Natalie Hall enters her third season as William & Mary's head women's cross country coach in 2016-17, having already led the team to new heights in her first two years. Hall also coaches the women's distance runners during the winter and spring track seasons, and serves as the recruiting coordinator for all six of the Tribe's nationally-recognized teams (both men and women).
In her first season in 2014-15, Hall's charges won W&M's first-ever NCAA Regional cross country title, scoring 74 points to upset four more highly ranked teams and earn a third-straight bid to the NCAA Championships. All five scoring runners finished in the top-25, led by senior Carolyn Hennessey's second-place showing. That earned Hall honors as the USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Coach of the Year. At the national meet, junior Emily Stites surged to All-American status after missing every race but regionals and NCAAs. Hennessey took home dual honors as both the CAA individual champion and the Athlete of the Year, while Regan Rome was the Rookie of the Year and Hall won her first CAA Coach of the Year award. Stites went on to qualify for the NCAA indoor championships at 5,000m, earning second-team All-America honors, and outdoors, she finished third in the NCAA 10,000m championships. Stites was also named the CAA Athlete of the Year in track and field, and the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well.
In 2015-16, Hall's efforts led to the breakout season for Regan Rome, who became the youngest women's athlete in track team history to earn All-American honors in all three seasons. A surprise finish in the South Central region knocked the Tribe out of the NCAA cross country team championships, but Rome still advanced and finished 25th in the nation for her first All-American honor. Indoors, she became the first W&M women's runner to ever qualify in the 3,000m after a school-record 9:09.74, and finished 12th overall for second-team All-American. Outdoors, Rome qualified for the NCAA Championships at 5,000m, and finished seventh with a strong kick to earn first-team All-American honors. She was named the CAA Athlete of the Year in both track and cross country (sharing the latter award with Stites, who won the CAA individual title in meet-record time) and was also the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year for cross country. Hall repeated as the CAA Coach of the Year for women's cross country as well.
Hall came to W&M after spending the previous 10 years in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech, first as an All-American athlete and later as an assistant coach. Her mentorship with the Hokies included helping coach the middle-distance and distance athletes from 2012-14, when VT produced six individual All-Americans and two All-American relays. In addition to helping develop the team training programs, Hall also helped coordinate travel, equipment, and recruiting.
Hall also spent the past four years (2010-14) helping to lead the women's side of Virginia Tech's Athletes in Action (AIA) ministry. In 2013, she volunteered on a trip to the Togolese Republic with (AIA), serving as co-leader for a team of U.S. coaches conducting track and field clinics in the West African country. Â
A Virginia Beach native, Hall was an All-American runner and record-setter for the Hokies, competing from 2004 to 2009. Originally a middle-distance athlete, she ran at every distance up to the 10,000m, setting three school records and still ranking in the all-time top-five in eight events. In the winter of 2009, Hall finished 10th in the mile at the NCAA Championships to earn All-American accolades, the first in the event for either men or women in school history. At the ACC Championships, Hall was a four-time champion, winning the 2005 DMR and 2009 5,000m indoors as well as repeating as the 10,000m champion outdoors in 2008 and 2009. Hall also ranks top-four at 1,000m, the mile, 3,000m, and 5,000m indoors; as well as the 3,000m and 10,000m outdoors. She earned her undergraduate degree in marketing management in 2008, and a Master's in Health Education and Health Promotion in 2009.
Hall and her husband, former All-American pole-vaulter Hunter Hall, moved to Williamsburg in the summer of 2014. He works in the Office of University of Advancement, in addition to volunteering with coaching the Tribe vaulters. They welcomed a son, Holden, in the fall of 2015.
