RICHMOND, Va.- Elizabeth Allen has been hired as an assistant coach for the VCU Track & Field program, head coach Jon Riley announced Tuesday afternoon. Allen, who will be responsible for working with the team's sprinters, brings a wealth of coaching knowledge to the program, with USA Track & Field (USATF) Level I and II coaching certifications.  
 
"I'm really excited about Coach Allen's arrival," Riley said. "She was one of my student-athletes at Belmont and was one of the hardest working athletes I've ever coached. She knows exactly what my expectations are, and with her experience at both the college and high school levels, she will help us become more regionally and nationally competitive."
 
Prior to arriving in Richmond, Allen served for six seasons as the Head Girls Track & Field Coach at Allen High School in Allen, Texas.  Under her tutelage, the Eagles experienced a great deal of success, including three district championships, two area championships, and a 6A Region II runner-up finish. In total, 53 of Allen's sprinters qualified for the 6A University Interscholastic League (UIL) Region II track and field meet, 32 of them signed national letters of intent to compete at the collegiate level, and 10 athletes were finalists in the UIL 6A State meet.  Furthermore, Allen oversaw the setting of school records in nine different events. Allen also gained experience in meet management, serving as the meet director of the Allen Eagle Relays, the DFW Relays, and the Allen Eagles Last Chance Meets.
 
Before her time at Allen High School, Elizabeth Allen spent one season (2014-2015) as an assistant coach at North Texas in Denton, Texas.  During her year with the Mean Green, Allen assisted with the development of the team's sprints, hurdles, and relay event groups. Allen's athletes represented North Texas at the NCAA Division I West Preliminary Meet in the 100-meters, 200-meters, and the 4x400-meter relay. Two athletes achieved All-Conference USA honors.
 
The first stop in Allen's collegiate coaching career came at Tennessee State in Nashville, Tenn.,  where she spent three seasons (2011-2014) as an assistant coach overseeing the sprints, hurdles, relays, and multis event groups.  As a team, the Tennessee State women captured the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Indoor Championship and were runners-up in the OVC Outdoor Championship in 2014. During her time with the Tigers, Allen worked with standout individual athletes Clairwin Dameus, who qualified for the NCAA Division I National Championships in the heptathlon, and Amber Hughes, who claimed OVC Indoor/Outdoor Female Freshman of the Year honors in 2014. In total, Allen coached 12 OVC championship performances. Allen's event groups also set indoor/outdoor OVC records in the 4x400 and 4x100-meter relays. 
 
From 2009-2011, while completing her graduate coursework at Belmont, Allen served as an Athletic Director Intern/Athletic Coach at the University School of Nashville and also worked in Belmont University's compliance department. Allen coached Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) State Champions in the 200, 400, 800, and long jump. Allen also coached TSSAA State Championship Meet qualifiers in the 300-meter hurdles, 4x800, shot put, and 4x400. Allen earned her Master of Sport Administration from Belmont in 2011.
 
As a collegiate athlete, Allen (formerly Pollock) competed at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., where she distinguished herself as a standout track & field performer for the Bruins from 2005-2009. Allen qualified for the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional Preliminary meet in the 400 hurdles, 4x100, and the 4x400. Furthermore, Allen won Atlantic Sun Conference championships in the 4x400, the 4x100, and the 400 hurdles. To this day, Allen holds seven Belmont University school records: 400 hurdles, 60-meter hurdles, 55- meter hurdles, 4x100 4x200, and 4x400 (indoors and outdoors). Allen graduated from Belmont in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science.