Hall of Fame
Highlights: Seven-time All-American, national runner-up in cross country, SRU record holder, two-time PSAC MVP, seven-time individual PSAC champion.
Weiss is a first ballot Hall of Fame selection in his first season of eligibility after graduating in 2009. One of the most decorated runners in SRU history, Weiss was a seven-time All-American after earning four All-America awards in cross county and three more in track and field.
He was a four-time All-PSAC and All-Region selection in cross country, where he won two regional titles (2005 and 2007) and claimed the 2005 PSAC title. In four years, Weiss never finished lower than sixth at the PSAC Championships in cross country. He recorded three top-15 finishes at the NCAA Division II National Championships, including a runner-up finish in 2005 and an eighth place finish in 2008. No other SRU runner in history has earned four consecutive All-America awards in cross country.
On the track, Weiss set and still holds the SRU records for the 3,000-meter run indoors (8:10.90) and the 5,000-meter run outdoors (14:04.94). He won two PSAC titles in the 3,000m indoors and won four PSAC titles outdoor, claiming the 5,000m and 10,000-meter runs in both 2006 and 2007. He earned three All-America honors outdoors in the 10,000m and was twice named the Most Outstanding Track Athlete at the PSAC Championships (2006 and 2007).
Weiss also stood out academically, earning PSAC Scholar-Athlete honors in all four years and earning a total of eight All-Academic awards from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, one for every semester at SRU. Following his undergraduate career, Weiss continued running on a semi-professional level and qualified for two U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials races, most recently competing in the 2016 trials. He ran a personal best in the marathon of 2:17:22 and clocked a 1:04:49 half marathon personal best.
Weiss went into teaching immediately upon graduating from Slippery Rock, but recently gave up teaching to open his own landscaping business, JW Landscaping, based out of Ravenswood, West Virginia. He and his wife, Megan, have two children, Willow and Tucker.
