Amanda Youngblood enters her first season as an assistant coach for the Illinois State track & field program, specializing in the throwing events. 

Before arriving at Illinois State, Youngblood was previously a volunteer assistant throws coach at the University of Alabama.

At Alabama, Youngblood worked alongside throws coach Derek Yush. In her two years with the program, Youngblood helped guide multiple athletes to success at the national level, coaching three athletes to All-America honors, as well as guiding six athletes to the NCAA Championships. In addition, 12 athletes qualified for the NCAA Preliminary Championships under Youngblood’s instruction.

At the conference level, Youngblood’s athletes have garnered two SEC titles in the shot put.

From 2018-19, Youngblood served as an assistant coach at Lehigh University. In her one-year stint at her alma mater, Youngblood led two athletes to Patriot League Championships in the discus and weight throw, as well as leading one athlete to a school record in the discus.

Prior to her time as a coach, Youngblood spent four years at Lehigh University as a student-athlete, where she served as a leader on the track & field team. During her time at Lehigh, Youngblood was an eight-time Patriot League Championship qualifier and earned second team All-Patriot League honors for her second-place finishes in the discus in the 2016 and 2017 outdoor seasons, as well as earning All-East honors in the discus in 2016.

Youngblood graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management. Youngblood holds a USATF Level 1 and a USATF Level 2 – Throws Certification, as well as the USTFCCCA 310 Strength and Conditioning Coach, USTFCCCA  507 Master’s Endorsement in the Hammer Throw, and USTFCCCA 304 Throwing Event Specialist Certifications.