Vin Lananna Position: Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Experience: 11th Year School/Year: C.W. Post/1975

There is perhaps no single coach in the United States with a greater impact on young American distance runners than Vin Lananna. His legacy stretches from coast to coast, with both male and female athletes, from the conference level to the international arena. For the past nine seasons, Lananna has crafted a cross country empire at Stanford University, one that fields a national championship contender every season.

The tradition of cross country excellence began many years ago for the Cardinal, headed by the likes of Marshall Clark, Dink Templeton, Franklin Johnson, Jack Weiershauer, Payton Jordan and Brooks Johnson. And since Lananna's arrival on The Farm in 1992, the Stanford program has taken another step towards dominance. Consider for a moment the progression of success over the last nine seasons. In 1992, he guilded Cardinal senior Gary Stolz to a runnerup finish at the NCAA meet, while senior Louise Watson was named Pac-10 Athlete of the Year. The following season, the Stanford women's team won the Pac-10 conference crown for the first time in eight years. In 1994, just three years into Lananna's tenure at Stanford, the Cardinal made a big splash in the national team races. Both the men's and women's squads managed to squeeze into the top ten at the NCAA Meet, finishing sixth and seventh respectively. Two years later, the Cardinal made NCAA history in winning both the men and women's NCAA titles, the first time that had been accomplished since 1985.

Stanford and Vin Lananna are synonymous with excellence in collegiate cross country. After winning both NCAA titles in 1996, the men's team repeated the feat in 1997, while the women's team finished second. Three years ago, the Cardinal again stood high on the podium with a runnerup finish for the men and a third place trophy for the women. In fact, since 1996 no Stanford men's or women's cross country team has finished lower than fourth place at the NCAA Championships. In addition, Stanford's women's team has won five straight conference championships (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000). The Cardinal men's team has won the Pac-10 title four of the last five years (1996, 1997, 1998, 2000). Both of Lananna's teams are to a point where success at the highest level is expected every season. Still, the desire to build on this very successful program is what drives the Stanford head coach from day to day.

Stanford's success in cross country is equaled only by its success on the track. Since Lananna's arrival, the Cardinal has moved up among the nation's elite. In 2000, Stanford's men's team rose to the top of the podium with a dramatic victory at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, defeating eight-time national champion Arkansas. Last year, the Cardinal added another trophy with a fourth place finish. In addition, the 2001 Stanford women's track and field team finished eighth at NCAA's for its highest placing since finishing fourth in 1992. Prior to the 2000 NCAA title winning effort, the men's team boasted four NCAA runnerup finishes in indoor and outdoor track from 1998 to 1999, while the women cracked the top ten nationally in 1997 and 2001. Each squad is well rounded and capable of scoring points on the NCAA level in all events.

The success on the Pac-10 level has also been dramatic. In 2001, Stanford's men's team captured its first conference championship in 75 years with 142 points, the third straight year that the team tallied 100 or more points. The Cardinal men finished a strong second at the 2000 Pac-10 Championships. In 2001, the Cardinal women finished third for a second straight season with 120.5 points. The women have scored more than 100 points the past three seasons.

In addition to his duties as Director of Track & Field/Cross Country at Stanford, Lananna is a seasoned national and international coach. In cross country, he served as the United States Head Coach for the World Championships in 1990 and 1996. Lananna also led the East team to a track & field title at the 1990 U.S. Olympic Festival, and was an assistant coach for Team USA at the 1999 World Track & Field Championships. Recently, Lananna has played an integral role in the development of the Nike Farm Team, a post collegiate middle distance and distance running club based at Stanford. Eleven members of the Farm Team competed at the USATF National Championships in 2001.

Prior to his arrival at Stanford, Lananna directed the men's and women's cross country/track and field programs at Dartmouth. In 12 seasons with the Big Green, Lananna's team appeared at the NCAA Cross Country Championships every year - including two straight runnerup finishes for the men's team in 1986 and 1987.

Lananna began his coaching career at C.W. Post College in Long Island, New York, after graduating from the school in 1975. As a student at Post, Lananna obtained a bachelor's degree in history and psychology, and a masters degree in education. He was captain of the cross country team.

Lananna and his wife Elizabeth have two sons, Brian and Scott. The Lananna's reside at Stanford.