Steve Taylor - Head Men's XC Coach and Assistant T&F Coach - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Steve Taylor

Title:
Head Men's XC Coach and Assistant T&F Coach
Email:

In 23 seasons at Richmond, Steve Taylor has led the Spiders to a top 25 finish in the NCAA D1 National Cross Country Championship, multiple Atlantic 10 Conference Championship team titles, coached two USA national teams, co-founded the Collegiate Running Association and been selected to the USA Track & Field (USATF) National Team Development Committee as the Men’s Long Distance Running (LDR) Chair (3KSC, 5K, 10K, Marathon) in addition to his attention to developing cross country and track & field student-athletes to their fullest potential.

Along with his wife, Lori (Director of Track & Field/Cross Country) they have placed the Spiders program back onto the national stage during their tenure. In his career, which spans over 30 years, Steve has guided 1 World Champion, 7 World Team Medalist (Top 3 Team Finish), 11 World Championship -Top 10 Individual Finishers, 5 National Champions, 32 U.S. International Team Athletes, 18 NCAA All-Americans, 73 Collegiate Running All-Americans, 236 Conference Champions and 561 All-Conference Medalists.  He’s been part of 19 team titles within the Atlantic 10 and Metro Conferences for men’s and women’s cross country and track & field, 21 top 10 team finishes within the NCAA Southeast Region in cross country, been selected the conference Cross Country Coach of the Year on 5 occasions and been nominated as the NCAA D1 National Cross Country Coach of the Year (2010).

In 2024 the Spider men extended their steak to 22 consecutive years of earning NCAA All-Academic Team recognition for maintaining a cumulative grade point average above 3.0. At the 2024 IC4A Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Championships 7 Spider men earned All-East honors and Stuart Terrill was crowned the IC4A Champion in the 10,000m setting a facility record at George Mason University of 29:26.63.
Additionally, three Spiders were crowned national champions with Stuart Terrill winning the 2024 Collegiate Trail Running National Championship, Jordan Bendura won the 2024 Collegiate 10k Road Race National Championship and Madison Trippett was crowned the 2024 Collegiate Road Mile National Champion following the NCAA season.
Taylor is a confident leader who has built, trained and managed teams from the ground up. He has documented success building recruiting networks and developing careers of student-athletes.

In 2010 he guided the Spider Men to 24th place in the NCAA D1 Cross Country Championship, a fourth-place finish in the NCAA Southeast Region and witnessed the men and women lay claim to Atlantic 10 Conference Cross Country Championship titles.  The men reaching these milestones as a team without athletic scholarships. The 2010 team was led by 3KSC All-American and 2-time USA mountain running team member, Andrew Benford and 10K All-American track runner, Matt Llano.

With over 30 years of coaching at the NCAA DI level, he guided the 2021 Spiders to their second Atlantic 10 Conference men’s team title in cross country with four men finishing in the top ten to earn All-Conference honors.

Along with athletic success, the Spiders have earned USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors 22 years in a row for both men’s and women’s cross country and track & field (2001-2023) holding an impressive cumulative GPA over 3.0 over those 22 consecutive years.

Along with his decades of documented success, first as an athlete and now as a coach, he serves on the USA Track & Field (USATF) National Team Development Committee as the Men’s Long Distance Running (LDR) Chair (3KSC, 5K, 10K, Marathon) aiding highly performing and emerging elite athletes who fall outside of the USATF Tier system. Since 2022 he has also served on the USATF Men’s National LDR Executive Committee.

Coach Taylor is known to problem solve and move forward with solutions. An innovator, he co-founded (with Spiders Associate Head Coach, Jon Molz) the Collegiate Running Association (501c3) in 2013 becoming the first organization or group to offer prize money specifically to college students in the sport of running. The Collegiate Running Association offers national championship events in road, mountain, trail and snowshoe running. Since their first championships in 2014, the Collegiate Running Association has awarded over $560,000 in prizes, prize money and travel specifically to college students. Since their first event in 2014 over 14,000 college students have participated in their national championship events.

Honored in 2018 by USA Track and Field with the prestigious H. Browning Ross Merit Award for his contributions and service to the sport. This national award is given annually to that individual who has made an outstanding contribution and/or has been of service to the sport of long distance running within the U.S. It was named in honor of the founder of the AAU LDR committee and the Road Runners Club of America, as well as the first recipient of the award in 1969.

Recognized with the 2021 MVP Sports Tourism Award by Richmond Region Tourism for his contributions and service to tourism through the sport growth of cross country in the greater Richmond Region. Taylor was instrumental in securing the bid to host the 2023 and 2024 USATF National Cross Country Championships at the Spiders home course located in Pole Green Park in Mechanicsburg, Virginia. It is the first time in history the U.S. Cross Country Championships were held in the state of Virginia.

