University of Lynchburg

Mario Wilson brings 26 years of elite collegiate coaching experience to his new role as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at the University of Lynchburg, effective as of July 2025. Most recently serving as the associate head coach at the University of Virginia, Wilson has spent over two decades at the NCAA Division I level and has played a key role in 24 conference championship teams throughout his career.

During his 13-year tenure at UVA, Wilson specialized in coaching jumpers, sprinters, and multi-event athletes. He was named USTFCCCA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year twice (2010, 2020) and helped lead the Cavaliers to historic success, including the 2024 men’s outdoor ACC Championship - the program’s first ever - and the 2025 women’s outdoor conference title, their first since 1987.

Wilson’s athletes have excelled on the national stage. In 2024, Celia Rifaterra claimed an ACC high jump title and earned First Team All-America honors, while freshman Carly Tarentino secured All-America honorable mention status in her NCAA debut. Under Wilson’s guidance, numerous athletes have become NCAA qualifiers, All-Americans, national champions, and school record holders. Among them was Jordan Scott, who captured the 2019 NCAA indoor triple jump title—the first ever by a male ACC athlete.

Before his time at Virginia, Wilson held coaching roles at Clemson, New Mexico, Bucknell, and St. Francis (Pa.), with consistent success at each stop. At Clemson, he helped secure six ACC team titles and mentored NCAA champion heptathlete Miller Moss. Wilson launched his coaching career at St. Francis, guiding the program to seven Northeast Conference championships.

A former student-athlete himself, Wilson was a four-year starter on the Marist College football team and earned the 1998 Sportsman of the Year honor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Marist and a master’s degree in education from St. Francis.