Natalie Richardson joined the Manchester Spartans in March 2019 as the assistant cross country and track & field coach. As assistant coach, Richardson has an integral role in assisting with all aspects of the cross country and track & field programs at Manchester. Richardson will assist with the instruction of Spartan student-athletes and her duties also entail assisting with the organization and implementation of recruiting efforts.
Richardson completed her first season with the cross contry programs this past fall, helping lead both teams to HCAC titles. The Manchester women have won four conference championships in the past five years. The men earned their first HCAC title since 2016 this past November.
This fall, Richardson helped coach the Hearltand Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country MVPs in Lucas Fontanez and Hannah Wappes. Eight Spartans earned All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference accolades, while three more Spartans earned Honorable Mention All-HCAC honors at the end of the cross country season. Manchester University also had three runners garner All-Great Lakes Region recognition in November.
During the 2020 indoor track season, Richardson helped guide the Spartans to third (women) and fourth (men) place finishes respectively at the HCAC Championships. Hannah Wappes earned HCAC Track MVP honors after three event wins and one runner-up finish. The Spartan women had 10 all-conference performances while the men posted three all-conference performances.
In the spring of 2019, Richardson assisted with the MU track & field programs and helped the Black & Gold outdoor track & field teams to third-place finishes at the 2019 HCAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Richardson arrived in North Manchester after serving as the assistant coach for cross country and track & field at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois. During her three years with the Statesmen, Richardson coached athletes that broke 16 Top 5 marks in the school's record books. Natalie also served as the graduate assistant cross country and track & field coach at Western Illinois for two seasons. Richardson earned a bachelor of arts in communications from Hiram College in Ohio in 2013. She graduated with a master of arts in communications from Western Illinois in 2016.
* Last Updated - May 11, 2020