Prior to coaching he was a successful athlete who still holds four U.S. National Age Group Records in road running (15K, 10 Miles, Half Marathon and 15 Miles). As a professional runner he held personal best performances of 4:00.6 in the Mile (Roanoke, VA, 1990), 13:38 in the 5,000M (Nikoping, Sweden, 1989), 27:59 in the 10K (Pittsburgh, PA., 1988), 47:01 in the 10 Mile (Washington, D.C., 1989), 1:02:29 in the Half-Marathon (Toronto, Canada, 1990) and 2:13:56 in the Marathon (Columbus, Ohio, 1990).

Along with qualifying for 3-USA Olympic Team Trials (1988-10K, 1992-Marathon, 1996-Marathon) he was named an alternate on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Team in the marathon. He represented team USA in the 1991 World Track & Field Championships (Tokyo, Japan), led team USA in both the 1991 World Marathon Cup (London, England) and 1995 World Marathon Cup (Athens, Greece). In 1988, he won the TAC (USA Track & Field) National Championship in the 10,000 meters in Tampa, FL, RRCA 8K National Championship in Eugene, Oregon and the RRCA 10 Mile National Championship in Raleigh, NC.

Taylor has been awarded several additional prestigious honors in his career. He earned induction into the Pittsburgh Marathon Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame in June of 1999. During the fall of the same year, Taylor took his place among the Hokie greats when he was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

He, and his wife Lori, joined head football coach Frank Beamer as the only inductees voted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame while still serving the Virginia Tech Athletic Department.

Before coming to Richmond, Taylor coached his Alma Mater, Virginia Tech for 10 years and led his Hokies to three league cross country titles and never finished worse than the runner-up position within the league to go along with ten men’s indoor and outdoor track & field team titles. Also, 58 individual league champions were crowned, including two league champions in cross country during his time in Blacksburg, Va. He saw 108 All-Conference medalists in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field and 7 All-Region performers in cross country.

In 2001 he coached the men's distance medley relay team of Paul Hayes, Buck Grant, Ali Najjar and Chris Seaton to the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships where it placed 10th, qualifying with, at the time, a program record time of 9:37.98.

As a Virginia Tech graduate in 1988, he earned All-American honors in track with a third-place finish in the 10,000 meters at the 1987 NCAA Championships. He also garnered All-America honors in cross country with a ninth-place individual finish in the 1987 NCAA Cross Country Championships, helping the Hokies to 4^th place, their all-time best team finish.

“I’m passionate about loyalty and developing athletes and partnerships that cultivate strong relationships,” said Taylor. “Lori and I believe in fostering an environment that empowers individuals, teams and organizations to succeed. I look forward to coaching anyone who has a strong work ethic and is willing to commit to our culture and team success.”

"Running and coaching is not just something we do; it is who we are," continued Taylor. "Both Lori and I have dedicated our lives to competing and training athletes to compete at the highest level. For us it is our way of life. It is not a 9-5 occupation. It is not something we do for a couple of hours per day. It is literally who we are."

Taylor received his Bachelor of Science degree in education with a sport management and exercise science option from Virginia Tech in 1988. He is married to Director of Track & Field and women's coach Lori Taylor. They have a son, Luke who was a multiple time state track champion and all-state performer in high school and who currently competes for a NCAA D1 program in cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field.

Steve Taylor - As a Coach (Head Men’s/Assistant Women’s):

1991-2023 – 1 World Champion
1991-2023 – 7 World Team Medalist (Top 3 Team Finish)
1991-2023 – 11 World Championship -Top 10 Individual Finishers
1991-2023 – 8 National Champions
1991-2023 – 32 U.S. National Team Athletes
1991-2023 – 18 NCAA All-Americans
2014-2023 – 73 Collegiate Running All-Americans
1991-2023 – 25 NCAA Division I All-Region Cross Country Performers
1991-2023 – 236 Conference Champions-M&W Cross Country and Track & Field
1991-2023 – 561 All-Conference Medalists (top 3)-M&W Cross Country and Track & Field
2001-2023 – 33 Atlantic 10 All-Academic Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field Team Members
2001-2023 – 42 Atlantic 10 All-Academic Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field Team Member

NCAA D1 National Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year Nominee (2010)
NCAA D1 Men’s National Cross Country Championships – 24^th Place Team (2010)
NCAA D1 Men’s Southeast Region Cross Country – 4^th Place Team (2010)
NCAA D1 Men’s Southeast Region Cross Country – Top 10 Team Finish
(1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2010)
NCAA D1 Women’s Southeast Region Cross Country – Top 10 Team Finish
(2001, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2018)

Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year (1996, 1997, 2010, 2020)
Metro Conference Cross Country Men’s Coach of the Year (1994)
Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Cross Country Team Champions (1996, 1997, 2010, 2020)
Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Cross Country Runner-up Team (1995, 1998, 1999, 2007)
Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Team Champion (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field Team Champion (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)

Atlantic 10 Conference Women's Cross Country Team Champions
(2003, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2018)
Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Cross Country Runner-up Team
(2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2017)
Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Indoor Track & Field Team Champion (2003)
Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Indoor Track & Field Runner-up Team (2007, 2015, 2022, 2024)
Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Runner-up Team
(2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2024)

Metro Conference Men’s Cross Country Team Champions (1994)
Metro Conference Men’s Cross Country Runner-up Team (1991,1992, 1993)
Metro Conference Men’s Indoor Track & Field Team Champions (1992, 1993, 1994)
Metro Conference Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Runner-up Team (1992, 1994, 1995)

2001-2023 -- NCAA All-Academic Men’s Cross Country Team (above 3.0 cumulative GPA)
2002-2010 -- NCAA All-Academic Men’s Track & Field Team (above 3.0 cumulative GPA)
2001-2023 -- NCAA All-Academic Women’s Cross Country Team (above 3.0 cumulative GPA)
2002-2024 -- NCAA All-Academic Women’s Track & Field Team (above 3.0 cumulative GPA)

2021-Present Serves as USATF National Team Development Committee-Men’s LDR Chair
2020-Present Serves on USATF Men’s Long Distance Running (LDR) Executive Committee

2024 Collegiate Trail Running National Champion (Stuart Terrill)
2024 Collegiate 10K Road Race National Championship Champion and Runner-Up (Jordan Bendura/Stuart Terrill)
2024 Collegiate Road Mile National Champion (Madison Trippett)
2024 USATF National Cross Country Championships Event Director (Mechanicsville, VA)
2023 Collegiate Road Mile National Champion (Madison Trippett)
2023 Collegiate Trail Running National Champion and Runner-Up (Stuart Terrill/Jordan Bendura)
2023 Collegiate 10K Road Race National Championship Runner-Up (Stuart Terrill)
2023 USATF National Cross Country Championships Event Director (Mechanicsville, VA)
2022 Collegiate 10K Road Race National Championship Runner-Up (Peter Borger)
2021 Richmond Region Tourism MVP Sports Tourism Award
2019 Pittsburgh Marathon Hall of Fame Inductee
2018 USATF National H. Browning Ross Long Distance Running Merit Award
2017 Coached athlete to U.S. Under 20 (U20) National Record – Track 20K (Miles Clikeman)
2015 World Mountain Running Championships (Snowdonia, Wales)
            (Andrew Benford- 51st place/ 4th team)
2015 USATF U20 Mountain Running Championship Runner-Up (Alex Lucking)
2015 North American Central American Caribbean (NACAC) Mountain Running Championships-Silver Medal
(Vancouver, BC, Canada) (Jordan Chavez- 7^th individual/2^nd place team)
2014 U20 World Mountain Running Championships-Bronze Medal (Tuscany, Italy)
(Marisa Ruskan-8^th place/ 2nd place team)
2014 USATF U20 Mountain Running National Champion (Marisa Ruskan)
2013 Co-Founder of the Collegiate Running Association
2013 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Krynica Zdroj, Poland)
(Jordan Chavez-7^th place/ 5^th place team)
2012 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Ponte di Legno, Italy)
(Jordan Chavez-17^th place/ 6^th team)
2012 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Ponte di Legno, Italy)
(Claire Moretz- 23^rd place/ 9^th team)
2012 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Ponte di Legno, Italy)
(Billy Fayette-39^th place/ 6^th team)
2012 U20 World University Games Triathlon Championships-Gold Medal (Taipei, Taiwan)
(Julie Rechel/1^st place team)
2011 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Tirana, Albania)
            (Ryan Lee-11^th place/ 10th team)
2011 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Tirana, Albania)
            (Billy Fayette-28^th place/ 10th team)
2011 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Tirana, Albania)
            (Claire Moretz-30^th place/ 11th team)
2011 USA Team for Izumo Ekiden (Izumo, Japan)
            (Andrew Benford)
2010 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Kamnik, Slovenia)
            (Chris York-37^th place/ 9^th team)
2009 World Mountain Running Championships (Madesimo, Italy)
            (Andrew Benford-13^th place/ 7^th team)
2009 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Madesimo, Italy)
            (Tim Smith-5^th place/ 8^th team)
2008 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Crans-Montana, Switzerland)
            (Tim Smith-55^th place/ 4^th team)
2008 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Crans-Montana, Switzerland)
            (Levi Grandt-11^th place/ 4^th team)
2006 U20 World Mountain Running Championships (Bursa, Turkey)
            (Andrew Benford-12^th place/ 8^th team)
2006 U20 World Champion-Team USA 4X400M Relay (Beijing, China) (Jessica Young)
2001 World Championship Coach (USA 100K M&W Teams-Cleder, France)
2000 World Championship Coach (USA 100K M&W Teams-Winschoten, Netherlands)-Silver Medal Team
2000 USA 100K National Champion (Pittsburgh, PA) (Howard Nippert)
1999 Virginia Tech Hall of Fame Inductee
1999 Mid-Ohio Valley Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
1999 World University Games (Coached top individual U.S. athlete - Palma de Mallorca, Spain)
(George Probst-13^th place-top U.S. finisher)
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 World 100K Championships Qualifier (Howard Nippert-USA)
1995 World University Games (Coached individual U.S. athlete - Buffalo, N.Y.)
            (Howard Nippert- 8^th place-top U.S. finisher)
1994 World U20 Cross Country Championships (Individual U.S. athlete - Budapest, Hungary)
            (Mike Cox-101^st place /17^th team)
1995-2002 – New River Running Camp Director

