In less than two seasons Gregory Lott has reinvigorated the United States Merchant Marine Academy men's and women's cross country and track & field programs. After taking the helm in July 2010, the Mariners have seen their highest finishes since joining the Landmark Conference. Coach Lott has pieced together an exceptional coaching staff, including a full-time assistant and multiple part-time assistants. The outdoor track facility has received a complete overhaul giving the Mariners one of the area’s best tracks around.

All aspects of the program have seen drastic improvements. In Lott’s first season, he led a significant turnaround with the indoor track program. Both the men and women saw an 11-fold improvement in their point output as the men vaulted from last place to 3^rd overall. Lott was awarded the 2011 Landmark Conference Indoor Coach of the year for his efforts. The 2012 indoor track season saw Merchant Marine significantly improve the point total once again as the men has proved themselves to be a contender within the conference coming just three points away from a second place finish. Athletes under his direction are literally re-writing the record books as 39 Academy Records (7 on the men’s side and 32 on the women’s) have already gone down in less than two seasons. Landmark Champions have been crowed in Men’s High Jump, Men’s Long Jump, Men’s 200m, Men’s 400m and multiple times in the Men’s 4x400m relay.  The 2012 men’s 4x400m relay team even set the Landmark Conference Indoor Record. Two Freshmen, Tomas Sanchez and Chris Cook, were named ALL-ECAC in the 2012 Indoor Track season for their “Top 8” performances in the 500m (1:05.52) and the Long Jump (22’4.5”) at the Eastern Conference Athletic Championships (ECAC), both of which were Academy Records. In Cross Country both the men and women were crowned Maritime Cup Champions in Lott’s first season. The 2011 season saw an influx of talent as five of the “Top 7” on the women’s side and seven of the “Top 10” on the men’s side were Freshmen. Both programs improved conference and regional finishes in 2011.

The teams’ success has continued in the classroom and regiment as well. In the 2010-2011 academic year, both the Senior Class President and Valdecitorian were members of the Cross Country and Track Program.  In addition to earning more Academic Star Awards at the Academy than any other program, team members won several other major academic awards (Julie Berke Achievement Award, Thomas LeBlanc Scholar Athlete Award, and the ECAC Robbins Scholar-Athlete Award). The Men’s Cross Country program was also awarded the Dean’s Award for the highest team GPA.

Before coming to Kings Point, Lott was the Assistant Coach for Sprints, Relays and the Pole Vault for both the men's and women's track and field squads at the United States Military Academy. While at West Point, he also served as Recruiting Coordinator for the cross country and track & field programs. Lott coached West Point athletes to several impressive feats. Hallie Huggins and Kaci Clark broke Academy records in the Pole Vault six times culminating in a jump of 12’2”. Ebony Thomas broke a Patriot Conference Championship Meet record five times and set an Academy record in the Indoor 200m, running at a clip of 24.50 seconds. The West Point men’s 4x100m relay team was conference champions in 2009 and 2010 coming just .01 seconds off the Patriot League Championship Meet Record. Overall, the men's track & field team won three consecutive conference titles, had an undefeated record against its arch-rival, Navy and won the 2010 All-Military Meet defeating Air Force, Navy, The Citadel, VMI, USMMA and Coast Guard.

Prior to West Point, Lott spent two years running professionally under the tutelage of U.S. Olympic team coach Brooks Johnson. He competed on the European Circuit in the 200m and 400m and had Top-10 international finishes in France, Belgium, Germany and Italy. In 2007, he ran a leg of the 4x400-meter relay for the U.S. team at The International Freedom and Friendship Games. Concurrent to his own racing, Lott orchestrated the pole-vaulting program at the National Training Center (NTC) in Clermont, Florida and coached five district champions, three regional champions and two state runner-up finishes at the high school level.

From 2005-06, Lott served as a graduate assistant coach at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind. with a primary responsibility for the sprints, hurdles and relays. Athletes he coached achieved great heights with 39 personal best performances, 20 marks on the “Top-Five All-Time List” at Valpo and five school records. While at Valpo, Lott also completed coursework towards a Master of Business Administration degree.

Lott began his collegiate coaching career at Buffalo State College while completing his master’s degree in sport administration at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. Working with the Bengal sprinters and hurdlers, he led Richard Harris to a first place finish in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2005 Division III Outdoor National Championships, becoming the first track and field athlete at Buffalo State to win a national championship since 1986.

Lott earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Business and Management from Dickinson College in 2004. He captained the Red Devils’ track and field team for two seasons and left Dickinson as one of the most-decorated athletes in school history. His accolades as a collegiate athlete include being named the Most Valuable Athlete on Dickinson's track team twice, being named the Most Outstanding Track & Field Athlete of the Centennial Conference twice, earning the 2004 McAndrew's Award (Most Outstanding Athlete at Dickinson College, representing all sports), winning the Joseph Ducharme Memorial Leadership Award for inspiring his team after coming back from a seemingly career-ending injury and being named the 2004 Mid-East Regional Athlete of the Year. Lott was a five event NCAA National Qualifier finishing as high as second in the nation at 200m, tabbing him an All-American.

