The Volunteers enjoyed an excellent season with Pendergast on the staff, as Tennessee's men's and women's cross country squads finished in first place at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country South Regional Championships. Benefiting from Pendergast's guidance, Tennessee's women's team finished in sixth place at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships, matching the best finish in program history.

Prior to her arrival in Knoxville, Pendergast worked with Harvard track & field and cross country as an assistant coach for the cross country team and distance groups for the 2022-23 season. During Pendergast's initial stint as a coach with the Crimson, Harvard's women's team won the 2022 Ivy League Cross Country title, and the men finished in 17th at the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships.