STATESBORO – Georgia Southern Track and Field and Cross Country Coach David Neville announced today that he has added James Isaac and Megan Murray to his coaching staff.

Isaac will coach the jumps and multievent student-athletes, while Murray will coach the cross country and distance runners.

Isaac comes to Statesboro from Great Bend, Kansas, where he spent last season at Barton Community College. He helped guide Cougar student-athletes to 18 All-America performances and was named the NJCAA Central Region Indoor Women's Assistant Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA. 

On the men's team, Shakwon Coke and Anthony Woods stand out as national champions in the Long Jump with Coke winning the indoor title (7.83m) and Woods winning the outdoor title (7.64m). On the women's team, Nia Robinson was named the USTFCCCA Central Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year after earning five All-America honors. She was national runner up in the indoor long jump (6.19m), indoor triple jump (12.60m) and outdoor high jump (1.77m), and placed third in the outdoor long jump (6.38m) and fifth in the indoor high jump (1.70m). 

"I'm thrilled to have James as part of the new era of this program," said Neville. "He has proven himself to be an excellent coach, and I'm excited to see what he will bring as we look forward and take this program to a new level. Not only will he excel at daily coaching instruction but also in recruiting by taking the knowledge that he's gained and the connections he has made along the way."

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Isaac was the assistant coach at Hugh M. Cummings High School in Burlington, North Carolina, where he helped the school bring home three state championships and a pair of runner-up finishes. Isaac coached 26 all-state performances in his three years, capturing 19 state titles and posting nine North Carolina all-time performances.

Isaac began his coaching career at Southern Durham High School, where he served as assistant coach for four seasons before taking over as head coach from 2015-2018. His 2017 team earned a third-place indoor finish and the 3A Mideast Regional runner-up trophy. Under Isaac, the program also produced three individual champions within its 14 all-state performances, the conference Male Runner of the Year, two individual state all-time performances, and one relay team state all-time performance.

Beginning in 2015 and coinciding with his high school coaching, Isaac was the 13-19 age group coach for the Durham Striders Track Club based out of Durham. During his tenure, Isaac's Striders produced 57 national qualifiers, 19 All-Americans, three national champions, four North Carolina all-time performances and one national record holder in the 13-14 Boys 100 meter hurdles.

"I am blessed and honored to join the Georgia Southern Track and Field program," said Isaac. "I would like to thank Director of Athletics Jared Benko and Head Coach David Neville for this opportunity."

Murray was a four-year member of the University of Tennessee cross country and track and field team and a two-year member of the Michigan State University track and field team. A three-time USTFCCA All-South Region Cross Country honoree, Murray qualified for the Junior USA Cross Country team in 2017 and the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2018. She served as the cross country team captain as a senior at Tennessee and finished top-three on the team at all six meets.

"I couldn't be more excited than to add Megan to this tremendous staff," said Neville. "She has a great passion for coaching and the mental aspect of developing athletes. As someone who has had experience competing at the collegiate level, she will bring a unique ability to relate to these student-athletes."

Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, Murray graduated from Tennessee in May of 2020 with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and a minor in German. She graduated from Michigan State in May of 2022 with a master's degree in kinesiology and a concentration in sport psychology.

"I'm very excited and grateful to have this opportunity at Georgia Southern," said Murray. "Coach Neville is building a great environment here, and I look forward to working with him as a part of this staff. Coach Neville's vision for student-athlete success, on and off the track, is inspiring, and I'm thrilled for the future of this program."