Nicholls State University Women's Cross Country

Stefanie Slekis was hired in August 2017 as the Colonels head cross country and track & field coach.  Since joining the Red & Gray, Slekis has bolstered performance across the board, overseeing the 2019 women's track & field squad set a combined 18 Nicholls all-time Top 10 marks across both indoor and outdoor competition, nearly surpassing the 2018 team's previous mark of 20 the season prior. In the classroom, her cross country program has compiled a number of recognitions, the most notable being both the 2018 (men's & women's) and 2017 (women's) USTFCCCA All-Academic team honors. Off campus, Slekis never quite shakes off the distance-running spirit, as she managed to qualify for the 2020 US Marathon Olympic Trials behind a 2:42:24 time at Grandma's Marathon on June 22, 2019. Prior to taking over at Nicholls, Slekis spent the last four years serving as the head men’s and women’s cross country and assistant track and field coach for North Texas. The Mean Green cross country programs saw immediate success under Slekis’ tutelage as the men were Conference USA runner-ups in 2013 and champions in 2014. Consequently, she was deemed 2014 C-USA Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. The women also posted top-three finishes in Slekis’ first two seasons at the helm.  Slekis was an integral piece of a North Texas indoor track program that produced the 2015 men’s 3000-meter and women’s mile champions in Troy Taylor and Susie Kemper, respectively. Taylor additionally qualified for the 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships as one of five men to earn NCAA South Central Cross Country All-Region honors during Slekis’ four-year span. Three women also received all-region honors. Slekis contributed to 28 cross country and 13 track and field student-athletes receiving All-C-USA honors during her tenure with the Mean Green. Slekis’ success translated to the track as 10 distance student-athletes set school records and five individuals qualified for the NCAA West Outdoor Track and Field Preliminary Rounds. Slekis is currently the USTFCCCA south central region men’s cross country representative, tasked with participating in monthly executive meeting to review current and future submitted proposals and voting for regional and national polls throughout the season. Slekis earned All-Big East honors twice as an indoor student-athlete with the Orange, finishing fourth in the 3000m outdoor steeplechase and eighth in the 3000m indoor at the Big East championships in 2010. She was a 2010 NCAA East Preliminary qualifier in the 3000m steeplechase and 10,000m. Slekis received a bachelor’s degree in public relations at Syracuse. The Montclair, Virginia, native graduated Summa Cum Laude at Arizona State in 2012, acquiring a master’s degree in higher and postsecondary education. Stefanie has two two daughters, Polly Jean and Sandy Jane.

Alfred was hired as Nicholls assistant track and field/cross country coach in the fall of 2013 after spending three seasons at Southeastern Louisiana University where Alfred earned his bachelor's degree and was a member of the track and field team. This is Alfred's second stint as an assistant under head coach Heather Van Norman, as the two worked together while at Tulane. A graduate of Northshore High School in Slidell, La., Alfred was a standout high school track and field athlete, moving to the collegiate ranks at Southeastern where he ran the 400 and 800-meter run events. As a Lion, Alfred was a part of a school-record setting 800-meter relay team and 2008 Southland Conference runner up finish at the outdoor track and field championships. Upon graduation, Alfred returned to his roots and served as a volunteer assistant at Northshore, before moving on to the collegiate ranks with the Green Wave. At Tulane he served as a recruiting coordinator and helped coach three regional champions and one making it all the way to the national championships. Alfred is married to the the former Shari Moody of New Orleans, La., who also attended and graduated from Southeastern Louisiana.

Van Norman brings a winning attitude to Thibodaux and has the hardware to back it up. A sprinter for LSU from 1989-95, she was a six-time All-American for the Tigers winning three-straight NCAA outdoor titles from 1991-93, two indoor national titles in 1991 and 1993 and won both indoor and outdoor SEC titles in 1993 and 1995. "I am so honored to be a member of the Nicholls family, and I thank Rob and Dr. Boudreaux for the opportunity to work at such an amazing university," Van Norman said. "I hope to be able to continue the success the track and field and cross country programs have had and continue to build on it to become one of the best in the Southland Conference." Her coaching career began at Rice, where after two years she moved on to become an assistant at Georgia Tech and spent four years in Atlanta. It was then in 2002 when Van Norman was named the head coach at Tulane University and spent the next seven years producing student-athletes who made 16 NCAA Championship meet appearances and 44 NCAA Mideast Regional appearances. Van Norman has coached one All-American in Gloria Asumnu, along with 144 all-conference nominations, who won 14 Conference USA individual titles in various events. Her teams also competed well in the classroom as 70 of her individual team members made the C-USA Academic Honor Roll, as well as having a Capital One Academic All-District award winner and C-USA Post Graduate Scholarship recipient. Individually, Van Norman was a part of three national championship relay teams in 1993, winning the indoor and outdoor 4x400m and outdoor 4x100m relay. In 1991 she helped set an American record in the 4x200m relay, following that up in 1992 with an SEC indoor title in the 400m run and spot in the U.S. Olympic Trials that were held in New Orleans. Van Norman began her career at the University of Minnesota in 1988 where she was named Freshman Track Athlete of the Year. Van Norman has two children, Odell - a former LSU wide receiver and current New York Giant - and Jasmyne.