Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women's Track & Field
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- jguarino@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.2250
John Guarino enters his second season as the assistant coach for the women’s track and field program. His responsibilities include coaching the sprinters and jumpers, and he will also serve as the recruiting coordinator.
During the 2008 season, Guarino guided a slew of athletes to numerous successes, highlighted by Janice Keppler's MAC Indoor Pole Vault Championship title. Keppler also finished second outdoors. The 4x400 team of Dejaa Shearer, Beverly Elcock, Jasmine Gates and Beverly Elcock finished third at the 2008 Indoor and Outdoor MAC Championship. Five of his athletes earned top-five MAC finishes, including Lockhart (Pentathlon), Andrea Wheeler (60-meter hurdles), Shearer (400-meters) and Gates (High Jump).
Guarino comes to EMU from the University of Central Florida. While at UCF, he coached four athletes in five events to the NCAA Regional meet. He also coached six different athletes to All-Conference USA honors including the 4x400-meter relay team in 2006. In addition, he also coached Ann Larsen, a three-time U.S. National qualifier in the high jump. He also coached four Atlantic Sun Conference Champions and 10 all-conference honorees in just one year.
Prior to his stint at UCF, he spent one year as a graduate assistant coach at Florida State. While there, he helped develop the female sprinters and the men’s 800-meter athletes.
Before going to FSU, Guarino served as head coach at his alma mater, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and led them to six consecutive state titles from 1998-2003. In 2000, the team was ranked second in the country, and for his efforts, he received the Florida Girl’s Track Coach of the Year award four times. While at St. Thomas Aquinas, he coached Sanya Richards, the junior American record holder in the 400 meters and an Olympic gold medalist in the 4x400-meter relay. Under Guarino, Richards had a personal high school best 400 meter time of 50.69 and won the silver medal at the 2002 World Junior Championships.
At St. Thomas, he coached four high school All-Americans, a national championship relay team (4x200-meters) and state champions in 11 different events. He also coached the boys and girls cross country teams and the Ultimate Flyers Track Club each of his years.
Guarino graduated with a Bachelor’s of Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1993 and then went on to receive a Master of Sports Administration in 2004 from Florida State.
While at Georgia Tech, he competed for two years as a 400 and 800-meter runner. He was a four-year letter winner in track and field and cross country at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
He holds a USA Track and Field Level II certification in sprints, hurdles, relays and jumps.
Guarino currently resides in Ypsilanti.
