Christopher Lawrence enters his first year as head coach of the Marion Military Institute (MMI) men's and women's cross country teams in 2016. His first year on the job will consist of recruiting quality student-athletes to the programs. He will make his head coaching debut in the Fall semester of 2017. In addition to his cross country duties, he has also been appointed MMI's new assistant athletic director.
As a volunteer coach/graduate assistant with the University of Alabama men's cross country team from 2008-2011, Lawrence helped guide the Crimson Tide to three NCAA South Region Titles and two SEC Championships. During that time, he also assisted with the track and field program, training two-time 400m National Champion Kirani James and 800m Indoor Champion Fred Samoei.
Other prominent coaching experiences included work as a personal trainer with Javier Arenas, a former All-American football player for the University of Alabama, and as a volunteer coach and manager for Kirani James. A key contributor to Arenas' remarkable improvement in the 40-yard dash from 4.79 seconds to 4.52, Lawrence enabled Arenas to improve his NFL draft status from late 3rd to mid-2nd round. Under Lawrence's tutelage, Kirani James medaled in two Olympics, receiving the Gold medal in 2012 and the Silver medal in 2016.
A native of San Diego, CA, Lawrence received his Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and his Master's in Sports Management, both from the University of Alabama.