TRAVERSE CITY - After a nearly 30-year career coaching cross country and track and field at Traverse City Central High School, Lisa Taylor has announced her retirement.
Taylor guided the Trojans girls’ cross country team to a division one state championship in 2008, earning Coach of the Year honors from MITCA. The Trojans also finished state runners up in 2004, 2010, 2014, 2019 and 2020. During her tenure she coached a total of 51 individual all-state runners.
Taylor was an accomplished runner herself, having won a cross country state championship in 1979 and an individual title in the 3200 meters in track in 1980. She then went on to star at Michigan State University, where she qualified for the NCAA nationals three times in the 5,000 meters. She earned a fourth-place finish nationally in the 5,000 meters in 1981 NCAA Championships.
She started out by coach the Trojan track and field team from 1989 through 1991. She then returned to the school to take the reins of the cross country team in 1994, a position she has held ever since. She added track and field back into her coaching responsibilities at Traverse City Central in 2001.
In addition to her state championship and runner up trophies, Taylor also helped the Trojans claim 16 regional titles, and 20 Big North Conference championships, while also qualifying for the State Championship meets 28 times. The Trojans finished in the top ten at the State Finals seventeen times in those trips. For her efforts, Taylor was nominated for the MITCA Coach of the Year award 13 times during her career.
