NEWS: Vin Lananna Hired as USATF Foundation CEO, Trevor Dunbar Named Interim Head Coach

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Earlier today, the University of Virginia announced that Vin Lananna, the program's Director of Cross Country and Track & Field, will be stepping down from his role with the Cavaliers. In turn, he has been named as the next Chief Executive Officer for the USA Track & Field Foundation.

In his place, Associate Head Coach Trevor Dunbar has been named as the Cavaliers' Interim Head Coach.

Lananna was first hired by the University of Virginia in 2019. During his tenure, he recruited and developed some of the best men's distance talents in the country such as Gary Martin, Shane Cohen, Nathan Mountain, Yasin Sado, Conor Murphy, Wes Porter, Derek Johnson, Will Anthony and numerous others.

In the winter of 2025, Martin anchored the Virginia men to a DMR national title. In the spring of 2024, Shane Cohen secured individual gold over 800 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Under Lananna, the Virginia men won the 2025 ACC XC Championships, their fifth in program history. That same season, the Cavaliers went on to place 7th at the NCAA XC Championships.

With Lananna stepping aside, Dunbar will now take over the Cavaliers' track and field and cross country program in an interim capacity.

For years, multiple coaching sources throughout the NCAA have told The Stride Report that they expect Dunbar to fully take over UVA's track and field and cross country programs once Lananna stepped down.

However, an interim label, as well as a press release stating, "The Virginia Department of Athletics will conduct a national search for the program’s next head coach," leaves far greater ambiguity regarding Dunbar's long-term role.

Dunbar's wife, Coach Joelle Amaral Dunbar, currently oversees the women's distance group at the University of Virginia.