OGDEN, Utah, July 15, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Olympian and All-American steeplechaser Lindsey Anderson is returning to Weber State University as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams.
Anderson returns to WSU after spending the past season as the head cross country coach and assistant distance coach at the University of Missouri. She previously spent five years as the head men’s and women’s cross country coach at the College of Southern Idaho, where she twice was named National Women’s Coach of the Year.
“I am so excited for the opportunity to return to Weber State,” Anderson said in a news release. “Weber has always been a special place for me, and I am thrilled to be returning to where my story began.”
The Morgan native had a Hall of Fame career at Weber State from 2004 to 2007, twice earning All-America honors and winning nine Big Sky Conference titles (six individual and three relays) before qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in the steeplechase.
“We are thrilled to have Lindsey returning home to coach at Weber State,” said WSU women’s track and field and cross country head coach Paul Pilkington, who coached Anderson at WSU. “She was a phenomenal athlete and has also proven herself as one of the best young distance coaches in the country. To leave a Power 5 program to return to Weber State is fantastic for us, and we are really excited to have her back.”
Anderson became the first WSU athlete in any sport to complete in the Summer Games in July 2008 after finishing second overall at the U.S. Olympic Trials for the steeplechase, posting a personal-best time of 9:30.75.
Her success in the steeplechase also led her to the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, and the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany. She also competed in the 2020 Olympics Marathon Trial in Atlanta, Georgia.
Anderson set school records in the steeplechase and 10,000 meters in outdoor track and field and the 5,000 meters in indoor during her time at WSU. As a senior in 2007, she became the collegiate steeplechase record holder and the first athlete in Big Sky Conference history to win the conference title in the steeplechase, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters in the same championship.
Anderson, already a member of the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame, will be inducted into the Big Sky Hall of Fame later this month.
“Lindsey has incredible experience as an athlete and as a coach and we are so excited for the strengths that she will bring to our programs,” said WSU men’s head coach Corbin Talley. “It’s great to have her back coaching at Weber State.”
During her single season at Missouri, Anderson led the women’s team to a top-15 finish in every race and coached one athlete to the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
“I am incredibly grateful for my time this past year at the University of Missouri,” she said, “and I want to thank the coaches and athletes I’ve been able to work with. My time at Mizzou has been unforgettable.”
At the College of Southern Idaho, Anderson helped restart the program and led the Golden Eagles women’s team to the 2021 NJAA Division I National Cross Country Championship — the first in school history. Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams also placed in the top 10 in the nation in each of her five seasons in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Prior to her time at CSI, Anderson spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Cal State Bakersfield. She was an assistant coach at Weber State from 2007-14.
