Ann Ringlein, one of the most recognizable names in Lincoln’s running community, is in her 17th season as an assistant coach for the NWU cross country teams.
“Ann is an integral part of our program,” stated head coach Dr. Ted Bulling. “Not only does she bring a great deal of coaching experience to our teams, but even more importantly, she exhibits the kind of character and integrity that we want our student-athletes exposed to.”
In 2000, Ringlein received the prestigious Ambassador Award from the Girls & Women in Sports & Fitness Committee for Lincoln and Lancaster County for being an outstanding female role model and for her dedication and drive to excel in athletics.
Ringlein also serves as an assistant coach for the NWU Track & Field Teams. In 2008, Ringlein was named the NCAA Central Region Assistant Coach-of-the-Year.
A native of Red Cloud, Neb., Ringlein has been running competitively in the Midwest for more than 20 years. In 1990, she won the Kansas City Marathon and was the champion in the 1991 Lincoln Half-Marathon. In 1999, Ringlein finished second in the USA Master Cross Country Winter Championships in Orlando, Fla., and she won the masters 20K Dam to Dam in Des Moines, Iowa in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Ringlein has also been the masters champion at the Drake Relays in the five-mile race, Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minn., the Havelock 10K in Lincoln and the Lincoln Corporate 8K Run.
During her career, Ringlein has made coaching stops at St. Paul (Neb.) High School and Lincoln Northeast High School. She was also an assistant coach at Lincoln Pius X for the 1994-95 school year. Ringlein and her husband, Ray, have two daughters and two grandchildren.