Donald Bond is in his ninth year as an assistant coach for the Spartan track and cross country programs. Bond, who rejoined the NSU staff in 2015-16, coaches the distance runners for the NSU men and women and serves as associate head cross country coach.
In his current stint with the track and cross country programs, Bond has helped the Spartans win three MEAC cross country titles. The NSU men extended their own MEAC record by winning their 12th and 13th cross country championships in 2017 and 2019, respectively. The Spartan women made it an NSU sweep in 2019, as they, too, also won the MEAC cross country championship. Meshack Kipchirchir and Martha Bissah swept the conference cross country individual titles in leading the Spartans to the two team crowns.
On the track, Anteneh Girma set a new school record in the 10,000 meters in 2018, and freshman Evans Cheruiyot swept the conference 5K and 10K outdoor gold medals at the 2019 MEAC Outdoor Championships. In 2020, Fridah Koech set a new school indoor record in the 5,000 meters.
Bond coached at NSU from 2003-06 before accepting a position at MEAC rival Hampton University. He worked with both the Hampton men’s and women’s track and field and cross country programs over the course of two stints with the Pirates, from 2006-09 and 2012-14. Under his direction, both Benita Taylor and Ce’aira Brown earned second-team All-America honors in the 800 meters. Bond helped the HU women win the 2006 MEAC cross country title and finish as runner-up in 2012. He also assisted on several MEAC track and field championship teams at HU.
In his prior stint at NSU, Bond helped the Spartan men win three straight MEAC cross country titles (2003-05) and contributed to the 2006 sweep of the MEAC men’s indoor and outdoor track and field titles. He helped coached two MEAC Cross Country Most Outstanding Performers, Joseph Terer and David Kemboi. Kemboi also earned NCAA All-Southeast Region honors in 2005.
After his first stint at Hampton, Bond was the head track & field coach at Woodrow Wilson High School in Portsmouth, Va. Wilson won two Eastern District titles – one each in indoor and outdoor track – for the first time in school history. He also coached just the second All-American in school history.
In 2009, Bond coached the Nubian Club, an AAU boys cross country team, to a national championship – marking the first time that a primarily African-American boys cross country team won a national AAU title.
Before that, Bond coached cross country and track & field at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Va. He coached the Bookers in 2003 and 2004, after spending 1999-2002 at nearby Lake Taylor High School as the head cross country coach.
Prior to that, Bond was a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, Div. II St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C. for three years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from St. Augustine’s in 1986.
Bond was a four-time All-CIAA cross country performer at St. Augustine’s, and he also saw success during the indoor track season. In addition to being the CIAA runner-up in cross country in 1983, Bond was runner-up in the 2-mile run in 1984. He then won the CIAA title in both the 3,000-meter run and 5,000-meter run in 1985, as well as taking the 10,000-meter run title in 1986.
During his time at St. Augustine’s, Bond helped the cross country team win four CIAA team titles, while the track team won two indoor CIAA crowns and four outdoor championships. He was also a member of the 1985 St. Augustine’s squad that won the 1985 NCAA Division II indoor national championship.
Bond has remained a competitive runner in his adult years. In 2012, Bond ranked fifth in the nation in the Masters Division in the 1,500 meter run with a 4:40.08, while ranking 10th nationally in the 800-meter run with a 2:16.00. He also ran a 57.86 in the Masters 400-meter dash to rank 18th nationally.
In July of 2013, Bond won the gold medal in both the 400-meter dash and 1,500 meter run at the Senior Games, and he was named a U.S. Track & Field All-American in the indoor 60-meter dash.
