SCSU coach looks to make an impact on and off the track

When Huskies track and field and cross country head coach Gabrielle “Elle” Brown first visited St. Cloud State University, she knew she was home.

“When I got to campus, I fell in love,” she said. “That feeling continues to stay here; it feels like home. As I was going through my interim year last year as head coach — all that I was experiencing in my inaugural year as a head coach — it just continued to check boxes. This is where I’m supposed to be at, this is exactly where I’m called to lead. And St. Cloud — even to this day — as I’m talking to parents and families, I’m able to pour out passionately to them about why I chose this place and why sending their daughters here to be under my leadership, under my vision is the place for them to consider, too.”

Interim was dropped from Brown’s title to start the 2024-25 season. In just over a year with SCSU, she said she is already closing in on her goal to expand the team to at least 45 people. While growth and success in their sport is one of the team’s goals, there is a bigger picture.

“What I am trying to achieve here is bigger than track and field. One of the things that I’m very intentional about, namely as I’m going through the recruiting process with families, is that track and field just so happens to be the vehicle in which I am called to use to bring women together,” Brown said. “Seeing the team come together as one, understanding that although we are — you might have cross country season, you might have track and field season, we’re all in different event groups — we’re all wearing the same jersey, we all have that same logo on our back at the end of the day. How can we be a sisterhood?”

She also makes sure the team is active on campus as well as in the surrounding community. The sports of cross country and track and field can be excellent conduits for understanding others, she said.

“Track and field is one of those sports where you think about accessibility. You can access so many people with it. … One of the things I absolutely love about our sport is that we are one of the only sports where you can have amateurs and professionals in the same meet, trying to achieve the same goal. It’s just such a unique thing to be a part of and I’m grateful that I have a small role in this larger ecosystem with trying to develop these women and give them my perspective, sharing my experiences, enhancing their collegiate experiences,” Brown said. “I actually just had a conversation with our team the other day about the intentionality and the importance of taking time to get to know people that are different than you. Track and field, as I said earlier, it’s one of those sports where accessibility is so easy to obtain.”

For Brown, SCSU is the perfect setting for her athletes to thrive while also getting to know others from all walks of life.

“What’s special about this place is the intimacy. This place feels like home, this place feels safe, this place feels like you can come in the door just as you are. You’re going to get pushed, you’re going to have folks that are encouraging you to grow. I think that it takes a special group of people that are committed and willing and dedicated to be involved with me, the team, to call this place home,” she said. “We have so many people that have very different perspectives and experiences, and being able to have all those things in one space and coexist with each other in a healthy and positive manner; that is truly something special. Being able to lead a group of women where half the team has identities that are different than mine is truly a special thing. To have a coaching staff that is in alignment with the vision, as far as bringing diversity in all aspects, is truly a special thing. I’m looking forward to doing my part in this ecosystem and making sure that we continue to make this place special and that it stays special.”

Confidence is key in helping student athletes succeed, and it’s Brown’s hope that the women she coaches can gain that confidence as competitors but also as students and individuals.

“One of the hardest things with coaching is actually the intangible things, and I would say the biggest intangible with coaching is the confidence piece. That’s what you are doing on a track; how can I get them to see that will directly correlate to all the other things they’re doing in their life? You can be disciplined at practice; you’ll most likely be disciplined in other areas of your life,” she said. “If you’re striving to be an athletic All-American, chances of you being an academic All-American are going to be married to that, too, because you’ll be hyper-focused. You’ll have goals, you’ll be striving for something. So I really want them to understand that the structure I’m setting, the ways in which I push them, the ways in which I discipline them — yes, track and field: PRs (personal records) are going to be the outcome — and also off the track, in the classroom, in life: these things are also going to have a positive effect on them, too.”

Brown strives for that positive impact to ripple out across campus and into the surrounding community as well. She encouraged her athletes to be involved with the regional community and vice versa, and invites alumni to take part in the upcoming 2024 Bob Waxlax Invitational on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at Wapicada Golf Course in Sauk Rapids. The event will consist of an alumni 5K, and participants are encouraged to stay after to meet and support athletes in the high school and collegiate events.

“We are looking forward to having our alumni coming back to engage with the current women on the team. We’re also going to make that our senior day and we’ll have our track team out there supporting the women, supporting the alumni and also supporting those high schoolers and future Huskies that are going to be a part of the event,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to the team being competitive all around: cross country, track and field. I’m also looking forward to continuing to anchor ourselves in the community, and finding ways to get involved — whether that’s putting on camps, whether that’s us going to work local high school meets; those are some of the things I’m looking forward to, to continue to make community connections and collaborating, and then as well as advancing the program and elevating it.”