Gina Pennisi serves as the Varsity Head Coach for Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field at Apex High School, bringing more than 40 years of experience in athletics and eight years within the Apex program. Originally from Westerly, Rhode Island, Coach Pennisi competed in basketball, tennis, and track in high school, walked on in track at the University of Rhode Island, and later competed extensively in soccer, triathlons, and marathons into adulthood. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and English Literature with a minor in Philosophy and maintains extensive certifications, including USATF Level 2, NFHS Level 3, Cross Country Specialist, and Certified Pole Vault Coach.

Coach Pennisi was inspired to coach by her love for track and the powerful example set by her high school tennis coach, who showed her what meaningful, positive leadership looks like. Her coaching philosophy centers on trust, honesty, and helping athletes understand why they train the way they do. She emphasizes both individual and team goals, camaraderie, accountability, and respect, believing that when athletes understand the purpose behind their work, they are more willing to commit fully to the process. She challenges athletes to recognize their potential, work toward it, and uphold standards in attitude, effort, and how they treat their teammates.

Track & field’s multi-faceted nature is one of Coach Pennisi’s greatest strengths, supported by broad USATF training across all disciplines and specialization in sprints, hurdles, and relays. She is also highly skilled in meet management, including announcing and keeping competitions running efficiently at JDL FastTrack. Under her leadership, Apex athletes have qualified for state competition every year, produced national qualifiers at Nike Indoor Nationals and New Balance Outdoor Nationals, and achieved the highest number of national qualifiers in school history. Coach Pennisi finds her greatest joy in seeing athletes rediscover confidence and passion after adversity. She deeply values the athletes, families, and collaborative coaching community at Apex. Outside of coaching, she enjoys traveling, camping, hiking, reading, and writing, and is currently working on a collection of short stories and a memoir from her 28-year career in professional motorsports, where she was a trailblazer as one of the first women to work the hot pit access area in an official capacity.