Terry VanLaningham completed his fifth year with the LeTourneau track and field programs in 2023-24. He coaches the throws, jumps, pole-vault and multi-events.
By the Numbers
• 2 Olympians
• 1 Olympic Trials Runner-Up
• 3 NCAA Runner-Ups
• 17 NCAA All-Americans
• 75 NCAA Final and Preliminary qualifiers
• 95 Conference Champions
• 215 All-Conference
• 400 All-Time Top Ten Marks
• 22 Conference MVP’s
• 1 NACAC participant and medalist
• 2 Jr. USA qualifiers
The 2023 season was a fruitful year for the VanLaningham-led event groups. Senior Jack Miller defended his ASC pole vault championship and participated at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships. Senior Erik Moore completed the first three-peat in the decathlon at the ASC Championships and set three new school records. The women were led by freshman Victoria Wilson, who earned USTFCCCA Indoor All-Region honors in the pentathlon. She set four school records, scored 17.25 points (tied for the team lead) at the ACS Championships competing in five events. The yearly accolades totaled two NCAA Championship participants, six West All-Region, two ASC champions, 32 All-Time Top 5 marks, and 10 program records.
2022 was a very successful year. Junior Jack Miller had a career year claiming two NCAA All-American awards, two West All-Region teams, four times ASC Field athlete of the week, two school records and the LETU co-Athlete of the Year award. He also led Erik Moore to the ASC decathlon championship, championship meet record, championship field athlete of the meet, West All-Region team, and three program records. For the women, Kaitlin Hall finished a LETU history best runner-up in the ASC shot put setting a new school record and Kaitlyn Reed claimed the runner-up spot in the Heptathlon. The yearly accolades included two NCAA All-Americans, two ASC champions, six West All-Region, 36 All-Time Top 5 marks, and 13 program records.
2021 was a year of much improvement. The yearly accolades included one conference champion, 13 All-Region accolades, 57 All-Time Top 5 marks, and 13 program records.
In his first year with the YellowJackets, he led Jack Miller to his first NCAA All-America accolade. Additionally, Miller and Kaitlyn Reed were named to the All-South/Southeast region indoor honors. The shortened year's awards included one NCAA All-American, two All-South/Southeast region honors, eight program records, and 17 All-Time Top 5 marks.
VanLaningham coached previously at Southern Illinois University. His three seasons there were fruitful. In all, his athletes enjoyed great success, as the list of accolades they earned included one USA Olympic Trials and NCAA runner-up finishes, four NCAA All-America honors, 12 NCAA finalist and first round qualifiers, 10 conference champions, 28 MVC All-Conference honorees, 12 SIU Top-10 all-time marks, one MVC Meet Record, seven MVC Outstanding Field Athletes, two MVC Scholar Athletes of the Week, two USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors, and one CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Prior to SIU, VanLaningham coached at Sacramento State. The Hornets saw a wealth of success with VanLaningham leading the jumps, pole vault, and multi-event athletes. During his tenure with the Hornets, VanLaningham coached three NCAA All-Americans, two USATF Junior All-American’s, claimed 47 championships, qualified 45 times to the NCAA championship meets, earned 116 all-Big Sky accolades, set 33 school records, recorded 164 all-time top 10 marks, and awarded Big Sky conference MVP seven times. With VanLaningham on the coaching staff, the Hornets won a combined 17 Big Sky team championships and finished second eight times. Prior to joining the staff, the men’s and women’s team had never finished better than fourth place as a team.
Before his time at Sacramento State, VanLaningham spent four seasons with the Wichita State track and field program. With the Shockers, he coached seven All-Americans, two NCAA runner-up’s, 12 NCAA Regional qualifiers, 27 Missouri Valley Conference champions, 57 MVC All-Conference performers, nine school record holders, 70 all-time top 10 marks, two MVC all-time record holders, six MVC Championship Meet record holders, and seven MVC Most Outstanding Field Athletes.
Prior to joining the NCAA coaching ranks, VanLaningham coached at the junior college level for several years. He served as the head coach of the track and field programs at Allen County Community College, Dodge City Community College, and Coffeyville Community College. The Coffeyville Community College program flourished with VanLaningham at the helm, as the women’s team set 33 new school records and improved from 10th place to fourth in the 16-team Regional Championship, while finishing ninth and 11th at the NJCAA National Championship meets his final two seasons. The men’s team was just as good, setting 22 school marks, finished in the top 10 at both Regional and National Championship meets and had 18 athletes named All-Americans.
VanLaningham has a strong history of coaching highly successful athletes. At Southern Illinois he coached Kyle Landon to runner-up finishes at the 2017 NCAA Championships and 2016 Olympic Trials in the high jump. While at Wichita State, he coached Randy Lewis, who competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, in the triple jump and set a new Grenadian national record in the same year. In 2002, Ineta Radevica was an NCAA Silver medalist while earning three NCAA All-American accolades and set school records in the triple and long jump. Radevica also competed for the Latvian national team in 2004 and finished fourth in the long jump at the 2012 Olympics.
The Dodge City, Kan., native earned his undergraduate and master’s degree from Kansas State. As an undergraduate at KSU, he competed on the track and field team, earning fourth in the decathlon at the Big 8 Championship in 1988 and 1989. While earning his master’s degree in exercise physiology/sport psychology, he served as a graduate assistant for the K-State track and field program, writing and developing a psychological skills performance enhancement program. In high school he was awarded the Kansas Fellowship of Christian Athletes male High School Athlete of the Year his senior year.
He assisted in the formation of the FCA Huddle at Sacramento State University. He has spoken at several coaches’ association state clinics and the USTFCCCA national convention. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Coach through the USTFCCCA, and a USATF Level 1 & 2 Certified Coach. He has chaired a marketing sub-committee for the USTFCCCA Executive Committee. He has served on the Local Organizing Committee of the Sacramento Sports Commission and as Technical Director of the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track & Field Championships and USATF Outdoor National Championships.
