Bio

Texas Lutheran Director of Athletics Bill Miller announced on June 15, 2023, that he has appointed Bri Ratliff to lead TLU's combined men's and women's cross country program.

Ratliff comes to Seguin after spending last season as an assistant cross country and track and field coach at Allegheny College. In her lone season at Allegheny College, the Gators won three championships in cross country and indoor/outdoor track and field. The women's cross country team won its first ever President's Athletic Conference (PAC) championship in 2022 and had two runners earn All-Region honors at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Thirteen runners would earn All-PAC accolades between the Gators' men's and women's cross country teams.

"We are so excited and privileged to have Bri Ratliff as our new Head Men's and Women's Cross Country Coach," Miller said. "She was a tremendous distance runner at the collegiate level, and she has successfully made the transition from being a great student-athlete to also being an excellent coach. She is engaging, optimistic, and enthusiastic. All of those qualities make her not only a good coach, but a great recruiter. She also knows NCAA DIII Cross Country and the SCAC. She will be a tremendous asset to our coaching staff. I am excited for her and also for the TLU Cross Country program. She will bring a high degree of knowledge about cross-country and distance running to TLU. She also knows how to win. She is a great fit for Texas Lutheran because of her focus on success in the classroom as well as on the track. She exemplified that as a student-athlete and is also a major focus of hers as a coach. She will do an outstanding job at TLU."

"I feel truly blessed and grateful for this tremendous opportunity to lead the Cross Country program at Texas Lutheran University," said Ratliff. "I want to thank Coach Miller, President Cottrell, and everyone at TLU for their support and for turning this opportunity into a reality. I am very excited for the future of the TLU Cross Country team and look forward to working with some incredible student-athletes as we strive to achieve excellence together.

Returning to the SCAC in a head coach role is a very special opportunity that in many ways feels like a homecoming. I am so humbled and would also like to thank my incredible support system that has helped me reach this step in my coaching journey. I cannot wait to help create a wonderful student-athlete experience for all the Bulldog distance runners to come!"

Before arriving at Allegheny, she worked at her alma mater, Trinity University, as both a student worker for the cross country program and as an adjunct assistant cross country coach for two seasons. While at Trinity, Ratliff recruited cross country athletes, assisted with meet and event operations, and worked individually with student-athletes to develop strategies to achieve their athletic and academic goals.

Ratliff, a San Antonio native, attended Trinity University in San Antonio, and ran for the Tigers. Ratliff was a team captain and was a two-time NCAA national qualifier in 2017 and 2019. She was named to the USTFCCCA NCAA Cross Country South/Southeast All-Region Team her junior and senior seasons (2018 & 2019).

Ratliff earned a degree in Psychology from Trinity University in 2020, followed by a master's degree in Kinesiology from Texas A&M-San Antonio in 2022.