Tom Guetzloff enters his fifth year as the Head Women's Cross Country Coach at West Virginia State University in 2020.
Dr. Guetzloff currently serves West Virginia State as a Professor of Analytical Chemistry, Director of the First-Year Advising Committee, Administrator of Online Programs, Special Appointment to Academic Affairs, and Head Women's Cross Country Coach. He first joined WVSU as an Assistant Professor in 2000 after a four-year spell at Mount Mary College (S.D.) in the same position. Guetzloff was named Chair of the Chemistry Department at WVSU in 2009 and held the distinction for three years. He was also elected to the WVSU Board of Governors in 2009 and was reelected for four consecutive terms.
Guetzloff has been recognized by numerous publications for his feats as a marathon runner. He completed his first marathon in Jan. of 2004 and was officially certified for running marathons in all 50 states in June of 2017. He has finished 67 marathons and counting since he first laced up his running shoes.
Guetzloff formerly played college football at NCAA Division III St. Norbert Collge (Wis.). He won three straight conference championships with the Green Knights in 1987, 1988, and 1989. He was selected to the All-Conference team for his play at the tailback position in 1988 and 1999. In his senior year at St. Norbert, the Green Knights made the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the first time in school history and he scored the team's first touchdown.
In high school, Guetzloff was an All-State outside linebacker and track athlete in his native Connecticut. He competed in the decathlon, 400 meters, and sprint medley relay.
Guetzloff recieved a B.S. in Chemistry from St. Norbert Collge in 1990 before earning his Ph.D. in Chemistry from South Dakota State University in 1996.
He developed his passion for distance running after his late wife, Christine Guetzloff, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. He gained excessive weight as a result of the added stress and turned eating into a coping mechanism. Before Christine passed after a two-year battle with cancer, he made a promise to her that he would take care of himself and their daughter, Megan. Since then, he's used distance running as a positive outlet and supports various causes with each race that he runs.
