Erica Maker '04 is in her eighth season as the head women's cross country coach at St. Olaf in 2025-26 and also serves as an assistant coach for the women's track & field program. A 2004 graduate of St. Olaf, Maker was named to both positions on May 21, 2018.
Maker has led St. Olaf to four consecutive top-20 national finishes in cross country over the last four seasons, as the Oles placed 13th in 2021, eighth in 2022, 16th in 2023, and 17th in 2024. St. Olaf has finished in the top two at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Championships in each of the last four seasons, winning team titles in 2021 and 2024 and finishing as the runner-up in 2022 and 2023. Maker was named the MIAC Coach of the Year in both 2021 and 2024.
In Maker's six seasons of competition (2020 season canceled), St. Olaf has finished in the top three in the MIAC and in the top five in the region each season, including a second-place finish in 2024. The Oles have either qualified for the NCAA Championships as a team or sent at least one individual to the national meet in each year as well.
St. Olaf has produced three All-Americans, 26 USTFCCCA All-Region honorees, 24 All-MIAC honorees, and 13 Honorable Mention All-MIAC honorees under Maker. Her teams have also excelled academically, receiving the USTFCCCA All-Academic Award in each season while producing 88 Academic All-MIAC honorees and 34 USTFCCCA All-Academic Athletes.
In track and field, Maker's distance runners have accounted for six All-America accolades (3 indoor, 3 outdoor), 31 All-MIAC performances (14 indoor, 17 outdoor), and six individual MIAC championships (2 indoor, 4 outdoor). She has coached 11 national qualifiers as well.
Prior to returning to St. Olaf, Maker was most recently an assistant cross country and track & field coach at NCAA Division I Marist College. She also spent time at Division III Vassar College following stints at NCAA Division III powers Williams College (2007-09, 2010-14) and Trinity University (Tex.) (2009-10). While Maker was at Williams, the Ephs made trips to the NCAA Division III National Championships in each season and had a combined five top-five finishes between the men's and women's programs at the national meet.
Maker began her coaching career when she served as an assistant women's cross country coach at NCAA Division I Northwestern University.Â
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| THE OLES UNDER ERICA MAKER |
| SEASON |
MIAC FINISH |
ALL-MIAC/HM All-MIAC HONOREES |
REGIONAL FINISH |
ALL-REGION HONOREES |
NCAA FINISH |
ALL-AMERICANS |
| 2018 |
3rd/12 |
2/0 |
5th/29 |
2 |
Hawgood 82nd, Fisher 147th |
--- |
| 2019 |
3rd/12 |
2/2 |
5th/30 |
4 |
Hawgood 28th |
1 |
| 2020* |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
| 2021 |
1st/11 |
5/2 |
4th/32 |
4 |
13th/32 |
--- |
| 2022 |
2nd/12 |
5/3 |
3rd/33 |
6 |
8th/32 |
1 |
| 2023 |
2nd/12 |
5/3 |
4th/31 |
5 |
16th/32 |
--- |
| 2024 |
1st of 12 |
5/3 |
2nd/31 |
5 |
17th/32 |
1 |
*2020 season canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
