On Saturday, it was announced by Gators head coach Mike Holloway that Will Palmer would be joining the Gators track and field and cross coaching staff.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Will and his wife Sam to Gator Nation,” Holloway said in the press release. “Will brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to the Track and Field and Cross Country programs and is a proven winner at both the conference and national levels.”
Palmer, who coached at the University of Alabama prior to coming to Florida, replaces Chris Solinsky, who recently left the program to take an assistant coaching role at the University of Oregon under Jerry Shumacher. He will serve as the Associate Head cross country coach in addition to coaching the distance runners at UF.
During his time coaching at Alabama, he developed 18 First-Team All-Americans, including Mercy Chelangat, who won national titles in cross country and on the track in the 10k.
“This is a family decision and we couldn’t be more excited to join the Gator Family!” Palmer said in the press release. “Head Coach Mike Holloway and his staff have been tremendous throughout this process and they made this decision a no-brainer. The Florida Track & Field and Cross Country brand is known and respected worldwide and we hope to add to that legacy over the coming years. We are grateful to Alabama and the people that made our time in Tuscaloosa so special, especially Dan Waters, Mike Ward, and Greg Byrne. Go Gators!”
He will have a great deal of talent to work with at Florida, led off by All-American Parker Valby.
