ELON, N.C. – Elon director of track and field and cross country Mark Elliston announced the addition of Laura Igaune to his coaching staff on Monday, Oct. 3. Igaune joins the Phoenix as an assistant coach and will work with the throwers for track and field as well as an assistant for cross country with head cross country coach Nick Polk.
“We are very excited to have Laura join our staff at this time,” said Elliston. “She brings a great deal of knowledge and experience both as a coach and as an athlete. She has a proven track record working with student-athletes and I’m confident she will continue to help us have great success in track and field and also with Nick in cross country. I’m looking forward to her working with the team and delighted that she’s here at Elon.”
Prior to Elon, Igaune was the assistant track and field coach and recruiting coordinator at Tiffin University since 2013. While with the Dragons, she coached 38 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions, 121 GLIAC point scorers in various events and helped foster the success of 96 NCAA Division II National Qualifiers. Under her tutelage, she coached 47 All-Americans as well as 48 Academic All-Americans. Recently, she helped the Tiffin’s men’s team to the 2016 Indoor National championships and as the national runner-up during the outdoor season. She also served as an adjunct professor at Tiffin this past year.
As a student-athlete, Igaune competed at Western Kentucky where she finished seventh at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in the hammer in 2011 and became the first female thrower in school history to earn All-American status. She won the hammer at the outdoor Sun Belt Conference Championships that year setting the school-record in that category and was the runner-up in the 20-pound weight throw at the indoor Sun Belt championships.
A native of Latvia, Igaune was a member of both her country’s junior and national teams. She claimed the Latvian Junior Championship title in the triple jump and has won multiple titles as the Latvian National Champion in both the discus and hammer and still holds the Latvia national record in the hammer. She was also a European Championship qualifier in the hammer throw in 2012.
Igaune has a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy and health care from Rigas Stradins University, Latvia, and a master’s degree in exercise physiology from Western Kentucky. She is married to former Tiffin assistant track coach Nolan Hill.
“I’m really excited to work with the girls and the team at Elon,” said Igaune. “I believe that this team has taken the right steps before to be successful and very thankful for Coach Elliston for a chance to work with the throwers and the rest of the team. I also want to thank (Elon University president) Leo Lambert, (director of athletics) Dave Blank and Nick Polk as well for the opportunity. I’m very excited and can’t wait to get started working with an outstanding program.”