On Sept. 9, 2024, Weber State University track and field legend Lindsey Anderson was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, adding to her already illustrious career and numerous accolades, including previous inductions into the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame and the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame.
“We’re talking about every athlete who’s competed for the state of Utah in one way or another, whether it’s professional, collegiate, as a coach; it just encompasses so many different aspects of the sporting world,” Anderson said. “I think that this one was special just because it is a very high recognition and something that I just didn’t realize I was going to get to be a part of.”
Anderson, a Morgan native, left her mark at Weber State from 2004 to 2007. She dominated the Big Sky Conference, securing nine championships and setting an NCAA record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Her collegiate career peaked when she finished second in the steeplechase at the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Later, she became the first Weber State athlete in any sport to compete in the Summer Olympics, representing the U.S. in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Anderson was named one of the Big Sky Conference’s top 25 Greatest Female Athletes of all time in 2014 and was inducted into the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.
Her Olympic journey began when she placed second at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, posting a personal best of 9:30.75 in the steeplechase. That same year, she competed against the world’s best in Beijing. Anderson’s steeplechase success earned her spots at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, and the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany. She also competed in the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trial in Atlanta, Georgia, finishing in the top 10%.
In addition to her Olympic success, Anderson has built an impressive coaching career. After working as an assistant coach at Weber State from 2007-2014 and at California State University, Bakersfield, she took the reins at the College of Southern Idaho. There, she was twice named National Women’s Coach of the Year and led her teams to top finishes at national championships. Anderson’s coaching accomplishments include rebuilding the CSI program after a 19-year hiatus and consistently guiding both men’s and women’s teams to success.
After CSI, her coaching path later took her to the University of Missouri, where she served as head cross-country coach for one season before returning to Weber State in 2023 as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s distance teams.
“At the end of the day, when I had the opportunity to come back, this is where I want to be,” Anderson said. “This is where my story started; it’s where I want my story to end.”
Throughout her career, Anderson has continued to inspire the next generation of runners, bringing the same competitive drive and excellence she demonstrated as an athlete.
“I’m always very impressed with the athletes that come out of Weber and just the attitudes and the accomplishments that they have,” Anderson said. “They’re going to struggle. They’re going to have seasons that they keep getting injured or might have something else come up that’s just they have to work through, but at the end of the day, if they can stick with it, be consistent, and work hard, then they’re going to be successful, that’s the kind of culture I want to keep cultivating here at Weber.”
