Casey Kear enters his fourth season as UC Irvine's distance coach after joining the Anteater staff in August 2019.
In his first year with the 'Eaters, Kear coached Hannah Chau to All-Big West honors in cross country as she took fifth at the conference meet. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, Chau picked up right where she left off, earning her second All-Big West award, while setting a program record in the 4K and running UCI's second-fastest 6K in 2021. As a team, the Anteater women placed fourth at the Big West Championships and 16th at the NCAA West Regional, marking their best finish in recent years.
On the track, Kear has mentored a Big West champion and four all-conference performers. Chau won the 2021 Big West individual title in the 10,000-meter run, crossing the finish line in 34:53.13, which was the third-fastest winning time in Big West Championship history. Last year, Chau was also the conference runner-up in the steeplechase where she clocked a school-record 10:28.19. In addition, Anna Vogtmann took second in the 1500m (4:25.64) at the Big West meet, while registering the second-best 5K (16:32.93) in school history earlier in the season at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
In the classroom, both the men's and women's cross country squads have been named a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team in each of Kear's three seasons (2019-21). They have also combined for 20 Big West Fall All-Academic honors since 2019.
Prior to his arrival at UCI, Kear spent two seasons as the assistant distance coach at Long Beach State. During his time at the Beach, he mentored a Big West Men's Freshman of the Year and two all-conference performers in cross country. On the track, he coached the 2019 Big West steeplechase champion. LBSU also won the Big West team title in men's and women's track & field during his tenure.
Kear was previously a volunteer assistant at Nebraska. While on the staff from 2014-17, he helped the Huskers to three Big Ten track & field championships. The distance group had six NCAA West Regional qualifiers and combined for 14 performances that landed on the program's all-time top-10 list.
Kear also served as an assistant coach at Point Loma Nazarene (2013), and as the head girls' cross country/assistant track & field coach at San Juan Hills High School (2011-13).
Kear had a standout collegiate career himself as he was a three-time NAIA national qualifier in the 3000m steeplechase at Point Loma. He was also a two-time Golden State Athletic Conference champion, winning the steeplechase in 2010 and the 4x800 relay in 2008.
Kear graduated from Point Loma with a bachelor's degree in biblical studies in 2010, and went on to earn his master's degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University (Irvine) in 2013.
