2005 West Coast Conference Men's Cross Country Co-Coach of the Year

2004 West Coast Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year

Helen Lehman-Winters enters her fifth season as the head men's and women's cross country and track coach at the University of San Francisco. Lehman-Winters brings an exceptional coaching resume to the Hilltop with a history of building programs from the ground up at the prep level and also coaching the nationally elite at the collegiate level. Before arriving at USF, Lehman-Winters spent three successful seasons working at UCLA with the men's and women's middle and long distance corps.

In 2006, Lehman-Winters guided both the men's and women's cross country teams to second place finishes in the WCC Conference, the best combined finish in program history. Lehman-Winters also coached five athletes to All-Conference honors in 2006, the highest total in program history.

In 2005, Lehman-Winters coached Jeannine Hagedorn to a runner up finish at the WCC Cross Country Championships- the best overall finish in school history and the seventh fastest time in WCC history. Hagedorn also turned in USF's highest finish at the 2005 NCAA Western Regional Championships, narrowly missing qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

On the track in 2007, Lehman-Winters guided both programs to their highest point totals at the Independent Conference Championships in program history. During the inaugural women's track season in 2005, Lehman-Winters coached three athletes to all-conference performances at the Independent Conference Championships- Jeannine Hagedorn (5000), Renee Stribling (800) and Stephanie Voelkers (400).

While at UCLA, Lehman-Winters assisted the Bruins in qualifying for back to back berths in the NCAA Cross Country Championships (2001-02). Lehman-Winters also assisted UCLA's Distance Medley Relay team to the 2002 NCAA Indoor Championship title and Lena Nilsson in two individual NCAA titles (2003 Indoor 800 and 2002 NCAA outdoor 1500). In addition, Lehman-Winters served on the coaching staff for the Bruins' 2001 NCAA Indoor Championship team, runner up team finishes on the 2002 and 2003 NCAA Outdoor Championship teams.

Lehman-Winters built dominant teams from scratch as a head coach of the cross country and track programs at Carondelet High School from 1989-2000 and El Cerrito High School from 1985-89. At the prep level, Lehman-Winters guided her cross country teams to nine California state meet cross country berths, eight North Coast Section titles and 12 league titles.

Lehman-Winters also coached Kristen Gordon, 1996 Footlocker National Champion. Gordon posted a 17:01 (5K) on the Woodward Park course, 4:46.18 (1600), 10:19.84 (3200), and also posted a runner up finish at 3000m in the 1997 USATF Junior Nationals. Gordon went on to become a three-time collegiate All-American.

On the track, Lehman-Winters' squads enjoyed even greater success, posting an unprecedented 109-1 league dual meet record, five North Coast Section titles, and two national rankings (Carondelet #11 in 1997 and #24 in 1998). Lehman-Winters coached 23 distance runners to the state meet, nine of which earned top four finishes. Her distance medley relay team won the National High School Indoor Championship title in 1996 and in 1997 achieved a #4 national ranking in three distance relays.

Lehman-Winters also coached Tiffany Roberts, a runner up at 800 meters (2:11.81) in the California State Championships in 1995 and a three-time California State Meet Qualifier in three events. Roberts was a Gold Medalist for the United States Women's Soccer team in 1996.

A highly decorated coach Lehman-Winters earned the 1998 Contra Costa Times Women of the Year Merit Award, North Coast Section Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1996 and was named American Athletics Coach of the Year in 1991. In addition to her coaching duties, she was director of athletics at Carondelet (1993-96)

Lehman-Winters competed in cross country and track at UC Santa Barbara before graduating from California in 1987. Lehman-Winters earned her master's degree in sport psychology from John F. Kennedy University in 1997. She and her husband John were married in July of 1996 and have three children- Miles, Mathias and Milana. They reside in El Cerrito.