Bigos To Coach Blazer Cross Country

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College Athletics Hall of Famer Jill Bigos ’09 will coach the Blazer men’s and women’s cross country programs in 2018, interim athletic director Rob Southall announced.

“We are fortunate to have a Hall of Famer taking the reins of our cross country teams,” Southall said. “Coach Bigos brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the program. I am confident in her ability to build on the program’s momentum and provide each individual with a valuable student-athlete experience.”

Bigos was inducted into the Elms Hall of Fame in 2014 after a standout running career with the Blazers. She is the current Elms Course school record-holder with a time of 20:50 which she set at the Blazer Invitational in 2008 at Chicopee Memorial State Park. Bigos finished her Elms career as the school record-holder on any 5K course with times of 20:50 at both the 2008 Blazer Invitational and the 2008 WNEC Invitational, records that stood until 2014.

"I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with such a talented group of athletes and student leaders on the Elms College men's and women's cross country teams,” Bigos said. “I truly enjoyed being part of a team when I ran cross country at the Elms as an undergraduate, and I hope to provide that same experience for our current athletes."

Bigos will round out her coaching staff with another all-time great Elms runner, Sarah Tatgenhorst ’18, who holds the top two 5K times in program history. Combined, Tatgenhorst and Bigos hold the program’s top seven 5K times.

Bigos also serves as a Biology and Chemistry lecturer at Elms.