Former Sacramento State standout Addy Royal begins her second year as Southern Oregon’s assistant distance running and steeplechase coach in 2017-18.
A product of Oak Harbor, Washington, Royal contributed to four straight Big Sky Conference outdoor track and field championships and left with the seventh-fastest 3K steeplechase time in school history. Also a four-year member of the Hornets cross country team, she was on the Big Sky All-Academic team for the duration of her career and graduated cum laude in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and a digital media concentration.
In the summer of 2017, she began a master’s of education program at University of Washington in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership. She expects to attain another degree next July.
During her prep days at Oak Harbor High, Royal placed second in the steeplechase two years in a row at the Junior Olympics national meet.
As a coach, Royal helped the Raider men’s cross country team win its second-ever NAIA title in 2016 while the women matched their best-ever finish by capturing seventh place. During her first track season on staff, the Raider men won a conference title and the women notched their best finish since 2005, taking second place with nine individual titles. And, at the national outdoor meet, Royal helped oversee four All-America distance running efforts and one women’s 5K title.
The daughter of Dena and Ken Royal, Royal became engaged to Cole Younger in 2017.