Lisa Breznau Named Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
5/25/2021 11:35:00 AM | Track and Field
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State Vice President and Director of Athletics Bill Beekman announced Tuesday that Lisa Breznau has been named Director of Cross Country and Track & Field. Breznau has served as the Interim Director since the retirement of Walt Drenth in November.
Overall, Breznau has spent 11 years on the Michigan State staff. After serving as an assistant coach for five years from 2010-15, Breznau was promoted to the associate head coach for the cross country and track & field programs in 2015.
"We are excited to announce Lisa Breznau as our Director of Cross Country and Track & Field," Beekman said. "She's done an outstanding job this year since taking over as interim director in November, including winning a Big Ten Championship in women's cross country, excellent NCAA finishes by our men's and women's cross country teams and guiding individuals to Big Ten Championships on the track. Lisa has a passion for Spartan cross country and track and field which first developed during her time as a student-athlete, where she experienced the tradition of excellence that exists within the Spartan programs. I look forward to watching her guide student-athletes to even greater heights in the future."
"I am beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead Michigan State University Cross Country and Track & Field," Breznau said. "Since my time here as a student-athlete, my passion has been our team and MSU. It has been an honor to be coached by and work with our former Director, Coach Drenth. I want to thank him for creating this vision and for providing me with the tools to succeed in any type of adversity. I also want to thank our Athletic Director Bill Beekman for his leadership, as well as Assistant Athletic Director Epiphany Clark for her support and guidance throughout this year and beyond. Our program and athletic department include many remarkable individuals; thank you for your effort and investment as the foundation of our Spartan team. I look forward to building upon our past success and continuing the tradition of excellence in MSU Track & Field and Cross Country."
In her year as the Interim Director of Cross Country and Track & Field, she led the Michigan State women to their second-straight Big Ten Cross Country title.
In March, Breznau was named USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. She followed in the footsteps of Walt Drenth who was honored as Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year five times. She also guided the MSU men's and women's cross country teams to the best combined finish in Michigan State history, as the women finished fourth and the men were 17th. The fourth-place finish was the women's best since winning the NCAA title in 2014.
Breznau also guided Jenna Magness to Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor titles in the 5000m. Magness was also named Great Lakes Region Cross Country Athlete of the Year and Great Lakes Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Breznau earned her first Great Lakes Region coaching honor in 2015 and became the first Spartan assistant coach to earn the accolade since John Newell in 2011.
At the 2021, Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championship Morgan Beadlescomb (5000m) and Sophia Franklin (Pole Vault) also captured Big Ten titles.
On the cross country course, Breznau has helped coach the Spartan women's cross country team to six Big Ten Championship titles since the 2010 season, including the program's eighth overall title in 2021.
As an assistant coach, she helped the MSU women earn the NCAA Women's Cross Country crown in 2014 and the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field title in 2015. She was key in the development of All-Americans and National Champions Leah O'Connor and Rachele Schulist.
A native of Davison, Michigan, Breznau's primary focus as an assistant coach was with the cross country and indoor and outdoor distance programs.
As a student-athlete at Michigan State, Breznau earned a pair of All-American honors in 2008-09, earning fourth-place in the 5,000-meter run at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 16:28.88, and taking 27th place overall at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships, completing the 6K course in 20:33.40. She also qualified for the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the one-mile run with a season-best time of 4:40.91. She completed her collegiate career with Michigan State's records in the one-mile run, the 1,500-meter run and the indoor distance medley relay.
Other accomplishments from her final season included leading the Spartans to third-place team finishes at the NCAA Great Lakes Cross Country Regional Championship and the Big Ten Cross Country Championship, as well as First-Team All-Big Ten cross country honors.
The former Lisa Senakiewich received her bachelor's degree from MSU in English with a focus in general comparative literature and was a member of the Spartan's Dean's List for all eight semesters of college.
She and her husband, Chris, were married in 2020.
Overall, Breznau has spent 11 years on the Michigan State staff. After serving as an assistant coach for five years from 2010-15, Breznau was promoted to the associate head coach for the cross country and track & field programs in 2015.
"We are excited to announce Lisa Breznau as our Director of Cross Country and Track & Field," Beekman said. "She's done an outstanding job this year since taking over as interim director in November, including winning a Big Ten Championship in women's cross country, excellent NCAA finishes by our men's and women's cross country teams and guiding individuals to Big Ten Championships on the track. Lisa has a passion for Spartan cross country and track and field which first developed during her time as a student-athlete, where she experienced the tradition of excellence that exists within the Spartan programs. I look forward to watching her guide student-athletes to even greater heights in the future."
"I am beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead Michigan State University Cross Country and Track & Field," Breznau said. "Since my time here as a student-athlete, my passion has been our team and MSU. It has been an honor to be coached by and work with our former Director, Coach Drenth. I want to thank him for creating this vision and for providing me with the tools to succeed in any type of adversity. I also want to thank our Athletic Director Bill Beekman for his leadership, as well as Assistant Athletic Director Epiphany Clark for her support and guidance throughout this year and beyond. Our program and athletic department include many remarkable individuals; thank you for your effort and investment as the foundation of our Spartan team. I look forward to building upon our past success and continuing the tradition of excellence in MSU Track & Field and Cross Country."
In her year as the Interim Director of Cross Country and Track & Field, she led the Michigan State women to their second-straight Big Ten Cross Country title.
In March, Breznau was named USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year. She followed in the footsteps of Walt Drenth who was honored as Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year five times. She also guided the MSU men's and women's cross country teams to the best combined finish in Michigan State history, as the women finished fourth and the men were 17th. The fourth-place finish was the women's best since winning the NCAA title in 2014.
Breznau also guided Jenna Magness to Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor titles in the 5000m. Magness was also named Great Lakes Region Cross Country Athlete of the Year and Great Lakes Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Breznau earned her first Great Lakes Region coaching honor in 2015 and became the first Spartan assistant coach to earn the accolade since John Newell in 2011.
At the 2021, Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championship Morgan Beadlescomb (5000m) and Sophia Franklin (Pole Vault) also captured Big Ten titles.
On the cross country course, Breznau has helped coach the Spartan women's cross country team to six Big Ten Championship titles since the 2010 season, including the program's eighth overall title in 2021.
As an assistant coach, she helped the MSU women earn the NCAA Women's Cross Country crown in 2014 and the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field title in 2015. She was key in the development of All-Americans and National Champions Leah O'Connor and Rachele Schulist.
A native of Davison, Michigan, Breznau's primary focus as an assistant coach was with the cross country and indoor and outdoor distance programs.
As a student-athlete at Michigan State, Breznau earned a pair of All-American honors in 2008-09, earning fourth-place in the 5,000-meter run at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 16:28.88, and taking 27th place overall at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships, completing the 6K course in 20:33.40. She also qualified for the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in the one-mile run with a season-best time of 4:40.91. She completed her collegiate career with Michigan State's records in the one-mile run, the 1,500-meter run and the indoor distance medley relay.
Other accomplishments from her final season included leading the Spartans to third-place team finishes at the NCAA Great Lakes Cross Country Regional Championship and the Big Ten Cross Country Championship, as well as First-Team All-Big Ten cross country honors.
The former Lisa Senakiewich received her bachelor's degree from MSU in English with a focus in general comparative literature and was a member of the Spartan's Dean's List for all eight semesters of college.
She and her husband, Chris, were married in 2020.
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