Georgia College

Alexander Bruno begins his fourth season as the head coach of the Georgia College & State University men's and women's cross country program.

Bruno has elevated both teams in the Peach Belt Conference and in the region since his arrival in the Capital City.  Bruno also helped create the Bobcat Cross Country Course on GCSU's West Campus that hosted the Bobcat Invitational and the PBC Championship meets in 2025.

He guided the Bobcats on the men's side to back-to-back third-place finishes in the Peach Belt and their highest final - ninth place - at the NCAA Division II Southeastern Regional Championship in 2025. GCSU also finished the 2025 season ranked 10th in the region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association as the Bobcats won its first meet since 2017 when they captured the 2025 UNG Cross Country Invitational.

Bruno has helped the women's team to three consecutive fourth-place finishes in the conference and to their best finish finish since 2018 when they came in eighth place in 2025. The Bobcats won their first meet since 2022 when they won the UNG meet in 2025.

Bruno joined the Bobcat staff after finishing up his first year as an assistant coach for men's and women's cross country as well as men's and women's track and field at Barton College. He made an incredible impact in his first season with the Bulldogs as he coached the Conference Carolinas Outdoor Men's Track Athlete of the Year. In the 2023 Conference Carolinas outdoor meet, Bruno also led several runners to top-five finishes.

Before his time at Barton, Bruno spent a year as an assistant coach for men's and women's cross country as well as men's and women's track and field at Division I Nicholls State University.  Before his collegiate debut as a coach, Bruno went back home to Bloomington, Illinois,  where he was the assistant track and field coach at Olympia High School. 

Bruno had quite the collegiate resume in his time as a double Beacon at Division I Valparaiso University. While pursuing his undergraduate degree in mathematics and secondary education, he was a member of the cross country and track and field teams. 

He continued on with his education earning a master's degree in analytics and math modeling while he continued his running career as well. Bruno capped off his collegiate career at Valparaiso by picking up three honors in his final season. He was named the Missouri Valley Conference Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He also claimed the Indoor Mile Run Champion title for the MVC that same year. To wrap up an outstanding year for Bruno, he was named the Valparaiso University SAAC Male Athlete of the Year.