Donna Ricks has been the Head Coach of the Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field team at Carleton College for 30 years. They have multiple individual national champions in track, countless All-Americans, but finally earned their first ever team trophy in cross country after placing fourth at the 2022 D3 XC National Championships.

Donna was a Multi in college and set University of Minnesota Mankato’s heptathlon record. She used her experience working with different coaches and understanding all the events into her coaching experience. She credits being able to coach multiple events at practice to her time as a multi athlete.

She spoke about women in coaching and the potential for why, especially in cross country and track, there is a decline. She suggested more support staff to take on the roles coaches are having to do that they may not be necessarily trained for (mental health, sports psychology, etc). She credits her longevity to the passion she has for the sport and how much fun she is having everyday.

Donna brings so much energy to her profession and this episode that you can tell why she is having so much fun. And remember, don’t lay down after a race.

Donna’s Stats:

19 XC National Qualifying Teams

7 Individual National Champions in Track and Field

60+ All Americans in XCTF

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