Sandy Fowler, a former USA national champion and Team USA coach, was named the Coastal Carolina University director of track & field for both the men’s and women’s programs in April 2017.
The 2024-25 season saw two Chants take home two individual Sun Belt Conference titles in outdoor track and field, with Amanda Kinloch winning the women's 100 meter hurdles and Molly Jones winning the women's 5,000 meters. Kinloch also took home the women's 60 meter hurdles title at the indoor conference championship.
The Chants placed six athletes on the All-Sun Belt team, with Kinloch and Jones being named to the first team, Terrique Webb on the second team, and Amilia Wise-Sweat, Trey Kraimer, and Adam Groves taking home third team honors.
Over the 2022-23 academic year, the Chants once again excelled on the course, track, and fields of competition, starting in the fall with cross country as Molly Jones was named the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year and was the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Women's Cross Country Individual Champion. The junior runner also earned 2022 NCAA Southeast All-Region accolades, the first Chanticleer women's cross country runner to accomplish that feat since three Chants in 2016, with a 21st-place finish at the 2022 NCAA Southeast Championships.
As a team, the Coastal women's cross country team finished 25th place overall with a total of 691 points at the regional event.
The strong performances carried over to the 2023 indoor season, where sophomore hurdler Alexis Glasco finished ninth overall at the 2023 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships to earn NCAA second-team All-American honors.
In addition to Glasco's All-America honor, seven Chants in Glasco, Sydney Clemens, Zayna Fray-Samuel, Amilia Wise-Sweat, Molly Jones, Ella Lehmann, and Brianna Tillman all garnered All-Sun Belt recognition, with Glasco winning the 60-meter hurdles event at the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships.
The women's indoor track & field team set five new school records - Glasco (60-meter hurdles), Wise-Sweat (800-meters), Jones (1-mile run), Nikki Boon (pentathlon), and the team of Ellie Wolski, Amanda Kinloch, Wise-Sweat, and Jones in the distance medley relay.
Over the 2023 outdoor season, Glasco raced her way to a sixth-place finish overall in the women's 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.74 (3.8) in the finals at the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships to pick up first-team All-America honors. Glasco was also the 2023 Sun Belt Conference 100-meter hurdles champion, earned All-Sun Belt first-team honors, and set the school record in the 100-meter hurdles multiple times throughout the season.
Glasco was one of nine Chants to pick up All-Sun Belt honors, joined on the women's side by Kayla Sweeney, Sydney Clemens, and Amanda Kinloch. For the men's team, Braydon Bennett, Deondre Hardy, Albrey Gossett, DeVonte Harris, and Ashlund Dixon received all-conference honors.
The 2021-22 season, saw the Chanticleers make history in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Sprinters Melissa Jefferson and Mekenze Kelley both shined at the national and world level for the Chanticleers, becoming both national and world champions. Jefferson won the 100-meters at the 2022 Toyota USA Track Outdoor Championships, crossing the finish line first with an amazing time of 10.69 (+2.9) in the finals to earn the gold medal. She then went on to place eighth overall (11.03 (+0.8) in the women's 100-meter finals at the 2022 World Athletics Championships before becoming a World Champion as part of Team USA's women's 4x100-meter relay gold medal team at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Running the first leg of the relay, her team posted a time of 41.14 to take first place overall.
Kelley was a national champion in her own right, as she was crowned the 2022 USA Track & Field U20 Outdoor 400-meters Champion with a time of 52.10 at the 2022 USA Track & Field U20 Championships. After placing ninth in the 400-meters at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia, the Chanticleer sprinter won gold and was crowned a 2022 U20 World Champion as part of Team USA's women's 4x400-meter relay team. She ran the first leg of the race and helped to record a time of 3:28.06 to take first place overall.
Over the 2022 indoor season, the Chanticleers recorded their best team finish since joining the Sun Belt in 2016-17, placing fifth overall with a total of 75 points at the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships. Jefferson won gold and set the Sun Belt meet record in both the 60-meter dash and the 200-meters, while Jermaisha Arnold crossed the finish line first in the 400-meters for the second consecutive year.
On the season, the Chanticleers had the best times/marks in the Sun Belt in the 60-meters (Jefferson), 200-meters (Jefferson), and 400-meters (Arnold), and ranked second in the SBC in the 400-meters (Kelley) and 4x400 relay.
Jefferson, who was a three-time Sun Belt Women’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Week honoree, was named the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Track Performer of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team along with Arnold. Shani'a Bellamy, Kelley, and Nya McGowan all earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors, while Sydney Clemens picked up third-team accolades.
At the 2022 NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, Jefferson outran the rest of the field in the finals of the women’s 60-meter dash to win gold and be crowned an NCAA National Champion. She is the first-ever individual national champion in Coastal Carolina history and was tabbed a first-team All-American. She recorded another Sun Belt Conference and Coastal Carolina University record time of 7.09, which was also the second-fastest time in all of NCAA Division I women’s indoor track & field this season. Her time of 7.09 is tied for the sixth-fastest time all-time in the NCAA Division I Women’s Indoor Track & Field record books for the 60-meter dash.
With Jefferson’s first-place finish, the Chanticleers as a team scored 10 points in the team standings to finish in a tie for 17th overall, which was also the best team finish by a mid-major for the entire championships.
On the women's side for the 2022 outdoor season, the women’s team finished second in the team championship standings at the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, the best finish since joining the Sun Belt in 2017, with 136 points just behind the overall winner Arkansas State.
