Cristian Popa Appointed Head Cross Country Coach

QUINCY, Mass.- Eastern Nazarene College has named Cristian Popa head men's and women's cross country coach, announced Director of Athletics Dr. Brad Zarges.

Popa stepped down as the ENC women's tennis head coach after nine seasons to take over the cross country programs and will remain the ENC men's tennis head coach.

An avid runner, Popa has competed in numerous long-distance races, including marathons and ultra-marathons. He has run in the New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia Marathons and has participated in the last five Boston Marathons, finishing the 2015 race in 2:54:00.

Popa has also run the Vermont 50 Miler and the Chamonix 80K, which winds through the Mont-Blanc Range in the French Alps and spans 82 kilometers and reaches 6,000 meters in elevation.

Growing up in Romania, Popa played competitive tennis and soccer as a youth. He attended Eastern Nazarene College and was a member of the men's tennis team. Popa graduated from Eastern Nazarene with a degree in sociology and psychology.

Popa is a USATF member and completed his USA Track and Field Coaching Certification in 2016. He is also a member of the Cambridge Running Club based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts.