Carrie Lane begins her fourth season as an assistant coach at the University of Wyoming in 2020-21, overseeing the UW throwers. She brings a wealth of coaching and strength training experience to the UW track & field program after previous coaching stops at Coastal Carolina, Virginia, and Nebraska, where she guided past student-athletes to a total of 23 NCAA First Team All-America honors.
During the 2019-20 indoor track & field season, lane guided Kirk Unland to a Mountain West championship in the weight throw, as the Cowboys won the event for the second year in a row. At the championships, Cowboy throwers earned a total of 16 points, as two Cowboys finished in the top-eight in both the shot put and the weight throw. Unland's throw of 66-3.25 is 10th best all-time at UW. Additionally, Lane guided Addison Henry to the seventh-best shot put throw in Cowgirl history with mark of 49-1. Unland earned all-academic honors from the USTFCCCA. The outdoor seasonw as cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 2018-19 track and field season, Lane coached two conference champions, five all-Mountain West performers and three NCAA West Preliminary participants. During the indoor season, Hap Frketich won the weight throw at the conference championships, while Kirk Unland finished second. Frketich also jumped into the all-time top-10 list at Wyoming in the weight throw. In the outdoor season, Unland won the men’s hammer throw while Eric McArthur finished second. Emelda Malm-Annan earned all-league honors with a third-place finish in the hammer throw. The three hammer throwers all advanced to the NCAA West Preliminary. Unland moved up to No. 8 on the all-time hammer throw list at UW, while Malm-Annan jumped to No. 3 all-time for the Cowgirls.
In her first season at Wyoming, 2017-18, Lane guided Damon Unland to a Mountain West title in the hammer throw after he earned a pair of MW Field Athlete of the Week honors during the season. Lane also coached Kirk Unland to all-MW honors in hammer throw with a runner-up performance in the event, finishing behind his older brother. Damon Unland and Emelda Malm-Annan both qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary in hammer throw, as well.
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 track & field athletes 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. Lane has also recently been involved as a teacher for the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches’ Academy.
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.
Lane 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.
Lane enjoys rock climbing in her spare time.