Dr. Stephanie Heald enters her second season as the head coach for the Southeastern Oklahoma State women’s cross country program in 2024 after taking over in 2023.
 
She is also the assistant coach for the women’s track and field team during the spring, helping with the middle-distance and distance events.
 
In 2023, Heald took over as the interim head coach for cross country and track and field and would see ten school records fall that year across the two sports and had seven athletes land on the All-Conference teams.
 
Before taking over the head coaching duties for SE, Heald spent five seasons as an assistant coach for cross country and track and field with the Storm under former head coach Ron Hair. During that time, Heald saw 11 All-GAC performers come through the program, including Jessie Sanchez, who won the 200 and 400-meter events at the 2021 GAC Championships.
 
Prior to joining the Southeastern coaching staff, Dr. Heald spent five seasons (2012-17) as a volunteer distance and middle-distance coach at Langston University. While helping coach the Lions, Heald was also working towards her PhD in Geography from Oklahoma State University.
 
Heald got her start in collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at the University of North Texas from 2010-12, and she would earn her Master of Science in Applied Geogrpahy from UNT in 2012. 
 
Before transitioning into the coaching role, Heald was a member of the Southeastern Oklahoma State cross country team from 2005-08 and was voted MVP in the 2007 season. She would receive her bachelor’s degree from SE in Social Studies Education.  
 
Additionally, she is also a Level 1 and 2 certified coach by the USA Track and Field Coaching Academy.
 
Dr. Heald is married to her husband, coach Anthony D. Doran II.