Samford University Athletics

Lori Strand is in her fifth year as the head coach for the Samford cross country team and as an assistant coach for the track and field team, working primarily with the distance runners.
    
Samford Head Coach Rod Tiffin says that Stand’s name is synonymous with running in the Birmingham com­munity. He believes that she brings not only a vast knowledge about running and competition to the table, she also brings stability to the Bulldog program.
    
Strand led the women’s cross country team to back-to-back conference titles in 2009 and 2010.  Lauren D’Alessio earned First Team All-SoCon honors in 2010 and 2011 and was a USTFCCCA All-Region honoree in 2010 and 2011.  In her senior season, D'Alessio won her first ever cross country title and placed 14th at the 2012 NCAA South Regionals to earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors and a bid to the NCAA Championships.
    
An Anniston, Ala., native, Strand moved to Birmingham in 1995 to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She graduated from UAB in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. She ran com­petitively for the Blazers’ cross-country and track-and-field teams.
    
In 2004, Strand was the assistant men’s and women’s cross-country and track-and-field coach at Birmingham-Southern College. In 2005, she took a position as the head boys and girls coach at Shades Mountain Christian School and held that position for two years.
    
Strand and her husband, Scott, have two sons, Ethan and Henry.