Shearer Named Assistant Cross Country & Track Coach
8/9/2019 9:25:00 AM | Cross Country, Track
MALIBU, California – 2020 Olympic marathon hopeful Maggie Shearer has joined new Pepperdine cross country/track head coach Sylvia Mosqueda's staff as an assistant coach, the University announced today.
Shearer has trained under Mosqueda through TEAMosqueda Elite for nearly three years with a goal toward qualifying for next February's Olympic Trials. Shearer left the corporate world, where she had worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than a decade, in 2016 to focus on running.
"I've had the privilege of training under Coach Mosqueda for nearly three years and I've grown tremendously as an athlete and a competitor," Shearer said. "It's not very often that you find a coach with as much enthusiasm, passion and knowledge toward their sport as Coach Mosqueda has. I'm honored to now have the opportunity to learn and grow from her in new ways as I transition into my role as her assistant coach. Pepperdine has a fantastic culture and community. I'm absolutely thrilled for the opportunity to give back to the sport, inspire and make a lasting impact in the lives of our student-athletes here at Pepperdine."
Shearer ran a personal-best of 2:45.33 at the Grandma's Marathon in June 2019. She was national champion for her age group at the February 2018 USATF XC National Championships and placed second overall. At the December 2018 XC Club Nationals she placed third overall in the masters event.
Shearer was an assistant coach with the Newbury Park Youth XC and Track program from 2017-19 and is a USATF Track & Field level 1 certified coach.
"Maggie is a positive role model who can teach our young student-athletes about resiliency and a no-quit attitude, both of which are attributes you need to be a successful student-athlete," Mosqueda said. "She's an athlete who loves the sport and truly wants to give back. I believe she's going to be of tremendous help to me and our team through her great positive energy. Maggie is a perfect fit for Pepperdine University."
Originally from Rochester, N.Y., Shearer graduated from San Diego State with a bachelor's of science degree in business marketing in 2000. She was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the honors society for Collegiate Schools of Business. She later earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2011. She and her husband Steve have two sons, Ethan and Andrew.
