WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary Director of Track & Field and Cross Country
Alex Heacock announced the hiring of
Hanna Peterson as the program's director of operations.
"We are very excited to have Hanna join our program," Heacock said. "She is a great addition to our staff, and we look forward to the positive impact that she will make as she joins the Tribe. Hanna brings great experience and a lot of creativity that will serve our track & field and cross country student-athletes quite well."
Peterson spent two seasons (2018-20) as an assistant track & field and cross country coach at her alma mater, the University of Arizona. Two of her athletes – Carlos Villareal (indoor mile) and Bailey Roth (3,000m steeplechase) – earned All-America honors in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Villareal was the 2018 NCAA West Region Cross Country Runner-up and won the 1,500m at the 2019 Pan American Games.
Peterson spent one season as a volunteer coach for the Air Force cross country team in 2017-18. The Falcons men's team placed 15th and Mickey Davey earned All-America honors at the 2017 NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships. Individually, two track athletes were named All-Americans in Michael Rhodes (indoor 800m) and Jaci Smith (outdoor 10,000m) during her lone season at USAF.
She started her collegiate coaching career as a volunteer with the UCLA Track & Field and Cross Country program in 2016-17.
Prior to coaching at the collegiate level, Peterson was a member of the cross country and track teams at the University of Arizona. She was a key component of the team that claimed the first Pac-12 Cross Country Championship in program history. Peterson also helped Arizona to the West Region Championship and a runner-up finish at the 2013 NCAA Cross Country Championships -- the best finish in program history.
During her time as a student-athlete at Arizona, Peterson served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to help build a better student-athlete experience. She graduated from the Arizona in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in general studies with a media arts emphasis.
Peterson possesses experience in graphic design and social media. She recently worked as a creative marketing coordinator for Runner2Runner in 2021. She designed graphics and created an overall brand, created and managed weekly social media content and reached new audiences through content on social media.
