A competitor not afraid of success, Lindsey Anderson — Olympian, two-time All-American and former collegiate record holder — is bringing the same mindset to the University of Missouri as its cross country head coach and assistant coach for the distance events during the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons.
As a student-athlete, Anderson (formerly Olson) was a star on the Weber State track team, breaking numerous school records as a distance runner for the Wildcats. After earning nine-time Big Sky Conference championships and earning two All-American nods, Anderson became the first athlete from Weber State to compete in the Olympics, representing the US in the 3000m steeplechase.
Anderson then became a successful coach on the collegiate level, reviving the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) after a 19-year hiatus after coaching as an assistant at her alma mater and CSU Bakersfield. Anderson is a four-time U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) honoree: National Women’s Coach of the Year, West Region Women's Coach of the Year (2020), National Women's Coach of the Year (2018), West Region Men's Coach of the Year (2017).
Anderson’s first year as cross country coach in Columbia was marked by tremendous individual and team success for the Tigers. Mizzou yielded its first runner to compete for a national championship since 2019, an SEC All-Freshman selection and strong team results throughout the season.
Senior Marquette Hanson proved to be a breakout star for the Tigers in 2022, pacing Mizzou in all five races he ran as an attached competitor with top-20 finishes in every race. Early in the season, Hanson led the Tigers by placing 15th in the Mizzou XC Opener, 13th in the Gans Creek Classic and 20th in the Weis-Crockett Invitational.
When the stakes were highest, Hanson turned his running up a notch by recording his personal best in the 8k at the SEC Cross Country Championships with a time of 23:43.2 to finish 18th in the conference and secure a top-10 result for the Tigers.
The senior followed up his performance with another personal best, this time in the 10k (29:48.9) at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships. His 11th-place finish at the event was enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, where he finished 174th in the men’s 10k.
Drew Rogers also attained personal success in the 2022 season with an All-SEC Freshman Team selection. In his first year with Mizzou, Rogers impressed with two top-40 results on the campaign. He finished 40th (25:37.1) in his first collegiate 8k at the John McNichols Invite and raced to a personal best in the Gans Creek Classic, taking 22nd with a time of 24:14.8.
The women’s team strung together a solid season with top-15 results in every race, most notably with a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
Sophomore Isabelle Christiansen led the charge by leading Mizzou in four races, all of which she finished in the top 25. Christiansen began her season with an 11th-place result at the Mizzou XC Opener, and wrapped up September with two more strong results by taking 21st at the John McNichols Invite and 24th at the Gans Creek Classic.
At the SEC Championships, Christiansen crossed the line 23rd with a 6k time of 20:32.7, a new personal best.
Before arriving in Columbia, Anderson led CSI’s women’s team to the 2021 NJCAA Division I National Cross Country Championship – the first in school history. Also under her leadership, the men’s team placed ninth at the national meet.
Anderson is a four-time U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) honoree: National Women’s Coach of the Year, West Region Women's Coach of the Year (2020), National Women's Coach of the Year (2018), West Region Men's Coach of the Year (2017).
Anderson comes to Mizzou after five years at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) where both the men’s and women’s cross country teams placed in the top 10 at the NJCAA National Championships every season of Anderson’s tenure. She was the program’s architect as it was re-started after a 19-year hiatus.
The 2020 season was one of CSI’s strongest as the men’s squad earned a runner-up finish at the national meet, the highest finish in program history. The women’s squad was third, its most successful finish prior to the 2021 NJCAA title. Seven student-athletes earned NJCAA All-America honors.
Prior to her revival of the CSI programs, Anderson was an assistant coach at Cal-State Bakersfield from 2014-16. She was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Weber State University, from 2007-14. She contributed to recruiting and training many of the program’s top student-athletes including three-time All-American and two-time school-record holder Amber Henry and 2018 Boston Marathon runner-up Sarah (Callister) Sellers.
Anderson is not just a decorated coach, but a decorated athlete as well. During her collegiate and professional career, Anderson broke records and led Weber State to unprecedented heights during the late 2000s.
As a Division I student-athlete at Weber State, Anderson finished her career as a two-time All-American in the 3000m steeplechase and the indoor 5K. She set school records in the 3000m steeplechase and 10K during the outdoor season and in the indoor 5K. She was the Big Sky Conference Women’s Athlete MVP twice and left Weber State a nine-time Big Sky Conference Champion in multiple distance events.
In 2007, Anderson compiled one of the greatest individual seasons in program history. Anderson became the collegiate 3000m steeplechase record holder, marking the first time a Weber State athlete won an NCAA region title. She also became the first runner in Big Sky Conference history to win the steeplechase, 5000m and 10,000m in the same championship event at the Big Sky Conference Championships.
After graduating, Anderson represented Nike during the 2007-09 professional cycle, competing in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2007 World Championships (Osaka, Japan), the 2008 Olympics (Beijing) and the 2009 World Championships (Berlin, Germany). Most recently, she qualified for and competed in the 2020 Olympics Marathon Trial in Atlanta, Ga., finishing in the top 10 percent.
Anderson earned an undergraduate degree from Weber State in 2007 and a master’s degree from Idaho State in 2019. She and her husband, Mark, have two children: daughter, Peyton and son, Avett.
