Melody Axtell assumed the position as the women's cross country head coach in 2017 and enters her fourth season at the helm in 2020-21. A year ago she guided the Pirates to a sixth place finish at the CCCAA State Championships with Pirates finishing in second and third place individually.  It was the program's third consecutive Top-10 performance at the state meet. In 2017 she was named the Western State Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year after guiding VC to a runner-up team finish at the WSC Championships, and a third place finish at the CCCAA State Championships. The WSC finish was the program's best in five years and the state ranking was the best since 1983.

Axtell, a 2013 VC graduate, spent two seasons assisting the Pirates' men's and women's cross country teams, helping lead the VC women to two CCCAA state championship appearances and helping the men back to the state championships in 2016.  

Coach Axtell received her Associate Degree from Ventura College in 2013 where she was a two-year standout in both cross country and track and field. She competed in the heptathlon on the track and was the Pirates' high point scorer as a sophomore. She also earned a Western State Conference Scholar-Athlete Award in cross country.

Axtell transferred with a scholarship to compete in the heptathlon for Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. She graduated with honors from PLNU in 2015 with a degree in Exercise Sciences and completed her Master of Science degree in Physical Education at Azusa Pacific University in 2018.

Axtell continues to run, competing in the Boston Marathon in 2018.

Axtell will also enter her sixth season as assistant coach with the Pirates' track and field teams in 2021.