University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Vice Chancellor of Athletics Mark Wharton announced the hiring of Steve Picucci as the Mocs head coach for Cross Country and Track and Field.
"We're excited to welcome Steve to the family," Wharton shared. "This was a thorough, national search to find the right person to lead our ladies and gentlemen forward on the course and track.
"Steve emerged from an exceptional candidate pool and clearly was that choice. We're ready to get him on board and take the next progression for the program."
Picucci comes to the Scenic City from the University of Missouri-St.
Louis where he developed the Triton’s first men’s and women’s track and field and cross country programs in 2019. In his first three seasons, he produced 10 all-conference award winners and one conference Freshman of the Year while also had the school’s first NCAA qualifier.
Prior to that he was the head coach for cross country and track and field at Morehead State. He developed the sprint program in track and field and in cross country, his teams regularly challenged or beat many Power 5 programs.
“I want to thank the search committee for selecting me to be the new cross country and track and field head coach at Chattanooga,” Picucci said. “I am excited to be part of the athletics department and look forward to working with the student-athletes as well as the rest of the faculty and staff on campus.
“UTC felt like the right place from the beginning, and I am honored to be the head coach and part of the athletics family.”
Picucci began his coaching career at his alma mater Ferris State as a volunteer coach and quickly took the reigns. He turned a struggling cross country team into a top program at the conference, region and national levels. As head coach of the track team, he produced an individual national champion and two runners-up.
Picucci served as meet director for many cross country and track meets over his career and hosted two NCAA Regional Cross Country Championships.
Over a six-year period at Ferris State, a women’s cross country/track and field student-athlete was named the department’s Female Athlete of the Year. The women earned All-Academic honors from 2008-13 and the men from 2009-12.
Picucci earned his undergraduate degree in Automotive Engineering Technology from Ferris State in 2003. He graduated from Morehead State with a Masters in Sport Management in 2018. He holds professional affiliations as an Endurance Event Specialist with the USTFCCCA and is a member of the NCAA II Track and Field Championship committee.
He takes over a program led by Andy Meyer. Meyer retired from coaching in December 2024 to return to his physical therapy roots.
In his eight-and-a-half years with Chattanooga, Meyer had a national qualifier, two-time all-region performer and led 25 Mocs to all-conference honors in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field. Twenty-six of his student-athletes were named to all-freshman teams. Lesley Green Boyd claimed the outdoor track 10,000-meter title in 2023, and the women's cross country team placed second in the 2018 SoCon Championships.
Six of his student-athletes won the Dayle May Award given to the male and female senior student-athlete with the highest GPA. Five were named Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators (formerly College Sports Information Directors of America) and 18 earned CSC Academic All-District.
Patrick Gildea led the Mocs through the indoor and outdoor seasons and will remain on staff. Under his tutelage, senior distance runner Lesley Boyd set program records in the 5000- and 10,000-meter runs in outdoor track. She earned a qualification to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Region Championships in the 10,000 meter run following her record-setting run at the Raleigh Relays.
At the 2025 Southern Conference outdoor championships, Boyd went on to claim the title in the 5,000 meter run while Maddie Wheatcroft earned all-conference honors with a third place finish in the race.
Freshman Ryleigh Simmons dazzled with her performance in the 100 meter dash, becoming Chattanooga’s first-ever SoCon Champion in the sprint race. She also earned All-Freshman honors in the 200 meter dash.