Casey Kear enters his first season as an assistant coach with the UC Irvine track & field team in 2019-20. He will lead UCI's men's and women's distance programs.
Kear joins the 'Eaters after spending the past 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. The 49ers also won the Big West team title in men's and women's track & field during his tenure.
Prior to his time at LBSU, Kear was 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 was also previously an assistant coach at Point Loma Nazarene (2013), and 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.
