NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jeff Bovee has announced the hiring of Theresa Scott to his coaching staff. Scott will serve as an assistant coach, focusing on sprints and hurdles.
"We're very excited about Theresa coming to join the Redbird program," Bovee said. "Her initiative, her consistent communication, and interest in the position stood out during the search process. Her proven success stood out, and her ties to the Midwest certainly will help, as she's already established networking and recruiting ties which is going to go a long way."
Scott joins the Redbirds after five seasons as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State, where she assisted with sprints, hurdles, and relays. Under her direction, student-athletes earned individual conference championships in both the men's and women's programs, broke four women's indoor and outdoor school records, secured All-OVC honors, and qualified for both the U20 Championships and the NCAA Outdoor West Regional. In addition to coaching, Scott played an integral role with various facets involved with the program, including assisting with recruiting efforts, team operations, travel coordination, event scheduling, and creating weight-training programs for student-athletes.
"I am beyond excited and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join the Illinois State coaching staff," Scott said. "I'm excited to bring my passion, energy, and championship mindset to the program. My goal is to help develop student-athletes while creating a culture that emphasizes hard work, accountability, and believing in what's possible. I'm looking forward to working alongside the head coach and the rest of the staff, as we build a consistent championship-caliber program and compete at the top of the Valley. I'm thankful for Coach Bovee for trusting me with this opportunity, and I can't wait to get to work!"
Before her tenure at Southeast Missouri State, Scott was an assistant track coach at Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky. She helped numerous student-athletes qualify for national indoor and outdoor competitions, break numerous school records, and secure all-conference accolades during her three years in the program.
Additionally, she assisted with recruiting, scheduling, coordinating team travel plans, and overseeing weight-training and academic achievement plans.
Scott began her coaching career as a graduate assistant for the track & field program at Washburn from 2016 to 2018. She assisted with designing training programs, expanded fundraising efforts through community partnerships, aided in recruitment efforts, scheduled competitions, oversaw academic achievement plans, and earned her NCAA Division II recruiting certification. While working with the program, Scott obtained her Master of Business Administration in May 2018.
Prior to her coaching career, Scott was a four-year student-athlete in track & field at Tiffin, where she completed her bachelor's degree in sports marketing with a minor in management, graduating in April 2016. She was a three-time NCAA Division II qualifier with several top-eight performances in the 60m, 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.
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