Trisha Steidl is going into her seventh year as the head coach for Seattle University’s cross country and track & field programs. In the last six years, she has spearheaded the vast improvement of both programs, in both size and stature.

Over the past three years, Steidl has led her squads to new heights as they have competed as part of the Great West Conference. The men's cross country team posted back-to-back second place finishes at the 2009 and 2010 conference championships, and in 2011 the women took third place in the conference. During the track and field season, numerous records have been set over the past two years, and the team has enjoyed eight individual conference titles: two during the 2010 outdoor championships, two in the 2011 indoor championships, one each during the 2011 outdoor championships, and 2012 indoor championships, and two during the 2012 outdoor championships.

In spring 2008, Katie Hansen qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 3000 meter run, finishing 11th in the finals of that event. Steidl's challenge is to field competitive teams that can succeed on the Division I level, as the university continues the reclassification process.

Steidl also strives to make her teams just as successful in the classroom. She has goals of a 3.0 average team GPA. Her cross country teams currently have one of the highest average GPAs out of all Seattle University teams. 

Steidl came to Seattle University by way of Edmonds-Woodway High School, where she had been responsible for all distance and middle distance events for the 2006 track season and was an assistant for the 2005 cross country season.

Steidl served as an assistant cross country coach at the University of Portland in 2004, coaching both the men's and women's squads. As an assistant, Steidl helped guide the women's team to a West Coast Conference championship and 12th place finish at the NCAA Division I West Regional meet. On the men's side, Steidl also coached the team to a WCC championship and a highly competitive 5th place finish at the West Regional meet. In addition, Steidl coached indoor and outdoor track & field distance events at Seattle Pacific University in the spring of 2004. At SPU, Steidl mentored one NCAA qualifier in the 10,000 meters.

A highly accomplished competitor, Steidl rowed for the University of Washington women's rowing team that won three NCAA Division I national championships between 1995 and 1999; she also qualified for the 2000 US Olympic Trails in rowing. Most recently, Steidl has made her mark on the Northwest long-distance running scene, winning the Seattle Marathon in 2006, 2007, and 2011. She narrowly missed a qualifying time for both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials in the marathon. In 2009, she finished ninth at the United States Mountain Running National Championships.

In addition to her collegiate coaching stints, Steidl has served 12 years as a coach and counselor for the White Pass Running Camp, which features some of the Pacific Northwest's top running talent.

Steidl earn a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Washington and completed her master's degree in Sports and Exercise Leadership from Seattle Pacific University in the spring 2005. Steidl also holds her Level I USATF coaching certification and is a member of the USATF Coaches Registry.