Patrick Gildea (GILL-day) joined the Chattanooga cross country and track and field staff as an assistant coach in December 2023. With the departure of head coach Andy Meyer in December 2024, Gildea took over the head coaching duties through the 2025 women's indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
In the 2025 outdoor season, Gildea oversaw Ryleigh Simmons becoming the first-ever Chattanooga sprinter to claim the 100 meter title for the Mocs. In the women's 5000 meter, Lesley Boyd cruised to first with Maddie Wheatcroft earning all-conference honors with a third place finish in the race. Emma Thweatt was named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team as a top freshman finisher in the 10,000 meter run.
Lesley Boyd broke a pair of outstanding records in the outdoor season. In March, she cruised to a UTC record in the 10000 meters breaking a 19 year-old record formerly held by All-American Shannon Wommack set in 2006. Later in the season, she would go on to top the 5000 meter mark set in 2014 by Teghan Henderson by just over three seconds.
In the 2025 indoor season, Ryleigh Simmons earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team in both the 60-meter and 200 meter dashes while Norah Haney picked up all-freshman honors on Day One in the Pentathlon.
In the 2024 Mocs cross country season, Lesley Boyd finished in the Top 10 at the NCAA South Region Championships and advanced to the NCAA National Championship where she finished 121st overall.
Academically, the Mocs cross country and track and field teams continued their high marks. Lesley Boyd was named to the CSC All-District Team. The men's cross country team posted its 32nd straight semester at 3.0 or above and 29th straight topping the 3.3 mark. The women's cross country team posted a 3.6 or better for the 25th straight semester while the track teams topped the mark for the 18th straight semester in the spring.
Boyd led the women to a third place finish in the Southern Conference Championships while the men placed fifth overall. Boyd, Maddie Wheatcroft and Jack Martin all earned All-Conference honors. Derek Mitchell, Ian Etheridge and Elli von Herrmann all earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
Gildea, a graduate of the University of Tennessee, ran cross country and track and field. He helped the Volunteers to the 2002 SEC Outdoor Track and Field title. In Indoor Track and Field, the Vols won the SEC Eastern Division Challenge. In 2003, he competed in the 10,000 meter at the NCAA National Championships in Sacramento, Calif.
He earned all-region honors in cross country in 2001 and 2002 and was named to the All-SEC Team. Gildea was named a SEC Cross Country Athlete of the Week and the Most Valuable Runner. He was one of two Vol runners to score in every race of the season. Gildea received the Vega-Watts Award given for the greatest sacrifice to compete for the team.
Following his collegiate career, he went on to compete professionally in track and field. He placed in the Top 10 in numerous competitions in 2008 and 2009. Gildea achieved international recognition, being selected to two International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) World Championship events in 2006 and 2008. He finished seventh at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 10,000 meter run.
Gildea was a graduate assistant coach at Saint Francis University from 2010-2012 where he guided numerous student-athletes to All-NEC performances in both cross country and track and field.
Following his time at Saint Francis, he was the head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach at West High School as well as a teacher in the classroom from 2012-2020.
Gildea is the director/principal of the Knoxville Distance Project where he developed a training program for an athlete who qualified for the 2020 Olympic trials.
After graduating from UT with a degree Psychology, Gildea earned his M.Ed. in leadership at Saint Francis.
“Most impressively, I was amazed by how many of his colleagues and fellow runners spoke of his character and his humility as a person and his great capacity to listen,” Meyer said. “Patrick will be a great addition to our team as a coach, a leader and a mentor for the kids in our program.”
Updated: November 2025