Lott and his wife Melanie, who is a PhD candidate in Physics at Bryn Mawr College, currently reside in Port Washington, NY.

Olympic hopeful Wilfredo de Jesus has joined the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy as a fulltime track and field coach.

He will work primarily with the throwers but will also help with the strength training and off-season work for all speed and power events.

De Jesus, who is eyeing to compete in the 2012 London Olympics, is the 2007 Puerto Rican National Athlete of the Year. He also is Puerto Rico's record holder in the Under-23 hammer throw at 64.39 meters and brings a wealth of experience in the throwing events.

De Jesus has represented Puerto Rico at several international competitions including the Central American and Caribbean Championships in 2009 (Havana, Cuba) and in 2010 (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) finishing as high as seventh place in the hammer. He was a bronze medalist at the 2007 Junior Pan American Games in the same event.

He also has been involved in competitive weightlifting since high school, where he twice finished as national runner-up for Puerto Rico in the Super-Heavyweight class. He currently competes for USA Weightlifting during his "off-season" in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk.

His collegiate honors included the IC4A indoor champion in the weight throw (2011), IC4A outdoor champion in the hammer throw (2011), America East indoor champion in the weight throw (2009, 2010 and 2011), America East outdoor champion in the hammer throw (2009, 2011), America East Conference indoor performer of the year (2011) and SUNY-Albany indoor MVP (2011).

De Jesus earned a B.S. degree in human biology at SUNY-Albany in 2011.

Coach Lott had one of the most successful careers at Denison University in the history of their track and field program. She was a multiple time NCAA Division III national qualifier who finished as high as ninth in the nation in the 2001 Indoor Championships in the 55-meter hurdles.  She still holds seven school records at Denison, including the 55H, 100H, long jump, triple jump, heptathlon, 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay. Lott was undefeated in the North Coast Athletic Conference for four consecutive years in the 100m hurdles and was named the NCAC Most Outstanding Sprinter/Hurdler in 2003. She twice was named an Academic All-American (’03 and ’04) and garnered the highest award given to a Denison student, the President’s Medal.  

From 2006-2008 Lott taught physics and coached cross country and track and gield at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Fla. Using her experience as a cross country athlete throughout high school, she assisted with the men’s varsity team that brought home the FHSAA 2008 Class 1A State Championship.

Lott’s first coaching stint was as an assistant for the Dickinson College track and field program from 2004-2005. She helped lead the Lady Red Devils to victory at the 2005 Centennial Conference Indoor Championships.  In her short tenure, Lott coached Katie Crème to NCAA National qualifying marks in  the long jump and 100H. She also coached David Rodbart to victory in the 400H at the Centennial Conference Championships.

While her graduate work and teaching have taken the bulk of her time over the past few years, her love of running and passion for the sport has kept her active in the coaching world. Lott is finishing her dissertation for her PHD in Physics and is researching rotational motion and balance in ballet dancers conducting pirouettes.

Vince Giambanco joins the Unites States Merchant Marine Academy as the newest assistant coach for the Cross Country and Track & Field program and brings strong experience as a coach and counselor.

Vince founded and directs Citius New York, an emerging-elite developmental team based out of Long Island. Athletes under his guidance have achieved impressive feats including Ryan Zillman (4:11 Mile) and Samantha Snukis (18:39 5K). Vince also helped guide high school runner Owen Skeete to All-American Honors in the indoor 5000m, New York All-State Honors in the 1600m, and multiple county championship titles in Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track. Owen finished his Senior year with personal best time of 15:06 at 5000m, 9:11 in the 3200m, and 4:12 for the 1600m.

Vince also has experience coaching the collegiate ranks as an assistant coach for Cross Country at C.W. Post University. In just one year on staff, four athletes under his direction earned All-East Coast Conference 1^st Team honors and three other were named All-East Coast Conference 2^nd Team. On the men’s side, his 1^st Team All-ECC runners achieved notable marks (Mathew O’Keefe – 25:16, Christian Altamura – 25:39 and Raymond Coyle – 26:10). Vince also guided female 1^st-teamer Jennifer Mclaughlin to a personal best of 19:21 in the 5K and 2^nd-teamer Caitlin Smith to a mark of 19:09. Both the men’s and women’s team ended the season as champions of the East Coast Conference in 2011.  

Giambanco began his own collegiate running career competing at the University of Miami from 2006-2009 where he received the NCAA All-Academic Award and graduated with a B.S. in Sports Administration, minoring in Exercise Physiology. Vince used his remaining eligibility for C.W. Post while working on a M.S. in School Counseling.  He captained the Pioneers while earning the distinction of First-Team All-ECC Conference and led the men’s team to back to back ECC Championships in 2009 & 2010. 

Originally from Oyster Bay, New York, Vince is a Certified Personal Trainer by the American College of Sports Medicine and a USATF Level 1 Certified Coach.

“Bringing Coach Vince on board is another great step for our program,” said Head Coach Greg Lott. “He is highly motivated and has a varied background that will be of great help to our Midshipmen. There is no doubt that his addition can help our team continue on its path to the top of the Landmark Conference.”