FARMINGTON, Utah (May 24, 2022) - This June marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX, the law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally-funded education programs or activities and has helped create gender equality in sports. To celebrate this landmark, the Big Sky Conference is highlighting several inspiring female student-athletes from its member institutions, first up we take a look back at the career of 2008 Olympian and Weber State Hall of Famer Lindsey Anderson.
Anderson, who is the current head cross country coach and distance coach at the University of Missouri, finished her career at Weber State as a two-time All-American in the 3000m steeplechase and the indoor 5K. She set school records in the 3000m steeplechase and 10K during the outdoor season and in the indoor 5K as well while running with the Wildcats. Anderson was inducted into Weber State's Hall of Fame in 2017.
On the conference side, Anderson was ranked ninth on the Big Sky Conference's list of "25 Greatest Female Athletes All-Time back in 2014. The Payson, Utah native won six Bix Sky individual championships while taking three conference titles in relay competitions for the Wildcats. Anderson was also named the Big Sky's Track Athlete of the Meet twice and was selected as the league's representative for the NCAA Woman of the Year award in 2007.
In July of 2008, Anderson became the first student-athlete from Weber State to qualify for the Summer Olympics after finishing second overall at the U.S. Olympic Trials for the steeplechase, posting a personal-best time of 9:30.75 to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Anderson's success in the steeplechase has also led her to the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany and most recently she qualified for and competed in the 2020 Olympics Marathon Trial in Atlanta, Georgia, finishing in the top 10 percent.
Anderson is also accomplished as a coach, being honored as the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year after leading the College of Southern Idaho to their first-ever national championship in 2021. Anderson spent five years at CSI, where both the men's and women's cross country programs placed in the top 10 at the NJCAA National Championships every season under her tenure. Anderson was hired as the head cross country and distance coach at Missouri in May of 2022.
Anderson earned an undergraduate degree from Weber State in 2007 and obtained a master's degree from Idaho State in 2019. She was also a graduate for Morgan High School in Morgan, Utah where she was a five-time state champion in both track and cross country. Formerly, Lindsey Olson, she is married to Mark Anderson and the couple has two children: daughter, Peyton and son, Avett.
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