On the season, the Chanticleers had the best times/marks in the Sun Belt in the 100-meters (Jefferson), 200-meters (Jefferson), 400-meters (Arnold), 400-meter hurdles (Bellamy), 4x100 relay, and 4x400 relay, and ranked second in the SBC in the 200-meters (Kelley), 400-meters (Kelley), 100-meter hurdles (Alexis Glasco), and 5000 meters (Molly Jones).
Jefferson was once again named the Sun Belt Conference's Most Outstanding Track Performer and earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt first team along with Kelley, Glasco, Arnold, Amelia Canetto, Lauren Gordon, Kayla Sweeney, and Bellamy. Jones was named to the third team along with Clemens and Nikki Boon.
The Coastal Carolina women’s outdoor track & field team wrapped up its record-setting 2022 season with six Chanticleers earning All-American honors, highlighted by Jefferson garnering All-American accolades in three events on the final day of the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Entering the 2022 outdoor track & field season, the Coastal Carolina women’s track & field program had nine individuals with outdoor track & field All-American recognition in the program’s history, including second-team honors for Jefferson last year in 2021.
Fowler guided the Chanticleers to eight gold medals at the 2021 Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Mobile, Ala., the most the program has earned since the 2015 season. She guided sprinter Jefferson and long jumper David Ejumeta to the NCAA Championships that same season. Jefferson broke the 100-meter and 200-meter records four times apiece in 2021 as she went on to win the Sun Belt Most Outstanding Track Athlete (Outdoor), Sun Belt Most Outstanding Freshman (Outdoor), Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year (Outdoor), All-Sun Belt first team (Outdoor), Sun Belt Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week (April 15, 2021) and All-Sun Belt second team (Indoor). Ejumeta became the Chanticleer in school history to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the long jump. In 2021, Ejumeta broke the school record and the Sun Belt Championship record. Ejumeta earned the Sun Belt's Most Outstanding Field Performer, All-Sun Belt first-team honors, and was named the Sun Belt Outdoor Field Athlete of the Week (March 18, 2021).
Between 2017-19 at CCU, Fowler guided long distance runners Nadeel (10,000-meters) and Adriaan Wildschutt (10,000-meters), and Annie Bothma (10,000-meters) to All-American honors. The Wildschutts competed in the 2019 NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas, side-by-side in the 10,000-meters. The two were leading the pack for the majority of the race until they fell off their fast pace. Nadeel finished with second-team All-American honors, while Adriaan finished as an honorable mention. Bothma competed in the 10,000-meters on the women's side in 2017 and placed 19th overall for honorable mention All-American accolades.
Fowler, a nine-time All-American and USA national champion, spent five seasons as an assistant coach for the University of Michigan women’s track & field program. As a former world-class thrower, Fowler oversaw all throwing events for the Wolverines.
Fowler helped coach the Wolverines to win both the 2016 indoor and outdoor Big Ten Championships while helping eight student-athletes qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds and guiding three to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In 2015, Fowler helped the Wolverines to the program's best finish at the NCAA meet since the 2009 season.
During the 2014 season, she also coached heptathlete Aaron Howell in her two throwing events as she advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships and earned second-team All-American honors.
In her first season at Michigan (2012), she guided sisters Erin and Emily Pendleton to a 1-2 finish, respectively, in the discus at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships. Emily Pendleton then went on to win the NCAA East Region discus title and garner second-team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Overall, Erin Pendleton made three appearances at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and added honorable mention All-American honors once.
Prior to joining the staff at Michigan, Fowler enjoyed a successful 14-year stint as the head women's track & field coach at the University of Alabama (1998-2011).
During her tenure at Alabama, Fowler guided nearly 30 student-athletes to All-America status and produced one national champion, one NCAA Top 8 Award winner, more than 40 All-SEC selections, and more than 100 SEC Academic Honor Roll members.
Before taking the reins at Alabama, Fowler spent eight years as the field events coach at the University of Florida (1990-97). During that time, the Gators won four SEC team crowns, as well as the 1992 NCAA Indoor championship. She mentored four student-athletes to seven All-America accolades at Florida.
In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Fowler has an impressive international coaching resume.
Most recently named to the track & field staff for the 2023 Pan American Games for Team USA, Fowler also represented Team USA as an assistant coach for throws at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. She has also served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2019 IAAF World Championships and the 2019 Pan American Games, where her squads excelled.
Over the prestigious competitions, she has had a combined 14 athletes finish in the top five of their respective events, including first-place finishes by Gwen Berry (Pan Am Games - Hammer Throw), Deanna Price (World Championships - Hammer Throw), Kara Winger (World Championships - Javelin), and most recently, Valarie Allman (Olympics – Discus Throw) in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
She also represented Team USA as an assistant coach on the 2017 IAAF World Championship staff in London, the 2014 Pan-American Sports Festival in Mexico City, Mexico, as well as the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia. She served Team USA as its head coach at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
Fowler began her illustrious career as a champion shot putter at Northeastern University, where she was a nine-time All-American. Her career as a student-athlete was highlighted by winning the 1982 AIAW (the NCAA's predecessor) National Outdoor title. Fowler remains the record holder in the shot put at Northeastern with a mark of 53-11.
During her collegiate career at Northeastern, Fowler was named an alternate in the shot put on the 1980 United States Olympic team. She competed internationally for the United States at the 1981 World University Games in Romania and the 1981 Pan Pacific Games in New Zealand.
The Brookline, Mass., native earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Northeastern in 1983.
In 2007, she was inducted into the Massachusetts State Coaches Association Hall of Fame, adding All-American honors in the shot put and discus while in high school.
