GARY, Ind. — Indiana University Northwest Athletics has announced the hiring of Brittany Dickerson as the new head coach of the RedHawks men's and women's cross country programs.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Dickerson brings a competitive and decorated background both as an NAIA student-athlete and coach. She joins IU Northwest after serving in various coaching roles at the collegiate level, where she guided multiple teams and individuals to national-level success.

"We are excited to welcome Brittany to our RedHawks' family as the new leader of our cross-country programs," said Director of Athletics Ryan Shelton. "As a proven recruiter, leader and culture builder, Brittany has the perfect blend of experience, success and enthusiasm to build and advance our programs to competitive sustainability within our our conference while providing a great student-athlete experience."

Dickerson is a graduate of Ohio Christian University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in emergency and disaster management and business management before completing her master's in advanced leadership and business management. As a Trailblazer, she competed in the 2020 NAIA Cross Country National Championships and was a multi-time All-Conference selection in both cross country and track and field. 

Her coaching résumé includes an impressive list of accolades. In 2025 alone, her teams broke 10 school records, and every athlete under her guidance recorded at least one personal-best time. She coached athletes to the NAIA Indoor Track National Championships and led a squad to a fifth-place team finish at the NCCAA National Cross-Country Championships. Additional honors under her leadership include:

• NCCAA All-American 4x800 relay teams (men's and women's)

• NCCAA Women's National Runner-Up in the 10,000 meters

• NCCAA Men's National Champion in the 400m hurdles

• NCCAA Men's National Runner-Up in the 110m hurdles

"I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to work with the students and athletic department at IUN," said Dickerson. "I am looking forward to this fall season, and to continue to facilitate the growth of the cross country program and its athletes."

Dickerson, a graduate of Global Impact STEM Academy in Dayton, officially began her role in June and will lead the RedHawks into the upcoming fall cross country season.