University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Add Sowa to Coaching Staff
7/1/2021 2:51:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
The University of Minnesota track & field, cross country program welcomes back a familiar face to the Golden Gopher coaching staff. Colleen Sowa, a former Gopher volunteer coach from 2016-18, returns to Minnesota after a two-year head coach stint at University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
"We're excited to welcome back Colleen Sowa to the coaching staff," director of track & field, cross country Matt Bingle said. "Colleen brings to us some great head coaching experience and really has a way of connecting with athletes that will continue to help us pursue championships. We look forward to working with her again."
Sowa, a UW-River Falls alumna, led the women's track and field team to their most successful season since 2013 with a fifth place finish at the 2021 WIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Despite the cancellation of the 2020 outdoor season and 2021 indoor championships, Sowa coached five WIAC all-conference performers, including 11 top-3 finishes, four WIAC champions and the 2021 WIAC Indoor Track and Field Performer of the Year. Under her tutelage, Lexi LeFever earned All-America honors during the 2021 NCAA DIII Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
During her previous Gopher tenure, Sowa worked specifically with the women's sprints, jumps, hurdles and multi event athletes, as well as the men's 800 runners. During the 2017-18 season, the Gopher women's track and field team won both the indoor and outdoor Big Ten Championships.
Prior to Minnesota, Sowa was the head coach for the girls track and field team at River Falls High School. During her time at River Falls High School, Sowa led the Wildcats to three Big Rivers Conference titles in 2013, 2014, and 2015. In 2015, she was named District III Girls Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Track Coaches Association.
Sowa earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education from UW-River Falls in 2011. As an athlete, Sowa (nee' Kopel), competed for the Falcon track and field team as a heptathlete from 2008-11. She won the WIAC heptathlon title in 2009 and qualified for the NCAA DIII championships in the heptathlon in 2009 and 2010. She was also named the WIAC Scholar-Athlete for outdoor track and field in 2011.