PONTE VEDRA CROSS COUNTRY

In 2024, Coach Jeff Cannada will begin his first year as the PVXC Head Coach and comes with an abundance of experience. His 15-year competitive career encompassed age-group, high school, college, post college and international success. This vast experience at various levels combined with his ability to work with four Hall-of Fame Coaches, during that span, provides a unique first-hand experience he feels an obligation to share with young and developing track and cross-country athletes.

In high school, Coach Cannada was a 7-time Arizona High School State Champion, Two-Time Track & Field News All-American and held 5 National High School Class Records. Collegiately, he ran for the University of Arizona and University of Texas and was a Three-time All-American, Pac-10 Champion at 5,000m and held the University of Texas School Record at 5,000m for 30 years which is still #4 on All-Time List. Post Collegiately, Coach Cannada was a member of four U.S. National Teams – competing in two World Cross Country Championships. In 1985, he finished 12^th in the World Junior Cross Country Championships and was the top American finisher. He also competed in the 1991 Pan American Games and was a member of the U.S. American Record Setting Team that competed at the Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan. Additionally, in 1991, was the Olympic Sports Festival Champion at 5,000m.

In 2018, Coach Cannada relocated to Jacksonville, Florida with his wife (Lisa) and his daughter (Annalise). His wife is an orthopaedic trauma surgeon and active cyclist. His daughter is a collegiate soccer player at The University of Kentucky with aspirations of becoming a nurse. Coach Cannada is a Global Account Director at Intel Corporation where he has been employed for almost 25 years.

Coach Cannada feels team culture is paramount to fostering a sustainable and successful program. Although he absolutely wants to compete for state championships, his goal is to instill and develop life lessons with these young student-athletes via the great sport of Cross Country. In his opinion, this sport rewards discipline, dedication, consistency and perseverance – valuable traits that carryover once an individual’s running days are behind them. 

Coach Christian Skaret has been with PVXC since 2021. At Minnetonka High School (MN), he ran cross country, track and field and Nordic skied. He was the 2011 AA Minnesota State Champion in the 1600 and also won True Team state titles in the 1600 and 3200 on the track. He continued his distance running career at the University of Minnesota. While at Minnesota, he competed in 9 Big Ten meets between indoor track, outdoor track and cross country. During his senior season, he was 5th man on the Gopher cross country team that placed 19th in the nation. After graduating, he moved to Jacksonville and began his career with the PGA TOUR where he currently works as a Digital Product Manager. He met his fiancee, Marissa, in Tampa and they currently live in Jacksonville. Coach Skaret got into coaching because he loves the team component of distance running and being a part of something larger than himself. He owes his passion for cross country to his high school and college coaches and hopes to provide the same mentorship to young athletes that he was given. 

I joined the coaching staff for PV Cross Country in 2018 and for 3 years also coached distance track at PVHS. I ran track in high school in Ohio where my 4x800 meter team held the state record for over 20 years. I also competed in the open 800m placing 5^th in the state and in the 4x400m relay where my team was runner up in 1987. I attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for undergrad and then on to Emory University where I trained to be a Physician Assistant. I moved to Ponte Vedra in 2008 and raised my family in the Marsh Landing community. My husband, SP, is on the surgical staff at the Mayo Clinic. My son John graduated from the Naval Academy and is training to be a pilot and my daughter, Livi (PVHS class of 2020) is at Tulane University in their Architecture Program. John ran cross country and track at USNA and Livi ran all four years at PVHS for the cross country team. Running on a team was just as important to them as it was for me over 30 years ago. My goal as a coach is to encourage young people to develop a love for lifelong physical fitness and to learn life lessons of responsibility and accountability that you learn when on a team. I feel very fortunate to coach these incredible young people and to work with some of the best coaches in the community.

Stephanie has lived in Ponte Vedra since 2004. She ran Cross Country/Track and Field at Fort Caroline Junior High. She has danced since the age of 3, and continued with dancing and cheering all through Middle School, High School (Terry Parker), and college (JU), where she was a dance major. Stephanie's love for FSU took her away from dance after 2 1/2 years at JU. This is where running came back into the picture. She began the Early Childhood program at FSU and started running for exercise. Then she ran her first River Run and received her first of many top 10% finisher hats. After graduating from FSU, she taught Pre-Kindergarten at The Bolles School for 11 years and then took a break to stay home with the baby of the Family. The past 6 years Stephanie has been teaching Kindergarten at Ocean Palms Elementary School. In 2005, she ran her first marathon. Stephanie continues to run the River Run every year and she has completed many 1/2 marathons, but the Marathon is her favorite! Stephanie is happily married to her husband, Michael Seese. They have 4 children, Marley (UCF), Wyatt (Stetson), Rowan (PVHS), and Toby (Ocean Palms Elementary). This will be her 3rd year as a volunteer coach for PVXC. It is such a wonderful feeling to be able to do something you love and share that love with others. Stephanie will coach all season but come August she has to go back into her Kindergarten classroom, but we will get on those Saturday race day mornings.