March 11, 2024
Lake-Sumter State College Coach Cristy Snellgroves Leads Team USA to Success at World Indoor Track & Field Championships
By Kyle Coppola
Lake-Sumter State College Coach Cristy Snellgroves Leads Team USA to Success at World Indoor Track & Field Championships
Cristy Snellgroves, a highly respected coach affiliated with PURE Athletics at the National Training Center in Clermont and Lake Sumter State College, recently served as the Women’s Distance Coach for Team USA at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland, from March 1-3.
Coach Snellgroves’ leadership and expertise played a pivotal role in Team USA’s outstanding performance at the Championships, where they brought home an impressive tally of 20 medals. Her dedication to the sport and commitment to excellence have undoubtedly contributed to the success of the athletes under her guidance.
(Coach Snellgroves right standing with Noah Lyles in the middle and Lance Brauman the head coach of PURE Athletics at the National Training Center.)
The World Indoor Track and Field Championships serve as a global platform for athletes to showcase their talent and determination, and Coach Snellgroves’ involvement highlights the caliber of coaching within the American track and field community.
Among the standout athletes was Elle St. Pierre, who, on March 4, 2023, gave birth to her son, Ivan. She shocked the world in Glasgow with a last-lap sprint past the world 5000 champion and record holder, Gudaf Tsegay of Ethiopia, to smash the existing AR in the 3000 with an 8:20.87. This time chopped more than four seconds off the previous AR. St. Pierre became the first American woman to take gold in the event at the World Indoors, setting a Championships record. Her time also set an absolute American record, the fastest time ever run by an American woman indoors or outdoors, making her the No. 3 all-time world indoor performer.
(Coach Snellgrove stands with Elle St. Pierre who became the first American woman to take gold in teh event at the World Indoor Championships 3000 meter race with a record time of 8:20.87)
Nikki Hiltz ran a personal best in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:02.32, earning a silver medal and securing the first American medal in the event since 2003. Emily McKay, representing the United States for the first time on the world stage, earned the bronze medal, clocking a personal-best time of 4:02.69.
Noah Lyles won a silver medal in the 60m and 4×400 relay at the Indoor World Championships.
(Womens coaching staff for Team USA standing together at the World Indoor Championships.)
It was incredible to see Cristy Snellgroves, a Lake County resident, having such a significant impact on a national stage. Congratulations to Coach Snellgroves and all the athletes on a terrific performance at the Indoor World Championships.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
