Pittsburgh native Elaina Balouris has completed an illustrious career at the college of William & Mary and signed a professional contract with one of the most prestigious runner clubs in the United States, the Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.).

The B.A.A. is a non-profit organization committed to running.The organization was formed in 1887 and has since then played an important role in the support and development of the sport throughout the United States and hosts the world-renowned Boston Marathon. Elaina joins the B.A.A. after dominating the CAA division, winning CAA Athlete of the Year honors four times, and was a six-time All-American for William & Mary, the most ever for a women’s track and field athlete. While the list of her accolades seems endless, the most impressive accomplishment Balouris achieved was her ability to improve year after year throughout her college career. In an interview with Running Times, Elaina said, “The first track race I ran I remember my coach told me that I could run 16:20 in the 5K and I looked at him like he was crazy. And then I did it”. She continued by stating, “It has been a really great progression all four years, and that’s actually one of the things I’m most proud about. And I know I’ll be saying to my kids someday that I was really excited to improve every year”. Her dedication and hard work after all have gotten her to this point in her career. She capped off her collegiate by finishing a best-ever fifth in the NCAA 10.000m Championships.

She will continue to develop her career at the B.A.A. where she will train alongside three-time U.S. Olympian Jen Rhines, and be coached by B.A.A.’s Terrence Mahon, a All-American runner during his college career at Villanova University. Elaina will also be attending graduate school at Boston College to earn her M.Ed. in teaching. So far so good for Elaina who marches on the path to an even more promising and illustrious career.

Elaina Balouris Career Highlights

  • 2014 CAA Track and Field Athlete of the Year
  • 2014 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track and Field First-Team All-American
  • 2014 ECAC Outdoor Track and Field 3,000m Champion
  • 2014 USTFCCCA Indoor Track and Field Second-Team All-American
  • 2013 Portsmouth Sports Club Female Virginia College Athlete of the Year
  • 2013 CAA Cross Country Athlete of the Year
  • 2013 USTFCCCA Cross Country All-American
  • USTFCCCA National Cross Country Runner of the Week (Sept 9, 2013)
  • 2013 CAA Track and Field Athlete of the Year
  • 2013 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track and Field Second-Team All-American
  • 2012 CAA Cross Country Athlete of the Year
  • 2012 USTFCCCA Cross Country All-American
  • 2012 USTFCCCA Outdoor Track and Field Honorable-Mention All-American

Current Records (improvement over the year):

  • 1,500m (outdoor) – 4:24.27 (4th all-time, improvement of 4.98 seconds)
  • Mile (indoor) – 4:51.19 (5th all-time, improvement of 4.74 seconds)
  • 3,000m (outdoor) – 9:10.41 (School record, improvement of 25.93 seconds)
  • 3,000m (indoor) – 9:23.03 (School record, improvement of 11.46 seconds)
  • 5,000m (outdoor) – 15:56.85 (2nd all-time, improvement of 6.58 seconds)
  • 5,000m (indoor) – 15:46.92 (2nd all-time, improvement of 39.32 seconds)
  • 10,000m (outdoor) – 32:46.57 (2nd all-time, improvement of 56.70 seconds)