CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina director of track & field and cross country Sandy Fowler has announced the addition of Michael Bianchina and Fabien Corbillon to the cross country and track & field coaching staff.
 
Bianchina was named an assistant cross country and track & field coach, while Corbillon was named an assistant track & field coach.
 
Bianchina comes to Coastal Carolina after spending three years as the assistant track and cross country coach at Radford University.
 
At Radford, Bianchina worked with both the men's and women's cross country programs and the distance runners for the women's track & field team, while also acting as the recruiting coordinator and overseeing the daily operations of the program.

He was instrumental in recruiting the largest men's and women's rosters in program history. Over his three years at Radford, Bianchina coached eight women and two men to All-Big South Conference cross country honors, highlighted by 2019 Big South Freshman of the Year Caitlin Apps and 2021 Big South Runner of the Year Hannah Moran as she became the first Radford cross country runner in 2021 to win a Big South Individual Championship since 1993 and the first woman since 1990. Moran was also the first Radford women's cross country runner to qualify for the NCAA Championships since Megan McLaughlin in 2001.
 
Four cross country school records fell under Bianchina's watch at Radford, as Moran broke the women's 4k, 5k, and 6k program records, while Nate Jennings set a new men's 8k record.
 
The women and men both saw a marked improvement in their finishes at the cross country conference championship meets under Bianchina, moving from sixth place prior to his arrival in 2019 to back-to-back runner-up finishes on the women's side in 2021 and 2022, and a third-place showing on the men's side in 2021.
 
The women also placed three runners in the top 10 in the 2021 Big South Championship race for the second season in a row. That marked the first time since 1986 and 1987 that the feat had been accomplished by the Highlander women in consecutive seasons.

The women excelled on the track adding a plethora of performances to the top all-time list. Bianchina coached Moran to a 2022 Big South Outdoor Track & Field Championship in the 10,000-meters and Rachel Millirons to a second-place finish in the 10,000-meters at the 2021 Big South Outdoor Conference Championships. He coached Rachel Werking to a third-place finish in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the same championship meet, as Werking set the school record in the process.
 
Moran was a two-time all-conference selection in indoor (3000 and 5000-meters) and once in outdoor (10,000-meters), while Millirons (10,000-meters) and Werking (3,000-meters steeplechase) earned all-conference accolades for outdoor track in 2021.

Prior to his position at Radford, Bianchina spent a year working with the McNeese State University cross country and track & field teams in Lake Charles, La. Bianchina worked with the distance runners and played a large role in meet operations.

During his time at McNeese, he coached Alex Eykelbosch to a Southland Conference title in the 5000-meters at the indoor championships, as well as a runner-up finish in the 3000-meters and a fourth-place finish in the women's distance medley relay.

He also coached Gladys Jerotich to all-conference honors and a fourth-place finish in the Southland Conference Cross Country Championships and Miguel Barrera-Lopez to a fourth-place finish in both the 10,000-meters and 5000-meters at the 2019 Southland Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Before McNeese, Bianchina had a successful career as a member of Bradley University's cross country and track & field programs.

As a student-athlete, Bianchina competed in cross country and raced in the 800,1500, 3000, and 5000-meter events. In his sophomore season, he ran the fourth-fastest mile in school history and finished sixth overall at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Indoor Championships.
 
"We are excited to bring Mike on board here at Coastal to work with our cross country and distance programs. He came highly recommended by many colleagues and I am excited about his enthusiasm, energy, and recruiting perspective that he will add to our staff," stated Fowler. "In his time at Radford and McNeese, he has proven that he can recruit high-level student-athletes both in the classroom and on the track. As a result, he has energized those programs into regional level programs. Mike will continue to elevate our cross country and distance programs to Sun Belt, regional, and national prominence."
 
Corbillon returns to the Sun Belt Conference after one season as an assistant cross country and track & field coach at North Texas in 2021-22. He was previously an assistant coach at Texas State from 2015-21.
 
Prior to his time at Texas State, Corbillon spent nine years at Wright State, first as an assistant coach from 2006-09 before taking over as the head track & field and cross country coach in 2009 and holding that title until 2015.
 
