WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Alex Heacock announced the hiring of Steve Belanger as the Tribe’s new assistant coach. Belanger, who has 13 years of collegiate coaching experience and nine at the Division I level, will work with the program’s sprinters and hurdlers.
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Belanger and his family to William & Mary,” Heacock said. “He has a proven record of developing young women and men to high levels in the sprint and hurdle events, and our student-athletes will benefit greatly from his tutelage. Steve is a great communicator and has a matchless work ethic which will serve the program well as we continue to strive to reach the top of the CAA in track & field.”
Belanger comes to Williamsburg with head coaching experience after spending the last four years in that capacity at Concordia University Chicago. His program produced three NCAA Division III National Champions and two runners-up. In total, 13 of Belanger’s student-athletes went on to earn NCAA All-America honors and 17 were named USTFCCCA Academic All-Americans. Under his tutelage, Cougar student-athletes achieved four USA Track & Field Championship qualifications, 41 top-10 national performances, 25 conference champions, four student-athletes of the year, 40 school records and 14 all-time conference records.
Along with his work on the track, Belanger started team-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives, led new branding and marketing initiatives for the cross country and track & field, developed and expanded alumni relations, and initiated team community service efforts and volunteer events.
Belanger’s nine years of Division I experience came on the East Coast at Boston College in 2019 and Quinnipiac University from 2011-19.
At BC, he coached the sprinting, jumping, hurdling and throwing events. In his lone season in Chestnut Hill, he produced an NCAA National Qualifier and two All-ACC selections.
During his eight-year tenure at Quinnipiac, Belanger coached the sprinting, jumping, hurdling and throwing events. He also served as the program’s recruiting coordinator and oversaw the strength training efforts for both the track & field and cross country teams.
Belanger and the Quinnipiac coaches were named the 2015 MAAC Coaching Staff of the Year. As a team, the Bobcats finished as the MAAC runners up in 2015, 2016 and 2018 after having a previous program-best finish of seventh. Quinnipiac also received eight team Academic All-America honors during his time.
Over Belanger’s eight years, the program produced five NCAA Division I East Regional Championship Qualifiers, including the first national-qualifying sprinter, hurdler, and jumper in school history, three conference championship track athletes of the year, two conference championship field athletes of the year, a conference championship rookie of the year, 27 individual conference champions, six New England Champions and five ECAC Champions. Bobcat athletes set five conference championship records in the 60m, 60m hurdles, 100m hurdles, 200m and 400m and totaled 45 school record performances. Belanger’s athletes set New England Championship meet records in the 60m hurdles and the 400m as well.
Belanger is a USA Track & Field National Level Certified Official and holds a USA Track & Field Level 2 certification in sprints, hurdles, and relays. He started his coaching career at his alma mater of Newington High School in Connecticut as the head cross country and track & field coach in 2009. During his tenure, the program produced three individual class state champions and 10 school records. Belanger was the Blue & Gold Recipient for Coach of the Year
Belanger competed in track and field collegiately at Central Connecticut State University as a sprinter and jumper. He earned his degree in industrial technology with specializations in environmental and occupational in 2010.