Steve Taylor - As an Athlete:
1996 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials Qualifier (Charlotte, North Carolina)
1995 U.S. World Marathon Cup Team (Athens, Greece-Top U.S. Finisher-27^th place)
1993 USATF Half Marathon National Team Champions (Parkersburg, WV)
1992 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials (sixth place, team alternate - Columbus, Ohio)
1991 U.S. World Championships Track & Field Team (Marathon-Tokyo, Japan-2^nd U.S. Finisher/26^th place)
1991 U.S. World Marathon Cup Team (London, England-Top U.S. Finisher-44^th place)
1991 U.S. Marathon Leader (April-October)
1990 Fourth place in U.S. Marathon Championships (Columbus, Ohio)
1990 All-Comer Canadian National Record at Half-Marathon (1:02:29 - Toronto, Ontario)
1989 National Age Group Record at 10 Miles (47:01-age 23 – Washington, DC – 4/2/89)
1988 USATF (was The Athletics Congress) National Champion (10K Track - Tampa, Florida)
1988 RRCA National Champion (10 miles - Raleigh, N.C.)
1988 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Qualifier (10,000 meters - Indianapolis, Indiana)
1988 RRCA National Champion (8K – Eugene, Oregon)
1988 Second-fastest 10K Road Race time in U.S. -- T&F News, Feb. 1989 (27:59)
1987 NCAA Division I All-America Track & Field Team (10K-3^rd place)
1987 NCAA Division I All-America Cross Country Team (4^th place team)
1987 NCAA Division I All-America Cross Country Team (9^th place individual)
1987 National Age Group Record at 15 Miles (1:14:31-age 22–Charleston, WV-9/2/87)
1986 National Age Group Record at 15K (44:54-age 20 – Jacksonville, FL -3/8/86)
1986 National Age Group Record at Half-Marathon (1:04:54-age 20 - Savannah, GA-1/11/86)
1982-83 Two-time High School All-American (cross country and track)
1983 Penn Relays Champion- High School 3,000M (8:27.21-First WV participant in history)
1982 Kinney (Foot Locker) National Championships (3rd place-Orlando, FL)
1982 Kinney (Foot Locker) Northeast Region Championship (4th place-New York, N.Y.)
1981 Kinney (Foot Locker) National Championships (7^th place-Orlando, Florida)
1981 Kinney (Foot Locker) Northeast Region Champion (New York, N.Y.)
1981-83 Three-time West Virginia Track Athlete of the Year
1980-83 11-time West Virginia State H.S. Champion (cross country and track)
1979 Hershey Track & Field National Championship Runner-up (1500M-4:07.11- 14 years old)
1977-79 2-time AAU All-American (cross country and track)

Personal Best Performances During His Career:
Mile -   4:00.6 (Roanoke, VA, 1990)
5,000M-13:38 (Nikoping, Sweden, 1989)
10,000M- 27:59 (Pittsburgh, PA., 1988)
10 Miles- 47:01 (Washington, D.C., 1989)
15 Miles- 1:14:31 (Charleston, W.V., 1987)
Half-Marathon-1:02:29 (Toronto, Canada, 1990)
Marathon- 2:13:56 (Columbus, Ohio, 1990)