Florida Poly taps veteran Lakeland coach to lead cross country program

Skip to content Stephanie Bylander has been named Florida Polytechnic University’s inaugural head coach for men’s and women’s cross country. Florida Poly taps veteran Lakeland coach to lead cross country program April 23, 2026 Florida Polytechnic University has named Stephanie Bylander as its inaugural head coach for men’s and women’s cross country as part of the University’s new Florida Poly Athletics program. Bylander joins Florida Poly after 11 years at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, including eight seasons as head coach of the women’s cross country and track programs. She brings deep local knowledge, strong recruiting relationships, and a track record of building successful teams in the region. “I’m leaving a very successful program at Florida Southern, where we’re on a streak of setting school records, and I wouldn’t leave that if I didn’t completely believe in where this program can go,” Bylander said. Bylander has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Adams State University, where she was a 10-time All-American student-athlete in cross country and track. She said the opportunity to help shape a new program is especially meaningful. “As new coaches, we each can create the program we’ve always envisioned we might have one day,” she said. “I already have a bit of a recruiting pipeline, and everybody’s really excited when we tell them about what we’re doing here.” Florida Poly officials said Bylander’s experience will be instrumental in building a strong foundation for the program from day one. “We’re super enthusiastic about Stephanie being here as one of our first coaches,” said Derek Lower, Florida Poly’s athletic director. “She brings an incredible level of expertise and knowledge, secured our first commitment, and has connected really well with our current students and incoming recruits.” Florida Poly’s cross-country teams will launch this fall alongside new programs in baseball, softball and men’s and women’s soccer and basketball. “Our new athletes are going to be pioneers for us, and they’re really excited about the affordability and opportunity of being able to have high-quality STEM academics and still do athletics,” Bylander said. “They now have a chance that didn’t really exist before, allowing them to study engineering without giving up running.” Visit the Florida Poly Cross Country Instagram page for more information. 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Attendees will learn actionable and simple strategies that are easy to implement, enabling them to start immediately by focusing on their top risks to build greater operational resilience and ensure the sustained success of their auxiliary enterprises. Presenter Profile Michelle Powell serves as the pioneering Risk Manager at Florida Polytechnic University, the state’s sole 100% STEM-dedicated institution. Having been with the university for nearly 11 years, Michelle transitioned from a leadership role in Admissions in October 2023 to establish and evolve the risk management function from the ground up. In this solo capacity, Michelle builds robust frameworks for our dynamic, young university, overseeing our insurance portfolio, consulting on third-party and event risks, and developing critical campus-wide training programs. Michelle has obtained the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) Enterprise Risk Management certificate and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations. Her distinct background in mathematics and engineering, combined with extensive higher education leadership, brings an analytical and strategic approach enhancing the institution’s resilience.