Elly Heine - Women's Track & Field Coach - University of Richmond Athletics

Elly Heine

Title:
Assistant Coach

Heine joined the Richmond Cross Country and Track & Field staff in the Fall of 2026 following a distinguished collegiate career at the University of Kentucky and Walsh University. Her collegiate résumé includes success as a distance runner (1500M-5,000M) and experience in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She brings extensive distance-running experience to the Spiders, along with a background in student-athlete leadership, youth programming, communications, marketing, and the running industry.

A University of Kentucky graduate, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Integrated Strategic Communications and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Psychology. During her collegiate career, she earned All-Conference cross country recognition and was recognized for her academic achievements as an NCAA Academic All-American in cross country and track & field. She was also named to the SEC Spring Honor Roll in 2025 and SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll in 2026.

In addition to her athletic career, Heine has valuable experience across the sports, running, and brand industries. She served as a Strategic Communications Intern with the University of Kentucky Athletics, creating and scheduling social media content, monitoring engagement and analytics, and assisting with campaigns and brand collaborations.

She also worked as a Brand Merchandising Intern with Bowerman Track Club, where she developed branded product lines, analyzed consumer data, and collaborated with the organization’s youth program on visual identity and brand materials. Her experience working with young athletes includes leading daily programming for more than 300 campers at the Bowerman Running Camp in Bend, Oregon.

Prior to Richmond, she was a Product Merchandising Intern with Converse, a Nike Inc. brand, Heine worked across the product-development process, collaborating with design, marketing and sales teams and presenting merchandising initiatives and seasonal planning to executives. She also worked in running-industry marketing and sales, including with Heartbreak Running Company and Fleet Feet Sports, gaining experience in community engagement, social media, customer service, footwear, and merchandising.