Last season at North Texas, Corbillon worked with the jump and combined events groups under legendary coach Doug Marshall. He helped guide Cody Bullard to a third-place finish and garner all-conference honors in the men's pole vault at the 2022 Conference USA Indoor Track & Field Championships, while Nicholas Frazier-Davis turned in a sixth-place finish in the men's high jump event at the 2022 Conference USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
At Texas State, Corbillon was a key part of the Bobcat teams' success garnering eight Sun Belt Conference championships. In addition, he coached five All-Americans, 26 Sun Belt champions, and 63 all-conference honorees in San Marcos. His student-athletes also set five Sun Belt Conference records and 12 school records. 
 
Corbillon ventured to Texas State after coaching sprinters, hurdlers, heptathletes, vertical and horizontal jumpers, and throwers at Wright State. After working three seasons as the assistant coach at Wright State, Corbillon ascended to the head coaching position in 2009.
 
Under his tutelage, Tiffany Brigham became the first student-athlete to qualify for an NCAA championship berth and Cassandra Lloyd became the first All-American in school history. Year after year, he proved his versatility by coaching Wright State student-athletes to 203 school records and nine Horizon League records ranging across nearly every event in track & field. Those student-athletes went on to win 20 Horizon League Championships, as Wright State had 80 conference podium finishers under his watch.
 
Corbillon asserted himself as one of the top sprints and hurdles coaches following his early success, as proven by his work with Cassandra Lloyd. Shortly after Lloyd started working with Corbillon, she finished her freshman year with a fourth-place finish at the 2009 USA Track and Field Junior National Championships in the 100-meter hurdles. Under his guidance, she consistently improved her 100-meter hurdles performances and received multiple accolades during her collegiate career, highlighted by her two NCAA All-American awards in 2011 and 2012.
 
During his tenure at Wright State, Corbillon also coached Sarah Ann Blount and Kacia Grant to USA Track & Field National qualifications. After a successful 2013 indoor season, Grant finished in the top 16 at the USATF Indoor Championships in the 60-meter dash. Following one of the best years a heptathlete ever had at Wright State, Sarah Ann Blount garnered two All-American nominations at the USATF Junior Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles and long jump.
 
Before his stint at Wright State, Corbillon started his coaching career in 2001 at Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada, where he guided the sprinters. He then joined the coaching staff at Florida A&M, where he oversaw the jumpers, decathletes, heptathletes, and throwers.
 
In 2005, he and the rest of the FAMU staff coached the men's track & field team to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championship titles. While at FAMU, Corbillon also guided Kerry Dixon to a 2005 NCAA championship qualification in the high jump. In 2006, he coached Jermond Smith to a USA Track & Field National Indoor Championship qualification in the triple jump.
 
In addition to his wealth of coaching experience, Corbillon brings a unique dimension to coaching through his background in sport psychology counseling. As attested by his counseling work with elite athletes from all over the world, he attached prime importance to the development of athletes as a whole. 
 
Corbillon earned an IAAF (World Athletics) level V Coaching Certification in combined events that he received with distinctions. He also obtained a USA Track & Field Level II Coaching Certificate in multi-events and a USA Track & Field Level II Coaching Certification in combined events and jumps. Additionally, Corbillon obtained his USTFCCCA Strength and Conditioning Coach certification in 2021, accredited by the National Committee for Accreditation of Coaching Education (NCACE). In 2014, he attended the prestigious USATF Emerging Elite Coaches Camp in the sprints and hurdles events.
 
"Fabien brings a wealth of experience and international knowledge to an already international staff. His knowledge in the field and multi-events are areas we look to improve our team in," continued Corbillon. "With his head coaching experience from Wright State and background in the Sun Belt Conference, he will help continue to move our program forward so we remain competitive in the conference and qualify more student-athletes to the NCAA Championships. Fabien's recruiting contacts both domestic and international will help us continue to be successful in the Sun Belt and send more student-athletes to the NCAA Championships each year."
 
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