Coaching Highlights
• 17 All-America selections
• 2 NCAA Runner-ups
• 3 USTFCCCA all-region honorees
• 1 NCAA East First Round qualification
• 2 SEC scoring performances
• 1 USATF U20 champion
• 20 SoCon track and field team titles (Samford)
• 10 SoCon cross country team titles (Furman)
• Coached Furman women’s cross country to a seventh place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships
• Coached the Furman men’s cross country team to a 13th place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships
Chad Balyo was hired in August 2024 and works with the Vanderbilt distance programs. He joined the Commodores after six years as the head cross country and assistant track and field coach at Samford.
Achievements at Vanderbilt – Assistant Coach (2024-Present)
Vanderbilt women’s cross country runners placed fifth at the NCAA South Region Championships, the program’s best finish since 2016. Under Balyo’s direction, three Commodores, Bria Bennis, Claire Petersen and Tyla Lumley earned all-region honors. Bennis’ 13th-place finish is the best individual placement by a Commodore since 2016.
During his inaugural season with the Dores, Balyo guided Julia Rosenberg in her senior year to her second consecutive NCAA regional and school records in the mile and 3,000 meters. He also coached Lily Kriegel, who won the USATF U20 title in the 5,000 meters and a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters.
In his first cross country season with Vandy, Balyo guided the women’s team to top 10 finishes at the SEC and NCAA South Region Championships. He guided Claire Petersen to top 10 freshman finishes at both postseason meets. Ellie Wolski and Rosenberg achieved top 40 finishes at SECs and regionals under Balyo’s direction.
Prior to Vanderbilt
Achievements at Samford – Head Cross Country/Assistant Track and Field Coach (2018–24)
Balyo comes to Nashville by way of Homewood, Alabama, where he served as the head cross country and assistant track and field coach at Samford since 2018. In his more than 10 years of coaching, he tutored Karisa Nelson to an NCAA runner-up placement in the mile in 2019. With Balyo’s guidance, Nelson placed eighth in the 1,500 meters at the 2019 USA Championships, clocking what was the ninth-fastest mark on the USTFCCCA’s NCAA all-time performers list.
During his time in Homewood, his coaching efforts contributed to the Bulldogs winning 20 SoCon track and field team titles.
At Furman – Assistant Coach (2013-18)
Balyo got his start in coaching at Furman, where he was an assistant coach from 2013 to 2018. There, he coached the women to a seventh place finish at the NCAA DI Cross Country Championships in 2017 and the men to a 13th-place finish in 2015. His coaching efforts contributed to the Paladins earning 10 SoCon cross country titles. In his final season at Furman, 2018, he coached Allie Buchalski to an NCAA runner-up finish in the outdoor 5,000 meters.
Personal
Balyo, a native of Springboro, Ohio, earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Ohio State in 2011 where he was a member of the cross country and track and field teams. As a student-athlete he was an Ohio State Scholar Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten all four years.
Before he started coaching, Balyo was a district sales leader for Nestlé for two years, where he led a team of 14 full-time sales representatives in the Greater Akron/Canton/Youngstown area.
He and his wife, Lynden, will reside in Nashville with their two dogs, Winston and Lido.
Coaching Experience
• Assistant Coach, Vanderbilt (2024–present)
• Head Cross Country Coach, Assistant Track & Field Coach, Samford (2018–24)
• Assistant Coach, Furman (2013–18)