Juanita Sanchez joins the Illini after spending the 2021-22 season at Iowa State serving as their Director of Operations for track and field/XC. 

During her lone season at Iowa State the men's and women's cross-country teams both improved their place at the NCAA Championships to break the top ten. The men finished second and the women ninth compared to eighth and 25th respectively the year prior. At the Big 12 Championships both the men's and women's teams placed second.  

She was in charge of all four home meets for ISU, including the 2022 Big 12 Indoor Championships. In addition to her meet organization duties, she also oversaw all budgets, external and internal logistics for the 2021-22 school year.

Prior to Iowa State she spent two seasons (2019-21) at Texas Tech University as a Volunteer Coach/Operations personnel. In this role she organized all home meets for the 2020 and 2021 indoor seasons, including the 2021 Big 12 Indoor Championship. She also assisted in the recruiting front for official and unofficial visits.

Sanchez spent the 2018-19 as the assistant sprint and jumps coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Here she took care of travel needs, fundraising, and recruiting in addition to her coaching duties. Under her command four of her athletes were named to All-Conference honors and placed in the top three at the 2019 MEC Outdoor Championships.

Before her coaching days she was a graduate assistant at Mississippi College. Here she was responsible for requesting purchase orders, organize high school cross country/track meets, and manage social media accounts.

Sanchez earned her Master's in Athletic Administration from Mississippi College and her Bachelor's of Science in Sports Administration from Belhaven University.