The TCU cross country team has hired coach Jennifer Fazioli to replace Lauren Harmon after just one season.

Harmon left the program at the end of last season to be the head coach at Sacramento State.

Fazioli has eight years of coaching experience, including three years at the Virginia Military Institute.

Before she began coaching, Fazioli ran distance at the University of Colorado from 1998 to 2002. She was part of a squad that won the national championship in 2000.

Fazioli’s former coach Mark Wetmore has won seven national championships. In January she went to visit him.

“I was able to go out this past January and spend a few days with him and just pick his brain on training methodology,” Fazioli said.

Fazioli said she emphasizes communicating with her athletes. Sophomore Bailey Sullivan takes advantage of Fazioli’s open-door policy.

“I go over to her office before and after all of our races,” Sullivan said. “If she thinks you had a particularly rough workout or a particularly good one, she’ll pull you aside and talk to you about it. She really goes out of her way to make sure that everyone knows they need to take the time to talk to her.”

Fazioli said the women’s team did great work over the summer to prepare, while the men are still developing.