Amanda Cotter Named Head Coach for Baylor Girls' Cross Country Team

Baylor School has announced that Amanda Cotter will take the reins of the girls' cross country team as head coach following the retirement of veteran coach Heather Ott.  Heather Biebel will remain as the team’s assistant coach.

"I believe that Amanda Cotter is the perfect person to continue the exemplary culture that Coach Ott has fostered for many years in our cross country program,’ said Mark Price, Baylor’s athletic director. “Amanda's experience coaching top level athletes coupled with her decorated career as a runner will be a tremendous resource for the athletes she will coach."

Cotter was captain of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga cross country and track teams, a Southern Conference champion, a member of the NCAA All Region cross country team and a UTC record holder for the distance medley relay. She served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for UTC from 2015-2020. In that role, she also oversaw the academic performance of women’s cross country, resulting in a 2018 team GPA of 3.8, the highest in program history.

Prior to her collegiate running career, Cotter was a four-time school record holder (1000m, 1600m, 3200m, and 400m) for Bristol Eastern High School in Bristol, Conn.  She was a four-time state champion and a member of the Bristol Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame.

"I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to lead the girls' cross country team and to continue to build off the foundation set by Coach Ott. Baylor has a proven record of success, and I firmly believe we have the opportunity to develop athletes to become runners, teammates, and students of the highest caliber," said Cotter.

Cotter holds a B.S. degree in psychology from UTC and has served as a dorm parent and Dean of Residential Life for Baylor since 2023.  She lives on campus with her husband, Lucas, and their three children:  Addison ’29, James, and Ruth.