BY ERICA ANDERS | The Statesman Some may think Joanna Warmington can rest easy, after her team placed seventh in NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships this past weekend.
But those who are familiar with Warmington know there is little rest for the Bulldog women’s cross-country and track and field coach, because as the cross-country season ends, the track and field season begins.
“It’s like being on call 24/7,” Warmington said of juggling her two coaching positions and the large number of athletes that come with them.
For a sport that is heavily based on individual performance, the 2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year manages to have a huge impact among her runners—and their collective success.
“She never gives up on her athletes, and that in itself is a huge motivator—to know there is someone who believes in you, and what you can do,” two-time Cross Country All-American Breanna Colbenson said.
Raised in a family of all boys by a father who played professional football, sports were not just an option for Warmington but a way of life. This upbringing led her to attend Drake University on a full track and field scholarship.
After graduating, sports appeared to be in the rearview mirror for Warmington.
But after she grew bored with her post-college job, she came to UMD as an assistant coach for the track and field and cross-country teams.
“After working in advertising for six years I knew that I needed a change,” Warmington said.
Eight years later, Warmington is the head coach of the women’s track and field and cross-country teams—and she has been for six years.
Since she came to UMD, the Bulldogs have qualified for six cross-country national championship meets. But to truly understand Warmington’s success, statistics can’t tell the whole story.
Jumps coach Tony Evans sees one of Warmington’s greatest coaching assets is her ability to connect with athletes better than anyone else he has coached with.
“She is so personable that it doesn’t matter who you are, she will connect with you,” Evans said.
This explains her success but also her motivations for coaching, which lie in the rewards of seeing an athlete grow in ways other than the sport.
“I want to teach them to be a tougher person mentally when challenges arise in the future with their family or work,” Warmington said.
This is a coaching philosophy that sometimes extends beyond just the sport.
Track and field and cross-country competitor Ellie Stepaniak was injured and ill her first year as a freshman in 2013, circumstances which may have led many coaches at the Division II level to count her out.
Warmington stuck with her, even as her recovery took over a year.
“She is like a mom away from home,” Stepniak, now a junior, said. “She gives you tough love when you need it but also lets you cry in her office.
For some of her outgoing seniors, their only regret is not listening to her more intently.
“It's amazing all you learn over four years with a coach like her. I wouldn't change anything besides going back in time and believing in myself as much as she believed in me and the team,” senior track and field captain Chanel Miller said.
Believing in her athletes means setting high targets for them. Senior cross-country captain Hannah Olson said that what she will miss most about Warmington is the drive she has to help her athletes be their best
“She always sets high goals for you and sees your potential and wants you to see that potential too,” Olson said.
There is a special dedication found in remaining so loyal and persistent to the program she runs.
Warmington said that nothing compares to the fulfillment of waking up each morning knowing she is influencing someone’s life for the better, both mentally and physically.