Seven-time All-American and United States Olympic Trials competitor Amanda Rego was named MSU Denver's associate head coach for men's and women's cross country and track & field in June of 2021 and is set to begin her fourth year with the program in 2024-25.
Rego's focus is on MSU Denver's distance runners.
In cross country in 2023, both Noel Lopez and JJ Ramey qualified for the Division II National Championships, becoming the first MSU Denver men to do so since 2015. Ramey set the program's cross country eight kilometer record, while Lopez did the same for 10K. Rego was also instrumental in the development of twins Jonathan and Jordan Duran reach the U.S. Paralympic Trials in the 1,500 meters. The brothers, who are on the autism spectrum, narrowly missed qualifying for the Paralympic Games in Paris.
MSU Denver continued efforts in the distance events in 2022-23, with Lopez breaking the program record in the men's indoor 5,000 meters and Abi Read turning in the In her first season, Rego oversaw strong distance performances from both the men and women during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Outdoors, Read became the second-best women's 10,000 individual in program history, while Lopez finished as the fourth best individual in the men's 10,000. The cross country season saw, Lopez and JJ Ramey establish themselves as conference and regional contenders for a men's team that placed seventh at the RMAC Championships, while Read was the season-long leader for the women's team that placed ninth.
In her first season, Rego oversaw strong distance performances from both the men and women during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Outdoors, Alliyah Molina earned All-RMAC first team with a third-place finish in the 5,000 meters at the RMAC Championships, while Abi Read and Anna Swanson each earned All-RMAC second team after finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 10,000 meters. Those two, along with Alliyah Molina, posted three of the top nine 5,000 times in program history. Colin Szuch, Noel Lopez and Yonatan Kefle all turned in strong seasons in the distance events on the men's side. Indoors, Erin Norton broke her own school record in the women's 5000 and earned All-RMAC first team status.
In cross country in 2021, the MSU Denver women finished sixth in the RMAC and ninth at the Division II South Central Regional, while the men were eighth and ninth in those races.
Before arriving at MSU Denver, Rego spent five of the previous six years as an assistant at UCCS, serving as a volunteer assistant from 2015 through 2018 and then working for one season as an assistant at Division III Colorado College in the spring of 2019. She returned to UCCS in the fall of 2019 as an assistant for both women's cross country and track & field.
The UCCS women won Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships in indoor track in both 2020 and 2021 as well as the 2021 outdoor title (there was no 2020 outdoor season). The Mountain Lions placed eighth at the 2021 NCAA Division II Indoor National Championships and 29th during the outdoor season (there were no NCAA Championships, indoors or outdoors, in 2020).
The UCCS women finished fifth at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships in 2020 after finishing fourth in the RMAC and 15th at the NCAA Division II Championships in 2019. There was no national championship competition in 2020.
At Colorado College, Rego coached student-athletes to runner-up finishes in the 800 meters and 1500 meters at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships as well as a school record in the indoor 800.
During her three-year volunteer stint with UCCS, the Mountain Lions earned two Top-20 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and multiple All-American honors.
Still competing as in the summer of 2021, Rego finished 10th in her semifinal heat at the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 1,500 meters, clocking 4 minutes,12.50 seconds.
Rego, then Amanda Winslow, starred collegiately at Florida State, where she had one of the most decorated careers in Seminoles history while competing in both track and cross country.
In national championship competition, she was was second (2013) and fifth (2011) in the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was seventh (2012) and eighth (2013) in the 1,500 meters at the Outdoor Championships.
In cross country, she was a three-time All-American while helping Florida State to four straight top-four national finishes.
She won four individual Atlantic Coast Conference titles, with victories in the indoor 3,000 (2012 and 2013), the indoor mile (2011) at the outdoor 5,000 meters (2013).
Outdoors in 2013, she was the No. 2 qualifier for the East Prelim in the 1500 with a personal record of 4:10.79, and finished seventh in the 1500 at the East Prelims in 4:16.29 before placing eighth at the national meet in 4:16.00. She was also the ACC champion in the 5,000, running 15:54.66.
Indoors in 2013, she broke the school record in the mile with an ACC record 4:31.08 to finish second at the national championships. She also set an ACC Championship meet record in a successful defense of her 2012 ACC Indoor Championship title in the 3000 (9:08.13) and ran on the ACC champion distance medley relay (10:57.41).
She placed a career-best 17th at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in 2012 after finishing third at the South Regional and 11th at the ACC Championships. As a team the Seminoles placed fourth.
She was seventh in the 1500 at the 2012 outdoor national championships (with a 4:14.96 clocking) after running a then personal-best 4:13.08 in the prelims. She won her first ACC title in the 3000 during the indoor season with a time of 9:27.96. In the fall of 2011, she was 25th at cross country nationals, helping Florida State place fourth.
In track in 2011 she placed fifth in the mile at the NCAA Indoor National Championships, running 4:35.16. She had won the event at the ACC Championship in the event with a 4:40.34-clocking.
She ran on the Seminoles' national runner-up cross country team in 2010, placing 104th overall. She started her career in the fall of 2009, where she was an All-American in cross country by finishing 33rd and helping Florida State finish second at the National Championships.
She also earned Academic All-ACC honors in cross country and track every semester, as well as USTFCCCA All-Academic cross country honors. She graduated from Florida State in 2013 with a degree in sports management.
In high school, she starred for Georgia AAAAA powerhouse Collins Hill in Suwanee, Ga., contributing to the program's run of six consecutive state cross country titles, and she was the 2008 Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year after winning the individual title as a senior. She won back-to-back 1600 and 3200 AAAAA state titles as a junior and senior in track.
Rego has continued to train and run professionally for the Colorado Springs Track Club Elite team. She is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer and coaches recreational runners from the mile to the marathon. She has also served as a coach for the Air Force World Class Athlete Program and guided Annette Melcher to the 2019 USATF Indoor Championships in the 1000.
Her husband, Chris Rego, is an MSU Denver assistant coach.
