LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Spalding track & field and cross country has a new assistant coach in Crystal Pettigrew, head coach Stephen Gray announced Tuesday.

Pettigrew comes to Spalding after a stint as a graduate assistant track and field coach for the University of Pikeville. She is a certified USATF Certified Level 1 Coach and is USTFCCCA Track and Field Technical Certified. 

As a former GA at UPike, Pettigrew's track teams had top 15 GPAs among all NAIA schools. Noah Thomas, of men's track, was named an NAIA all-academic athlete and competed in the 2023 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championship. The track and field program also had three NAIA scholar athletes. 

Pettigrew holds the current long jump record at Meridian Community College with a mark of 19 ft. 2.5 in.

A Lauderdale, Miss. native, Pettigrew holds a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of West Alabama and a master's degree in business administration from UPike.