Coleman, ’91, To Coach Track & Field Program
ALBION, Mich. – Albion College Athletic Director Matt Arend announced the appointment of Lance Coleman, ’91, as head coach of the men’s and women’s track & field programs. Coleman noted he will run the program as one unit and his coaching staff with assistants Dave Egnatuk, ’71, Willie Lewis, ’96, Hayden Smith, ’70, and David Stallworth remains unchanged. Smith also remains as head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country programs.
“Lance Coleman is passionate about Albion and its track & field program and I am confident he will continue to put the lessons he learned from Albion Athletic Hall of Fame Coach Dave Egantuk to use as the College develops its scholar-athletes academically, athletically, and socially,” Arend said.
Coleman took over the reins of the men’s track & field team in 2011 and the Britons produced three Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association champions as Austen Ditzhazy sailed to the top of the field in the javelin throw, Erik Myyra won the hammer throw for the third time, and Clarence Stirgus outran the field in the 110-meter hurdles. A fourth Briton, Jamie Boyd, was an at-large addition to the all-MIAA squad.
Coleman served as an assistant track & field coach to Egnatuk for 15 seasons before being elevated to head coach. While an assistant, his focus was on coaching the sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers and he helped athletes gain 31 MIAA individual event titles, 41 all-MIAA selections, two MIAA most valuable selections and four MIAA records. Coleman’s student-athletes were successful at the national level with 16 qualifying for the NCAA Division III National Championships and six of them achieving NCAA Division III All-American status and Nick Morgan winning a national championship in the 110-meter high hurdles in 2004.
As a student-athlete at Albion, Coleman earned eight varsity letters as a competitor in track & field and football. Coleman enjoyed a spectacular track & field career, earning seven MIAA individual titles (a three-time champion in the 100 meters, and a two-time champion in the 200 meters and 400 meter relay), four all-MIAA awards (1988-91), two MIAA MVP awards and two MIAA records (10.5 seconds in the 100 meters and 42.33 seconds in the 400 meter relay). He was a three-time All-American in the 100 meters from 1989-91. In football he achieved first team all-MIAA status in 1990 and was a member of MIAA championship teams in 1989 and 1990.
Coleman’s coaching philosophy includes cultivating positive, lifelong relationships with student-athletes while mentoring them for success in the competition, classroom and life.
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