Since 2023, Goshen College men’s and women’s track and field sprinters have been under the command of assistant coach Mandi Lloyd. Over her first three years with the program, Lloyd has guided athletes to All-Conference honors and record-breaking performances.

Although relatively new, Lloyd’s history with the program traces back to her college years, where she competed for the Maple Leafs. After graduating from GC, Lloyd began her career as a middle and high school sprints coach, guided by the philosophy that “coaching is always about long-term development and building a strong team culture.”

It was not until 14 years later that Lloyd received an invitation to join the coaching team staff. 

“[A former coach] had made his rounds through the high school programs, just kind of introducing Goshen College to the area. He and I had a really good conversation and he wanted to bring me on staff,” she said.

Lloyd believes the reason behind her transition to the college level is that she knew “athletes are in college because they want to compete — this is their passion and their love, regardless of bringing a best friend along in middle school.” 

“The maturity of these athletes to push myself and them to the next level motivates me,” she said.

In 2024, junior Bailee Brown earned All-Conference honors in the heptathlon, marking an early highlight of the program’s recent success. During the 2025 season, junior sprinter Jaylah Leggett also earned All-Conference honors in both the 100-meter and 200-meter events. 

Leggett said, “Mandi has the mentality of, if you think you’re hurt, you’re injured or in some type of thing, like this not meant for you.” 

“I took that not personally, in a way to be like, ‘Okay, I’m not injured, I’m not hurt, but I’m tired, but I still got to push through.’ And after all that pushing through, it got me to the top of the conference.”

Additionally, in 2025, the men’s and women’s track and field teams combined to break records in nine events across both the indoor and outdoor seasons, setting a total of 13 new records.

Lloyd said, “Those statistics just keep proving it’s not me, it’s them, they are the ones that are impressive.”

That momentum carried into the current season, as Sam Sofolahan broke the school record in the 60-meter dash at Grand Valley State University’s Holiday Open.

“Track is really a mental game and Mandi is not like any other traditional coach that yells and gets angry; she is calm and silent, but we know she knows what she is doing,” Sofolahan said. “I actually learned everything technical with her because coming from high school, I was just going off strength but she really emphasizes technique and what will help me the most in my races.”

Leggett also believes that Lloyd’s emotional side as a coach is what makes her special. “There is just lots and lots of love within her, regardless of how you do at a meet, she’s always there supporting you as a shoulder to cry on. Or if you’re, like, really happy, she’s always present at the scene.”

Lloyd is joined by her husband, Bobby, who leads the coaching for the team’s jumpers.

“There’s a huge correlation between sprinters and jumpers, because a lot of times they do both … so having him with me allows the athletes to feel supported throughout all across our events,” she said. “We’re able to work together and develop our daily training preparations, reinforcing the importance of our collaboration.”

Looking ahead, both Lloyd and Leggett see a bright future for the program. 

Leggett said, “I have teammates and a coach who will always have my back so I am looking forward to taking a lot of what I’ve learned from last year and applying it to this year, so I can try to hit a higher standard.”

Lloyd said, “Some coaches watch just their starting blocks and critique, but I’m all about the whole performance and how they evolve through the season. Watching them shine is incredible.”

The Leafs are back in action on Jan. 17 at Purdue Fort Wayne University for the Mastodon Invitational. The meet is set to start at 11 a.m.