Janelle Branch brings more than a decade of experience in coaching, athletic performance, and leadership to her role as Head Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Westminster, where she is entering her second season leading the program.
Prior to Westminster, Branch served as an Assistant Coach at the University of Utah, where she led the development of mid-distance runners and supported athletes in sprints, hurdles, and jumps. During her tenure, her athletes achieved 17 school records and 36 top-10 program marks, with athletes qualifying for NCAA Division I Championships, international competitions, and the Olympic Games. She emphasizes holistic athlete development, both on and off the track. In 2025, Utah’s track and field program earned the highest team GPA in the nation at 3.813 and produced 15 individual USTFCCCA All-Academic honorees.
Before joining Utah, Branch led cross country and distance programs at Clarke University and Westminster Schools of Augusta, coaching athletes to school records, national qualifying performances, and All-American honors in cross country and track & field.
Beyond collegiate coaching, Branch serves as Chair of the Athletes’ Commission for USA Track & Field, advocating for elite athlete needs, contributing to national team policies, and working to improve athlete support and access to resources as the organization prepares for the LA28 Olympic Games. She also served as a Team Manager for Team USA at the 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where the U.S. team won 24 medals, setting a new meet record and surpassing the previous record of 22 medals set by the Soviet Union in 1988.
As an athlete, Branch is a two-time U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier, a 10-time USATF national qualifier, and the 2024 U.S. Indoor National Runner-Up. She was also a seven-time NAIA All-American at Cornerstone University. Branch holds a Master of Public Administration from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Cornerstone University. She is USATF Level II certified in Endurance and Sprints, Hurdles, & Relays.
Before pursuing coaching full-time, Branch served in the U.S. Navy, where she led emergency response teams aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and trained thousands of personnel in shipboard safety and crisis readiness. She lives in South Salt Lake with her husband and their cat, Fish.
