Coach Lauren Masterson enters her 6th season as Head Cross Country and Track and Field
Coach of the Men's and Women's programs with 4 Region Championships and 9 Individual
National Champions in that time.
Her teams have amassed 51 All-American Awards since the program's restart in 2016.
In only the programs first year Elias Gedyon (Los Angeles, CA) put the Trojans on
the map with National Titles in the 1,000 meters indoors and 1500 meters outdoors.
The very next year Masterson guided Derek Holdsworth (Williamsburg, VA) to an NJCAA
record in the 1,000 meters. Holdsworth would go on to win 6 NJCAA National Championships
(3x800m, 1000m, Mile, 1500m). In 2019 Masterson coached Benadine Chelimo (Eldoret,
Kenya) to TSJC's first women's National Championship when Chelimo took victory in
the 3,000m steeplechase at the NJCAA Championships in Hobbs, New Mexico.
In 2019 the Trojan men earned their first ever top 5 finish at a National Championship
in Albuquerque, New Mexico behind the efforts of Devin Paredes (Rio Rancho, NM), Felix
Kemei (Eldoret, Kenya), Miguel Coca (Las Vegas, NM), Caleb Palmer (Alamosa, CO), and
Micah Stanton (Flagstaff, AZ). The women's programs highest finish to date at a National
Championship is a 7th place from 2018.
Masterson's teams look to continue setting records and improving on their high finishes
in the 2020-2021 season with a large contingent of both local runners, runners from
throughout the country, and a handful of international student-athletes.
Prior to Trinidad State College, Masterson, formerly Martin, a native of Alamosa was
a standout athlete at Adams State University. She earned 10 All-American awards and
4 Individual NCAA Championships (2x 5000m, 2x 10,000m) while representing the Grizzlies.
Masterson holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Political Science and Masters of Arts
in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Leadership.
Coach Masterson is also a professional distance runner focusing on the marathon and
half marathon distances. She was a 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier and finished
10th in the United States in the Marathon in 2018. She often spends time traveling
to some of the best races throughout the country. A runner since birth, Masterson's
father has been the Adams State University Head Coach of Cross Country and Track and
Field since 1988 and won more Team National Championships than any other NCAA coach.
Masterson lives in Alamosa with her husband Kyle and two Doberman Pinschers, Chief
and King.
