships, earned 63 all-conference honors, and broke three conference records and three school records.
As a graduate student at the University of Northern Colorado, he served a season with the Bears as a volunteer assistant for track and field. Before that, he was a volunteer assistant for one season at Santa Barbara High School, where he started his coaching career.
3X Conference Coach of the Year
2 NAIA National Champions
4 NCAA Division I All-Americans
8 NAIA All-Americans
23 Conference Team Championships
82 Individual Conference Championships
274 All-Conference Honors
126 National Qualifiers
55 Academic All-Americans
Student-Athlete & Personal
Familiar to the GSAC, Magley graduated from conference foe, Westmont College, in 1998 with a degree in Kinesiology and competed in the decathlon where he was awarded GSAC All-Conference honors. He went on to get his Master of Arts in Physical Education at the University of Northern Colorado.
From Enumclaw, WA, Magley now resides in Sacramento with his wife Lisa and four children; Ashley, Kelsey, Brynley, and Sadie. In his free time, he enjoys family, all outdoor activities, all sports, and reading.
