(LEBANON, Ill., June 18)—McKendree University director of athletics Chuck Brueggemann is bringing back one of the most decorated athletes in program history to serve as the head coach for the Bearcats' track and field and cross country programs.
 
Agne (Visockaite) Eggerth was named by Brueggemann on Tuesday to take the reins of the McKendree track and field and cross country teams. Eggerth returns to Lebanon after spending the last nine years in a highly-successful stint as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Kennesaw State University. Eggerth specialized in coaching sprinters, mid-distance runners, jumpers, combined event athletes and relay teams, while she has also served as a recruiting coordinator for the Owls.
 
"We are thrilled that Agne has decided to return home to McKendree to serve as our track and field and cross country coach," said Brueggemann. "She has proven to have the unique ability of excelling as a world-class athlete and then taking all her experiences and knowledge and applying that into coaching athletes who compete at the top of their sport. In over 10 years of coaching at the NCAA Division I level, Agne has produced numerous championship-caliber student-athletes, and we are confident she will do the same at McKendree. We look forward to what Agne brings to McKendree, and we cannot wait for her to get started."
 
During her nearly decade-long tenure at Kennesaw State, Eggerth has helped the Owls' program become a force in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The men's team has captured a combined 14 ASUN championships – seven indoor and seven outdoor – while the women's squad has won three league titles. Eggerth has coached 77 NCAA qualifiers at Kennesaw State, including 20 All-American performers. Over that span, the Owls have registered 146 ASUN champions, while the program has established 46 conference records.
 
In 2017, Eggerth helped guide Kennesaw State to ASUN scoring records for both the men's and women's track championships. This past spring, she coached senior Jordan Gray, who placed seventh in the heptathlon at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship.
 
"I'm very excited and have a warm feeling because I know I'm coming home to McKendree," said Eggerth. "I really want to thank (McKendree President) Dr. James Dennis and Chuck Brueggemann for giving me this opportunity to lead the McKendree programs. I've always known I have wanted to be a coach, from the time I was a student-athlete and after my career I wanted to teach. That has always been my life, and being a track athlete helped shaped the way I coach and train my student-athletes today. I expected a lot of myself during my career and I have the same expectations of our athletes when I coach, and that is for them to excel at the highest level in their events both on the track and in the classroom. I look forward to returning to McKendree and getting started."
 
Prior to arriving at Kennesaw State, Eggerth served on the staff at Kansas State University. From 2004-06, she was the assistant track and field coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. There, she coached sprints, hurdles, jumps and combined events for the Blazers. Eggerth helped UAB earn its highest Conference USA team finish. Her pupils also set multiple school records that still stand today. She began her coaching career with one year as an assistant track and field coach at the National Sports Center, designing and implementing training plans for youth and master athletes.
 
A five-year member of the McKendree track and field program, Eggerth was the centerpiece of a women's team that captured five National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championships during her career, including four consecutive indoor crowns from 1999-2002. She still ranks second in NAIA history with seven individual indoor national titles, including four in the 200-meter dash and three more in the 55-meter dash. In fact, Eggerth continues to hold the fastest 55-meter dash time in NAIA history at 6.83 seconds. Combining her indoor and outdoor career at McKendree, Eggerth captured 13 national titles
 
Eggerth is the only track and field student-athlete to be named the NAIA Indoor National Championship Performer of the Meet three times in a career, earning the honor following the 1999, 2000 and 2002 events. In all, Eggerth was a 17-time NAIA All-America honoree, which is tied for second in McKendree program history. She was inducted into the McKendree University Sports Hall of Fame for her accomplishments in 2009. Eggerth was also part of the 1999-2002 McKendree women's indoor track and field program that earned a team induction in 2014.
 
Along with her impressive list of honors at McKendree, Eggerth made a mark on the record books in her home country of Lithuania. She broke national records in the 50-meter dash, the 55-meter dash, the 60-meter dash, the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, and still holds the Lithuania record in the outdoor 200-meter dash. A 27-time national champion in her native land, Eggerth represented Lithuania in the Summer Olympic Games held in Sydney, Australia in 2000 and in Athens, Greece in 2004.
 
Upon moving into her new role, Eggerth outlined her expectations for the McKendree programs. "This program has known national success before, and we intend to achieve that once again. And that's why I can't wait to start building, having that national recognition again and becoming a known presence in Division II."
 
Eggerth earned her bachelor's degree from McKendree in 2002. She is a Level I coach through USA Track and Field (USATF), and has earned numerous coaching certifications through the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). She is married to Andy Eggerth.