Forester Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Patrick Austin announced Friday that Jill Wilkerson has been promoted to Associate Head Coach for both programs and will now be a full-time member of the Lake Forest College Department of Athletics.

"Coach Jill is extremely deserving of this promotion and I am particularly excited to welcome her to full-time status on our staff," began Austin. "Over the last three years she has consistently raised the bar in terms of recruiting and developing our student-athletes and I couldn't be more proud of her contributions to our program."

Wilkerson joined Austin's staff in 2022 and the size of the Forester cross country and track and field rosters has more than doubled during that time. The men's and women's cross country teams have moved up in the Midwest Conference standings and members of the track and field team have set program records in more than 40 events during that time.

A graduate of Augustana College, Wilkerson earned all-conference and all-region honors in cross country and qualified for the NCAA Championship Meet in track and field. She then spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Aurora University before coming to Lake Forest as an assistant coach in Athletics and coordinator in the Department of Advancement.

"I have loved my time assistant coaching here, and I am thrilled to focus my efforts on the team full-time," stated Wilkerson. "The Forester cross country and track teams have been getting stronger every year and I am excited to contribute even more as we continue growing and achieving a higher level of excellence."