Claire Fuhlhage enters her second season as the director of operations and assistant coach for the Illinois State Track & Field/XC programs, joining prior to the 2025-26 season. Early in her coaching career, she has become an important asset to Coach Jeff Bovee's staff. Under Fuhlhage's guidance, three mid-distances/distance athletes have reached top-10 marks in Illinois State history.

Fuhlhage offers years of experience to the Illinois State Track & Field/XC programs after three years of competing as an athlete. She began her collegiate career with three years at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. During her time as a Redbird, the Olathe, Kansas, native was a two-time MVC Cross Country Runner of the Week honoree in 2023 and a 2022 MVC Indoor DMR Champion. She etched her name in the program record books with the fifth-best indoor DMR time of 11:40.37, fifth-best indoor time of 9:34.03 in the 3000m, sixth-best outdoor time of 10:10.21 in the 3000m steeplechase, and a pair of top-seven performances in the outdoor DMR. Additionally, she holds the fourth-best record in the 6k with a time of 20:45.