Lions Track and Field/Cross Country Coaching Staff
Assistant Coach, Philip Lagat
Former Lion distance runner Philip Lagat returns for his first second season as a graduate assistant coach for Southeastern Louisiana's men's and women's track and field programs.
In the fall of 2007, Lagat helped the Lions finished ninth at the Southland Conference championships in Corpus Christi, Texas and guided Kenya native Kalphys Kemboi to a third-place finish and SLC Freshman of the Year honors. Under Lagat's guidance, Kemboi also became a six time All-Conference honoree in indoor, outdoor and cross country in his first year in Hammond.
Lagat joined the Lions prior to the start of the 2006 cross country season and began by helping Southeastern obtain one of their best recruiting classes in recent years. Lagat brought in international talent with the additions of Kemboi, South African Shane Rayners and Kenyans Dorcas Kapkiai and Everlyne Matonyei.
"Philip has already made a very positive impact on this program in the short time he has been here," head coach Sean Brady said. "He has stepped up our recruiting abilities and he has done a great job developing our distance runners."
Prior to joining the coaching staff at Southeastern, Lagat had a stand out career as a student-athlete at Southeastern (2001-2003) and at South Alabama (2003-2005). In 2005 Lagat helped the Jaguars to a Sun Belt Conference Indoor title and earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors three times. While at Southeastern, Lagat helped the Lions to a fourth-place finish at the 2003 Southland Conference Indoor Championships and was named a 2003 Academic All-American.
Lagat, a native of Kenya, will work primarily with Southeastern's distance and cross country runners.
