Cal State East Bay University Athletics

Norm Alston was hired as head coach for men's and women's cross country and track & field in December 2022. Alston is also a 2018 inductee into the Pioneers Hall of Fame with his success as a student-athlete. 

As a cross country head coach at East Bay, he has seen success on the course with the runners he coached including Cole McKain twice reaching All-CCAA men's cross country honors and Kimberly Lima reaching the All-CCAA women's cross country team in 2023. 

On the track, multiple CCAA medals were garnered by student-athletes since 2023 under Alston's direction. In 2024, Matthew Morgon earned a bronze medal in the 3,000 meter steeplechase and Jenna Rodriguez twice won silver in the 800 meters at the CCAA Championships.

Alston was a track athlete in the long and triple jump, as he represented Cal State Hayward and also has represented the United States team in overseas competitions and became a three-time All-American during his college years. His personal best in the long jump was 27 feet, 3 inches and for the triple jump was 53 feet, 4 inches. Also, he had a personal best in the 100 meters of 10.52 seconds and 200 meters with a time of 21.7 seconds. Alston also qualified for the 1984 Olympic Trials in the long jump. 

Alston is one of the most decorated jumpers in Pioneer history. He competed for the men’s track and field team from 1980-81 and was a three-time All-American. He helped the Pioneers capture back-to-back Far Western Conference (FWC) team championships, finishing off a run of seven straight league titles that began in 1975. Alston was FWC champion in the long jump in both 1980 and 1981 to go along with top-three individual finishes in the triple jump both seasons. He earned All-America honors in both events at the 1980 NCAA Division II Championships. The following year, he repeated as an All-American and claimed long jump titles at the West Coast Relays, Sacramento Relays, and Bruce Jenner Games. In 1981, he set a school record in the Long Jump that still stands 37 years later.
 
Coach Norm Alston received his bachelor’s degree in recreation from California State University, Hayward and master’s degree in kinesiology. Now Alston comes full circle in the Pioneer community being the Head Coach for Cal State East Bay track and field and cross country. Coach Alston’s goal for Cal State East Bay is to make athletes faster and jump further along with having a winning program.