Laurie McFadden brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Judson in her first year as the assistant coach to Rich Weinhandl. With NCAA Division I experience, she will be a great addition to the program.

Last season, she was a volunteer assistant coach for the Northern Illinois University women's cross country team. She helped several of the runners improve their times throughout the season as NIU competed at several meets and the MAC and NCAA Division I Regional meets.

McFadden is no stranger to cross country as she has ran in the Boston Marathon and the Ironman Triathlon. She was a Boston Marathon finisher in 2006 and then finished three Ironman Triathlon competitions in 2003, 2004, and 2006.

In other athletics, she coached the Marian Central Catholic softball team for three seasons. All of her teams bettered their wins from the previous years when she was not the coach.

She currently is a graduate of Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiolgy. She is currently working on her master's degree in Sports Management from Northern Illinois University.