Rolanda Bell was announced as the head coach of the Yeshiva University women's cross country team in August of 2018.
In her first season at the helm, in 2018, she helped lead Yeshiva to a second-place finish at the Monroe Mustang Invitational.
In her second season as head coach (2019), the Maccabees earned bronze at the York College (N.Y.) Invitational.
Thanks to Bell's leadership, Yeshiva finished in fifth place, out of 11 participating teams, at the 2021 Skyline Conference Championships. Estee Brooks was selected to the All-Skyline second team.
In 2022, Yeshiva earned a dual-meet victory over York College (N.Y.), and second place overall, at the SUNY Old Westbury Invitational. Danielle Hornstein was the top finisher at the SUNY Old Westbury Invitational with a 4k time of 19:18.
Bell has had a very successful running career. She trained for the 2016 Olympic Games with two Team USA Olympians. During her training, Bell participated in the International Association of Athletics Federation's (IAAF) Outdoor Track and Field Championships, competing in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase, in 2015.
In college, Bell was a four-year member of the University of Tennessee's women's cross country and track teams. While competing for the Volunteers, Bell was a 10-time All-American in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and was part of the 4x1500 meter relay team that set a Division I collegiate record, with a time of 17:08.34, at the Penn Relays back in 2009.
Prior to Yeshiva, Bell served as the head girls cross country coach at Riverdale Country School from 2014-2018, where she was in charge of the competition scheduling and entries, facilitating team practices, and abiding by the rules of the Ivy League Conference. She also mentored student-athletes in their personal goals on and off the field, and advised the team on fundamentals.
Bell made her coaching debut as an assistant coach for the Volunteers track and field program, during the 2009-10 season. She frequently traveled with the team to help supervise, organize, and lead the student-athletes while at competition events. Bell also recruited, evaluated, and contacted prospective student-athletes.
A native of Queens, N.Y., Bell earned her Bachelor of Science in education, health, and human sciences from the University of Tennessee in 2010.
