Elaine Canchola joined the Boston University track and field and cross country teams as an assistant coach in January of 2007, after spending two seasons with Division III Aurora University in Illinois, where she played an integral part in helping the school develop a varsity track and field program.
During her time with the Spartans, Canchola worked primarily with the middle and distance runners and the hurdlers. During her tenure at the school, both the men[apos]s and women[apos]s program were named Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference Meet Championships two times, including 2006, during which 12 athletes combined for 14 conference titles, including a 4x400 relay win.
While at Aurora, Canchola also helped in recruiting for both the men[apos]s and women[apos]s team for all event areas. She served as the meet director for all home cross country meets and has USATF Level I certification. Canchola[apos]s responsibilities at Aurora extended off the field as well. She acted as the CHAMPS/Life Skills Coordinator and was the Assistant Advisor for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
Previous to her coaching career, the Ojai, Calif., native competed as a middle distance runner at UCLA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her freshman season at UCLA, she captained the squad, helping the Bruins to their first NCAA Division I Championship since 1988. She transferred to Wisconsin in 2001, where her time was highlighted with a captainship, as well as a second-place finish in the mile at the Big Ten Indoor Championship in 2002, earning second-team All-Big Ten Conference honors.
She graduated from Wisconsin in 2003 with a BA in Spanish. While at BU, she will be pursuing her masters in Business Administration.
