July 14, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - Rachel Evjen, who completed her career at Northwestern in 2002 as arguably the Wildcats' most decorated runner and the leader of the 2002 team that made history by earning an NCAA Championship berth, has returned to Evanston as an assistant coach. The announcement was made recently by NU head coach Amy Tush.
"I am very excited to have Rachel on the staff," said Tush. "It is always an honor to add a former athlete to your staff. She will be an asset to the program in many ways-her knowledge of Northwestern will strengthen our recruiting goals, and the experiences that she had here will enhance our team goals and influence our young women in a positive way. She has always been a hard worker and was willing to learn new things to get better. Her attitude and desire to be the best will help lead us to a memorable season. She was a tough, smart competitor and will make a great coach."
Evjen spent last year at Florida State University, where she assisted as a cross country coach. She worked with the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coach of the Year, Bob Braman, and helped the Seminoles to a fifth-place finish at the ACC Championships and a best-ever 18th at the NCAA Championships as two women earned All-America honors.
Evjen also completed a master's degree in physical education at FSU in June and competed in track for the Seminoles last year. She participated in the 5,000-meter run at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships, finishing 12th, and also qualified for NCAAs in the outdoor 10,000.
Evjen graduated from Northwestern in June 2003 with the six best 6K times in Northwestern history and a total of 10 sub-22 6K races. She was the Wildcats' top finisher in every race she ran each of her final three seasons, including her senior year of 2002 when NU earned its only NCAA Championship appearance since its return to varsity status in 1998. Evjen was a four-time all-district runner and also earned All-Big Ten recognition three times, including 2001 when she finished fifth at the Big Ten Championships to become the first Northwestern woman to gain first-team status. In addition to running with her teammates at the 2002 NCAA meet (where she placed 67th), Evjen also ran as an individual at the 2000 national championship meet, placing 126th. As a junior in 2001, she won a pair of individual titles, at the Bradley Open and the Illinois Invitational.
Evjen is Level 1 Coaching Certified by USA Track and Field, earning her certificate in June 2003.