SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Tracy Hellman has announced he will resign following the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships after 25 years at the helm for the same title at the University of Idaho. Vice President for Athletics Josh Morton has announced that assistant Scott Tanis will take over as Head Coach of Track & Field/Cross Country.

"The Augustana advantage is real," said Hellman. "25 years ago, I was blessed to get the opportunity to work with great track and field/cross country athletes and more importantly, great people. In the years that followed, I not only grew as a coach but also as a person. I want to acknowledge the presidents and Administration that were very supportive to me and our program over the years; Presidents Bruce Halverson, Rob Oliver, and  Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, and Athletic Directors Bill Gross, Slade Larschied and Josh Morton. " 

Hellman brought Augustana Track & Field/Cross Country to unprecedented heights over the course of his career. A 2011 National Champion head coach in cross country, he has coached 191 All-Americans and seven individual National Champions. Hellman has been named NSIC Coach of the Year 27 times and Region Coach of the Year 11 times. 

"What I realized is that coaching is not just X's and O's but more importantly, it's about relationship building. What I found is that Augustana is a great pathway towards future success and the people piece is the key. Investing in the person is the key to success."

The 2024 Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame inductee has guided Augustana to 23 Drake Relays titles, including 18 in the last 11 seasons. The Vikings have won nine titles in the women's college division distance medley relay and seven championships in the men's college division distance medley relay. 

"I am forever grateful for my experience at Augustana and I am so excited for the future success of the program. In my 25 years, one thing that I have embraced and I am always excited to announce is that It's a great day to be a Viking."

His success within the Central Region has spoken for itself, claiming 11 region titles and mentoring five region athletes of the year. As much as his teams have succeeded in competition, Hellman's groups have excelled in the classroom as well. Augustana has seen over 700 academic All-NSIC honors and nearly 150 USTFCCCA All-Academic honors in his time at the helm. 

"Tracy has done so much for Augustana and we are grateful for his dedication to excellence," said Morton "We are sad to see him go and wish him nothing but the best. We're also excited about the future of our program under Coach Tanis' leadership. I've watched Scott's work with our athletes since I arrived and have been impressed with his commitment to Augustana and he has earned the opportunity to lead."

Tanis served as the assistant men's and women's cross country and track & field coach at Augustana for seven seasons and returned to the university in 2022 following a season as the head coach at St. Catherine's in St. Paul, Minnesota. Before Augustana, Tanis spent one season at Duke University after graduating from Lewis University in the Spring of 2013. 

"It is a tremendous honor to have been entrusted with the cross country/track & field team at Augustana," said Tanis. "I am beyond grateful to Josh Morton and the university's leadership for the opportunity to guide the program. Augustana is a special place and it is with a sense of deep responsibility that I step into this role. Tracy Hellman is a dear friend and mentor of mine, and to be passed the torch from him is an immense privilege. I will work relentlessly to build on the program's storied tradition."

Tanis touts a multitude of accolades from his time with the Vikings as an assistant, earning NSIC Women's Assistant Coach of the Year three times. Under his leadership, Augustana collected six NSIC Cross Country team Championships, five NCAA Central Region Championships along with 12 top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championships. 

"I could not be more pleased for Scott to step in to help lead the program," said Hellman. "In my 25 years as a coach, I have not had a better assistant, recruiter or person.  He is the real deal and a true leader. The future of the program is very bright and I can't wait to follow the future success."

He has coached 39 first and second-team All-Americans, two United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Region Athletes of the Year, and 156 USTFCCCA All-Region honorees. The Vikings tallied 16 school records, eight NSIC Championship records, totaling 192 All-NSIC performances. In the classroom, Tanis led his squads to 22 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors, 66 USTFCCCA All-Academic selections, plus two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. 

In addition to his coaching duties, Tanis served as the program's academic liaison and managed the team's fundraising efforts and cross country summer camps. He was also the university's faculty advisor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and was an active member of the USTFCCCA national rankings committee. 

During his time at Duke, Tanis worked primarily with the men's distance runners guiding the Blue Devils to a sixth-place team finish at the ACC Cross Country Championships and an eighth-place team finish at the NCAA Regional meet. In his time there, his athletes collected two USTFCCCA All-Academic team awards, nine All-ACC Academic honorees, one All-ACC performer, and one All-America second-team selection.  

Prior to his coaching tenure, Tanis competed as a Division II student-athlete on the cross country and track & field teams at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. He was a two-time Great Lakes Valley Conference champion in the 1,500-meter and mile runs and collected CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2011-2012 and 2012-13. He also was awarded the Br. David Delahanty Award for Academic Excellence at Lewis, three times for cross country and twice for track & field. 

Tanis obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport Management from Lewis University with a minor in business administration and coaching. He also holds a Master of Arts in Sports Administration and Leadership from Augustana.