LARAMIE, Wyo. – University of Wyoming track & field head coach Bryan Berryhill announced the newest addition to his coaching staff on Thursday, as throws and strength training expert Carrie Lane will be joining the Cowboy and Cowgirl staff to work with Wyoming’s throwers after long-time UW throws coach Paul Barrett recently announced his retirement. Lane comes to Wyoming with a wealth of experience and success as a throws and strength coach. With coaching stops at Coastal Carolina, Virginia and Nebraska, she has guided past student-athletes to a total of 23 NCAA First Team All-America honors, nine individual ACC titles and four individual Big Ten titles.
“We’re really excited to have Carrie on board,” said Berryhill. “She has a lot of experience and knowledge at the Division I level. Carrie is extremely passionate about what she’s doing, and I think our student-athletes are going to see that right away. I’m excited about it because Coach (Paul) Barrett has done a phenomenal job over the past 23 years of building this into a very, very good throws program. I think she’s going to come in here and build upon that.”
Lane comes to UW after spending two and a half years as Director of Sports Performance and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist at Peak Energy Performance Therapy in Lone Tree, Colo., where she worked with high school and post-collegiate distance runners doing speed and power training. A number of post-collegiate athletes trained by Lane have gone on to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials. She has also recently been involved as a teacher for the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches’ Academy.
“It’s an exciting opportunity with a quality group of student-athletes,” Lane said of her new position as the UW throws coach. “I’m excited about the opportunity to develop tough, blue-collar student-athletes into national-caliber performers. There is definitely some young talent in the throws group that Coach (Paul) Barrett has done well developing. I’ve been around him and his program enough that I respect the kind of student-athlete he gets and how he develops those kids. He has a high level of respect in the throws community and I’m excited to carry on that tradition at Wyoming.
“I also really like the relationship that the strength and conditioning staff has with the track & field team, and there’s a lot of cohesion in the administration and staff. I’ve known Quincy Howe for several years and I’ve always respected him and Bryan (Berryhill).”
Prior to her time in Colorado, Lane spent three years as the throws coach at the University of Nebraska, where she coached Chad Wright to a national championship in the men’s discus and Luke Pinkelman to a bronze medal in the men’s outdoor shot put during her first season in 2012. She also coached Wright to a national runner-up finish in the discus in 2013, and Wright became the Jamaican national champion in the discus in 2013 and 2014. While working with the Huskers, Lane coached her student-athletes to a total of six First Team All-America honors and four Big Ten individual titles. She was named the USTFCCCA Midwest Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014.
Lane journeyed to Nebraska after spending seven years coaching throwers at the University of Virginia, where her student-athletes earned a total 17 First Team All-America honors and nine ACC individual titles in the throws events. During her time at Virginia, she coached Billie-Jo Grant to four consecutive All-America honors in the discus while fellow discus thrower Yemi Ayeni captured three All-America certifications. In 2005, her first season at Virginia, Lane coached javelin thrower Inge Jorgensen to a bronze medal at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In 2009, Lane was named the Southeast Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year by the USTFCCCA.
The newest addition to the UW track & field coaching staff began coaching throws at Coastal Carolina University, where she spent five successful years. While under Lane’s watch at CCU, thrower Amber Campbell set two American collegiate records in the hammer throw and weight throw and also earned five All-America honors. Campbell has since become a three-time Olympian, reaching the finals in the hammer throw at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Lane was named the 2004 Mondo National Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year for her efforts in her final season at Coastal Carolina.
Lane’s coaching roles have extended far beyond the collegiate arena. She has served as a throws coach for USA Track & Field at the World Championships on two occasions and at the Junior World Championships in 2006. She coached three-time Olympian Adam Nelson to a silver medal in the shot put at the 2007 World Championships before he recorded the top shot put mark in the world in 2008. From 2007 to 2009, Lane was the junior girls’ javelin coordinator for USA Track & Field.
Before starting her career as a throws coach, Lane was a graduate assistant coach for men’s and women’s cross country at Eastern Illinois University, where she earned a Master’s degree in physical education in 1999. Lane graduated from Marquette University in 1997 with her Bachelor’s degree in international affairs. She was a cross country runner and distance athlete for the track & field team during her time at Marquette.
