Charlottesville, Va. – Virginia director of track and field Bryan Fetzer announced the hiring of Megan LaVoie as the women’s head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach on Monday (Aug. 20).
 
“I’m very excited to have Megan join our program,” Fetzer said. “It has been impressive to see the women at EKU (Eastern Kentucky University) progress over the last few years including a top-25 NCAA finish last season in cross country. I know she will be able to make an impact here at UVA.”
 
LaVoie joins the program after serving as the assistant cross country and track and field coach at Eastern Kentucky for seven years. During LaVoie’s tenure, the Colonels made history as the first women’s team from the Ohio Valley Conference to advance to the NCAA cross country championships, where they finished 23rd with 537 points. Additionally, the women’s team recorded its highest national ranking in program history during the 2017 cross country season, climbing to 21st in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Associations’ national poll.
 
LaVoie helped lead Eastern Kentucky to 13 Ohio Valley Conference cross country championships, recording seven consecutive titles on the men’s side and six conference championships on the women’s side. The men’s team advanced to the NCAA cross country championships five consecutive years from 2011-15, recording four All-America honors, while the women’s team had two individuals finish as All-American honorees.
 
LaVoie has helped to advance multiple Eastern Kentucky student-athletes to the NCAA track and field championships with 12 student-athletes qualifying in the last five years. She coached the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Female Cross Country Runner and 2017 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, Charlotte Imer, to two All-America honors. LaVoie also worked with the current women’s outdoor 800-meter school record holder, helping the freshman transition from a sprinter to a mid-distance runner, and a 2015 Capital One CoSIDA first-team Academic All-American.
 
“I am thrilled to have this opportunity to join Coach Fetzer and his staff,” LaVoie said. “I am excited to get to Charlottesville and start working with the very talented women’s distance team. I also want to take a moment to thank Coach Erdmann (Rick Erdmann) for all his support over the last seven years at EKU.”
 
LaVoie served as a graduate assistant coach for Eastern Kentucky in the fall of 2009. She has a master’s of science in physical education with a focus on sports administration and a bachelor of science degree in physical education from Eastern Kentucky.