The Gill Athletics Track and Field Connections Podcast10 Helmi 2025

#297: Mechelle Freeman-2024 Olympic Head Women's Relay Coach

We had the incredible honor of sitting down with Mechelle Freeman, the 2024 Head Women's Relay Coach for Team USA. Mechelle brings a wealth of experience, from her days blazing down the track at South Carolina 🐔🏃‍♀️ to leading the world’s fastest women on the biggest stages.

🔥 In this episode, Mechelle shares:

- How racing boys in her neighborhood sparked her love for track 🏃‍♀️💨

- The twin dynamic – growing up with her equally fast sister 👯‍♀️

- Winning a National Championship at South Carolina and learning from Coach Curtis Frye 🏆

- Her transition from advertising to chasing Olympic dreams and eventually coaching elite athletes

- The science and art behind coaching Team USA’s relays – and the pressure that comes with it! 💪📊

One of the standout moments? Mechelle’s motto: "I observe and I learn." 🧠👀

✨ We also dive deep into her work with TrackGirlz, empowering young women in the sport and breaking down barriers for future generations 🌍👧🏽💪.

🎧 Hit play and get inspired by Mechelle’s journey of resilience, faith, and leadership – this one’s not to be missed!

🌟 Explore Our Library: Dive into nearly 300 episodes featuring insights from coaching legends such as Boo Schexnayder and Dan Pfaff, Diljeet Taylor (BYU) and Beth Alford-Sullivan, as well as superstar coaches Petros Kyprianou (Illinois) and Althea Thomas (Vanderbilt) and many more! Find us on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more for your listening pleasure.

📲 Stay Connected: Want to get in touch with our host, Mike Cunningham? Follow him on Twitter (@MikeCunningham), shoot him an email at mcunningham@gillathletics.com, or send a text to 217-898-3038. We love hearing from you! 🎧👍

#TrackAndField #GilConnections #WomenInSports #RelayCoach

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#106: Gill1918 presents Brenton Emanuel "Recruiting in Today's NCAA Part 1"

Back in the fall of 2025, Coach Marques Lowe (Gill podcast alum!) and the Vipers Track Club hosted a Central Illinois Pre-Season Coaches Clinic. To increase the value to other coaches, he has allowed ...

28 Tammi 18min

#105: Gill1918 Presents 3-time Olympian Shannon Rowbury “Ask an Olympian Anything Highlights” Powered by Coach O

Originally recorded as a live interactive webinar called "Ask Olympian Shannon Rowbury Anything", this episode is a compilation of a few of the many great highlights as Shannon shared wisdom from her ...

27 Tammi 14min

#347: Joseph Tooks-Bloom Township (IL) HS | From Blazing Trojan to Transformational Track Leader

What happens when a kid who raced his principal in 5th grade grows into the head coach of the Blazing Trojans? In this episode, Mike sits down with Joseph Tooks, the energetic and intentional girls’ h...

26 Tammi 1h 49min

#104: Gill1918 presents JC Lambert "Coaching the Throws and the Weight Room Part 2"

22 Tammi 17min

#103: Gill1918 presents JC Lambert "Coaching the Throws and the Weight Room Part 1"

21 Tammi 19min

#102: Gill1918 Presents Katie Follett "Championship Mindset" Powered by Coach O

Katie is a mental skills coach for Elevated Performance following a 13-year career as a pro runner including winning a US Road Mile Championship and being a 3000m World Championships finalist. This is...

20 Tammi 11min

#346: Laurie Feit-Melnick - Univ of Rhode Island | 33 Years of Leadership, Legacy & Trailblazing

From Long Island in the early 1980s—where girls weren’t even allowed to run cross country—to becoming the second head women’s coach in University of Rhode Island history, Laurie Feit-Melnick has spent...

19 Tammi 1h 45min

BONUS: Live from USTFCCCA 2025 | Interviews from the Convention

Each year at the USTFCCCA Convention, we sit down with coaches for micro 5-10/ish minute interviews. This year we asked them "What are you a nerd about off the track?" in an attempt to learn about the...

15 Tammi 3h 15min