Melanie Tarbox
Melanie Tarbox
Title: Head Cross Country Coach
Email: mtarbox@necc.mass.edu

Entering the 2025-26 seasons Melanie Tarbox will be in her second season as head coach of the Knights cross coutry program and her third season leading the track and field program.

Continuing to build the programs depth since her arrival on campus, during the 2025 track campaign, the Knights saw 13 student-athletes qualify to participate in the NJCAA track and field championships and the women placed 20th in the final team standings scoring points in three events. The men's high jump school record was tied this past season and several other student-athletes inched their way closer to establishing new school records.

Tarbox, a special education teacher in the Haverhill school system, spent nine years on the track and field and cross-country coaching staff at Haverhill High School under long time coach Mike Maguire, who she also competed for during her high school career, before taking the reigns at NECC. She also spent six years as the head gymnastics coach for the Hillies winning two Merrimack Valley Conference championships and earning multiple coach of the year honors.

After her standout career at Haverhill High, Tarbox went onto a stellar four-year career at Bentley University where she ran cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field for the Falcons before graduating with a degree in Marketing before earning a Master of Education from Merrimack College and most recently a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Endicott College.

Tarbox currently resides Hampton, NH with her family and will begin her duties with the Knights later this month.