SAYERS RETURNS HOME TO BE RADFORD’S ASSISTANT TRACK AND FIELD COACH

Follow @RadfordTrackXC

RADFORD, Va. – After spending five years away from the New River Valley, Blacksburg, Va., native Shelli Sayers has returned home to be an assistant coach for Radford women's track and field. Director of women's track and field/cross country Brent Chumbley announced the hiring Wednesday morning.

Sayers joins the Highlanders after serving as Northern Iowa's associate head track and field coach since July 2010. At Radford, she will focus on sprints, hurdles and jumps.

"We are very excited to have Coach Sayers join the Radford track and field family," Chumbley expressed. "Her work at Roanoke College and Northern Iowa made her the perfect choice as our new sprints/hurdles/jumps coach. I look forward to seeing her immediate impact on our program as we move into our competitive season."

In her two collegiate stops, Sayers has achieved unprecedented success. At UNI, Sayers' sprinters and hurdlers established four school records, earned six Missouri Valley all-conference honors and captured two Missouri Valley conference championships. In 2015, Sayers coached her first NCAA Division I qualifier in the 400 meters.

"I want to thank Robert Lineburg, Stephanie Ballein and Brent Chumbley for this opportunity to work at Radford," Sayers said. "I am thrilled to be wearing Highlander colors and look forward to what the future holds for this program."

Prior to UNI, Sayers spent six seasons at Roanoke College as an assistant track and field coach. While there, she developed a dominant group of sprinters and hurdlers that won nine straight ODAC titles. Overall, Sayers mentored eight individual All-Americans, four All-American relay squads and one national champion, while her event groups accounted for 28 school records and 12 conference records.

Her peers recognized Sayers' success by naming her South/Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2010. She became the first female coach to ever receive the distinction, let alone in three consecutive years.

Sayers is a 2000 graduate of Roanoke College and is USATF Level 2 certified in sprints, hurdles and relays. She resides in the New River Valley with her husband, Andy, and their daughters, Lily and Ginny.

Print Friendly Version