CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Cross Country and Track and Field head coach Bill Gautier named former student-athlete Amanda Cotter as assistant coach.
“Amanda is an achiever,” Gautier said.
“She is a good role model for these younger student-athletes. She knows the benefits of hard work both in the classroom and in competition. She is what we embody here at UTC.”
Cotter, an NCAA All-Region cross country and seven-time all-conference performer, will work primarily as a recruiter for the Mocs while also overseeing workouts.
In her senior year, she finished fifth in the Southern Conference Cross Country Championships earning First Team All-Conference honors and went on to place 19th in the NCAA South Region meet where she was named to the all-region team.
In the indoor season, she anchored the SoCon Champion Distance Medley Relay team and earned all-conference honors in the 1500 meter race in the outdoor season.
She is a two-time cross country all-conference performer and also was named to the SoCon all-conference indoor track team in the 5000 meter while snaring three all-conference nods for the 1500 meter in the outdoor season.
Cotter graduated from UTC in December 2014 with a degree in Psychology. She was a two-time recipient of the SoCon Commissioner’s Medal for Academics and a three-time member of the SoCon All-Academic Team and Chattanooga Dean’s List.
In 2012 at the Inaugural Scrappy’s Awards, Cotter was named the “Comeback Player of the Year” after making her return to UTC and the cross country and track and field teams.
“She had a rough start to her college career,” Gautier said. “But she worked hard and is a good role model. She knows if you prioritize, you can get what you want. For the last several years she has run 70 miles a week. She’s been a student, an athlete, a wife and a mother. She is what our program is all about.”
Cotter and her husband Lucas (UTC 2013, 2015) have one daughter. Lucas Cotter will continue his role as a volunteer assistant coach.
John Gilpin, who exhausted his eligibility this past spring, is working toward his doctorate in Physical Therapy. He will also volunteer with the team.