CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois director of track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou announced the hiring of Eric Johannigmeier (pronounced JOE-han-ig-my-er) as the new head cross country and distance coach on Monday (July 15). Johannigmeier, a 2011 graduate of Illinois, returns to the program after spending the last seven years (2018-24) at Virginia Tech in the same role.
"I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to coach the Illini men's and women's cross country and distance runners at my alma mater," Johannigmeier said. I am grateful to Coach Kyprianou, Josh Whitman, Dr. Bre Shamaila, the entire administration and staff at the University of Illinois for providing me with this opportunity. I also want to thank Coach Dave Cianelli, the coaching staff and the student athletes at Virginia Tech for their support and the memories during my time in Blacksburg. I look forward to working with the Illini student-athletes to help them achieve their goals and dreams of contributing to a championship team!"
"We are thrilled to welcome Eric back home to Illinois," Kyprianou said. "His work ethic and evident success at Virginia Tech makes him the ideal coach to lead our cross country and distance crew. He is someone that likes to put all his efforts in making student-athletes better and I know he will help us accomplish our goals in his area. It is a great day for Illinois to bring a true Fighting Illini home."
During his time at Virginia Tech, Johannigmeier's totals included 110 All-Americans, 17 ACC team champions and 63 ACC individual or relay champions. He also led Virginia Tech to 25 top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by seven top-10 finishes.
 In 2022 he led his first athlete to national champion status as Lindsey Butler captured the 800m title at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Prior to the national championships, she repeated as ACC Indoor Champion in the 800m with the NCAA's 14th-fastest time 2:01.23, which ranked ninth nationally at the time she recorded it. Also at the ACC Indoor Championships, Johannigmeier's men's and women's distance medley relay squads both stood on top of the podium.
His sophomore campaign (2019-20) was highlighted by coaching Peter Seufer to his second of back-to-back ACC Cross Country Championship. Seufer later placed fourth at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships. He was named 2019 ACC Cross Country Runner of the Year, earning the accolade for the second consecutive season. On the women's side, distance runner Sara Freix won the silver medal at the 2019 ACC Cross Country Championships and she was a key component of the Hokie women's distance runners who helped Tech to the 2020 ACC indoor track and field championship (its first indoor title since 2008).
In his first year as head coach (2018-19), Johannigmeier's distance runners helped the men's team to win both the indoor and outdoor ACC Championships. Four of his runners (two men and two women) earned All-America honors on the track in 2019 and one earned the nod in cross country in 2018.
Johannigmeier stepped into the head job in 2018 after spending the previous four years on the Tech staff as an assistant coach. Prior to that, he served as a volunteer assistant for the Hokies from 2011-13.
As an assistant, Johannigmeier worked extensively with Tech's runners in preparation for the Hokies' events, while also overseeing Tech's recruiting efforts and handling the day-to-day administrative duties within the men's and women's distance programs. He played an instrumental role in guiding the men's cross country program to NCAA Championships appearances in 2015 and 2017 and the women's team to a berth in 2014, which was just the second appearance in program history.
Johannigmeier has worked individually with some of the best runners in Tech history. In addition to Seufer, Edwards, Pocratsky and Mosavel-Lo, he worked with the 2018 the men's distance medley relay team that won the national championship at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships – a quartet that included Vincent Ciattei, Patrick Joseph and Neil Gourley. Ciattei won two individual NCAA silver medals in 2018 (one during the indoor season, one in the outdoor season).
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In addition, Johannigmeier played a primary role in the development of Tommy Curtin and Hanna Green during his time as an assistant. Curtin was a six-time All-American and a six-time ACC champion, while Green also won six ACC titles and earned All-America honors on six occasions, and she won individual NCAA silver medals three times. Both are currently running professionally, along with Drew Piazza, a two-time All-American who won the silver medal in the 800-meter run at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2017.
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While a volunteer assistant at Tech, Johannigmeier was a part of three ACC Championships, two in track and one in cross country. He also helped the Hokies men's team to a fifth-place finish at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Prior to his time with the Hokies, Johannigmeier was an undergraduate assistant for the Fighting Illini track and field program. During his year in that role, the outdoor track and field team finished 11th at the NCAA Championships and the cross country team finished fifth at the Midwest Regional.
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Before serving as an undergraduate assistant, Johannigmeier participated in both cross country and track and field for the Fighting Illini.
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Johannigmeier holds a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois (2011) and a master's degree in civil engineering from Virginia Tech (2013). In addition to coaching, Johannigmeier has worked as a civil engineer. He makes the move back to Champaign with his wife Katie and their daughter Lucy.
