Salem College Women's Cross Country

A nine-time Central Piedmont Conference Coach of the Year at West Forsyth, Nathan Newsome has been appointed as Salem College's Director for Track & Field / Cross Country. With two stints at West Forsyth spanning 1995-2001 and 2006-2024, Newsome earned Coach of the Year honors in girls track (2016-18, 2021), girls' cross country (2017-19), and boys cross country (2019-20). He was recognized as North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A Runner-Up Coach of the Year for girls' cross country (2018, 2019) and girls indoor track (2019). Newsome developed 54 student athletes for collegiate success, including 40 at NCAA Division I, 7 at Division II, 5 at Division III, and 2 at NAIA institutions. Notable athletes include Tyson Adams (N.C. State), a four-time state champion in long jump with All-American honors, and Lindsay Absher (Purdue), a three-time state champion who earned All-American status. Between his West Forsyth tenures, Newsome worked at BB&T bank (2001-02), served as an assistant coach at Mount Tabor High School (2002-05), and as assistant principal at Bolton Elementary (2005-06). He also taught advanced art courses and received awards in visual arts. A Male Athlete of the Year at West Forsyth in 1989 who lettered in football, wrestling, baseball, and track, Newsome played two seasons of baseball at East Carolina, earning a B.A. in art education (1993) and later an M.A. in school administration from Gardner-Webb (2005). He qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2018

Lynette (Gardin) Johnson joined the Salem College Track & Field/Cross Country staff as an assistant coach on April 1st, leading the sprinter/hurdle group. Johnson is a graduate of Appalachian State, where she was a distinguished sprinter earning numerous awards and accolades throughout her athletic career. Her impressive achievements led to her induction into the Appalachian State Hall of Fame in 2009. She served as a former board member of the Former Athletes Association at Appalachian State. In 2012, Johnson co-founded the Winston-Salem Roadrunners summer track club, serving as Athletic Director and coach for more than 10 years, during which she coached sprinters and hurdles that ranked among the top ten in the country at the Junior Olympics Championships with many earning scholarships to Division I schools. Johnson retired after 31 years in the private business sector as a director of benefits administration. She comes from a family of accomplished track and field athletes, including her husband Linell, a former sprinter and jumper at Appalachian State, and their sons who competed at the high school and collegiate levels. Her son Jordan competed at Appalachian State as a long jumper and sprinter, holding the school's indoor long jump record, while her youngest son Brandon competes at the University of Cincinnati as a sprinter and hurdler, ranking fifth in Bearcats history for the indoor 60m hurdles.