PAUL MARTIN BIO

Paul Martin is a graduate of Central Preston High School in Kingwood, WV.  He was an all-state track athlete and finished as the state runner-up in the 1600 meter run in 1990.

Paul donned the gold and blue track singlet of the Mountaineers in the early 1990’s.  After graduating from West Virginia University, he began coaching cross country and track at Grafton High School in 1996. 

Coach Martin’s Bearcats were dominant in both sports winning girls’ state cross country championships in 1999, 2000, and 2002 (state runner-up in 2001).  His Grafton girls also won a track and field state championship in 2002 as well as finishing as the state runner-up in 2000 and 2001.

In the winter of 2003, Paul took a teaching and coaching position at Preston High in his hometown of Kingwood.  In his first year at the helm, the Knights claimed a boys state championship in cross country.  This state championship was the first for any team sport in Preston County history. The 2004 track season was almost as spectacular when the Preston boys finished as state runner-up winning five different events.

In his eight-year coaching career at Preston and Grafton High, Paul has coached two individual and four team state champions in cross country.  He has coached one state championship team, three state runner-up teams, and fourteen individual/relay state champions in track and field.  He also was honored by the West Virginia Coaches Association as the 2002-2003 State Coach of the Year.

Paul and his wife Kelly are the parents of two young daughters, Taryn Grace and Allie Jade.  The Martin's reside in Kingwood, West Virginia.

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