2021
Track & Field Coaches Watch List
ABIS Track & Field Coaches 2021 Watch List
Associate Head Coaches at Power 5 Universities:
Michael Ford – Baylor University
Experience: Big 12 (20th year at Baylor)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, Hurdles & Relays
Career Notes: Coached numerous athletes to individual national and conference champions, coached numerous NCAA All-Americans, Regional asst. coach of the year, coached world ranked athletes.
Delethea Quarles – The University of South Carolina
Experience: SEC
Area of Expertise: Jumps, decathlon & heptathlon
Career Notes: Helped lead South Carolina to a national championship, coached numerous All-Americans and conference champions, regional asst. coach of the year.
Stacy Smith – Baylor University
Experience: Big 12
Area Of Expertise: Jumps Coach
Career Notes: Helped lead Baylor to National rankings, coached numerous All-Americans
Althea Thomas – The University of Georgia
Experience: SEC, ACC, CUSA (Clemson, Purdue, Kentucky & Univ. of Alabama -Birmingham)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, hurdles, & relays
Career Notes: Helped lead Georgia to numerous Top 3 NCAA National team and conference finishes, coached numerous indivisible All-Americans and National champions
April Thomas – Mississippi State University
Experience: SEC
Area of Expertise: Throws Coach
Career Notes: First female coach to coach a men’s throws event in NCAA history, coached the last 3 national champions in the men’s Javelin, coached numerous record holders and All-Americans, coached athletes to world rankings, regional asst. coach of the year
Erin Tucker – Penn State University
Experience: Big 10, SEC (Univ. of Florida & Kentucky)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, hurdles, relays
Career Notes: Helped lead teams to conference and NCAA national team championships, coach numerous All-Americans and individual national champions
Assistant Coaches at Power 5 Universities:
Benny Brazell – LSU
Experience: SEC
Area of Expertise: Sprints, Hurdles & Relays
Career Notes: Helped lead LSU to numerous team and individual athletes SEC and NCAA National Championships
Elisha Brewer – The University of Kansas
Experience: SEC (Arkansas & Univ of Cincinnati)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, Hurdles, Rlelays
Career Notes: Helped team win NCAA conference and a NCAA national championship, coached numerous NCAA All-Americans and conference event champions
Michelle Freeman – The University of Virginia
Experience: ACC, Big 12 & MWC (The Univ. Of Texas – Austin & San Diego State Univ.)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, Hurdles, Relays, & Middle Distance
Coaching Notes: Helped various individuals and team to conference and national championships, coached record holders and numerous All-Americans, coached Olympians & World ranked athletes
Tim Hall – The University of Kentucky
Experience: SEC & ACC (Tennessee and Clemson)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, Hurdles & Relays
Career Notes: Coached individual athletes to numerous conference and national championships, numerous All-Americans, coached record holders, Olympians, & World ranked athletes
Chris Johnson – The University of Arkansas
Experience: SEC & Big 10 conferences (Penn State)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, hurdles, relays
Career Notes: Helped lead Arkansas women to multiple individual event and team conference & national championships, coached athletes to world rankings, numerous time regional asst. coach of the year, coached Olympians & World ranked athletes.
Vanitta Kinard – California State University Northridge
Experience: Big 12, SEC, & Big West (Ole Miss, Kansas State, Michigan State)
Area of Expertise: Jumps, sprints, hurdles, & relays
Career Notes: Coached numerous Olympic & World ranked athletes, coached NCAA All-Americans & school record holders.
Carjay Lyles – Mississippi State University
Experience: SEC, PAC 12, MWC, & MAC (Univ of Southern Cal, Akron, Missouri, San Diego State, Tennessee)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, hurdles, relays, jumps, and multi-events
Career Notes: Helped various universities win conference championships, coached individual conference & national champions, coached an Olympian and World athlete
Curtis Taylor – The University of Oregon
Experience: PAC 12
Area of Expertise: Sprints, Hurdles & Relays
Career Notes: Helped lead team to numerous conference and national championships, coached individual athletes to national champions, coached Olympic and World ranked athletes, numerous time regional asst. coach of the year.
James Thomas – Texas Tech University
Experience: Big 12, SEC (Kentucky, TCU & Sam Houston)
Area of Expertise: Jumping events
Career Notes: Help lead team to NCAA national championship, coached individual conference & national championship athletes, numerous All-Americans, numerous time regional asst. coach of the year.
Quincy Watts – The University of Southern California
Experience: PAC 12 & BWC (Cal State Northridge)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, hurdles, relays
Career Notes: Help lead USC to individual & team conference and national championships, coached national record holders, coached athletes to world rankings.
Adrian Wheatley – The University of North Carolina
Experience: Big 10 & ACC, CAA ( Illinois, Virginia, College of Charleston)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, Hurdles, & Relays
Career Notes: Help lead individual and team to conference championships, coached numerous individual national champions & All-Americans, numerous time regional asst. coach of the year.
HBCU & Non-Power 5 Head & Asst. Coaches:
Ritchie Beene – Alabama State University
Experience: SWAC
Area of Expertise: Cross Country, T&F HC
Career Notes: While at the helm of the men’s and women’s cross country/track and field programs, he has amassed a total of 38 SWAC championship titles and Coach of Year honors. Beene has a combined 54 SWAC Championships, making him of one the winningest coach in all Division I sports.
Dana Boone – The Univ. Of Central Florida
Experience: AAC, BIG 12, SEC (Middle Tenn, Tulane, South Carolina, Texas Tech, Texas State Univ., LSU, Texas, Oklahoma)
Area of Expertise: Sprints, hurdles, jumps, relays
Career Notes: NCAA Regional coach of the year, coached numerous NCAA and Conference Champions,
Shelia Burrell – San Diego State University
Experience: Georgetown Univ, Kansas State Univ.
Area of Expertise: Sprints, hurdles, jumps, heptathlon
Chandra Cheeseborough – Tennessee State University
Experience: SWAC
Area of Expertise: Sprints, relays, hurdles
Career Notes: Numerous conference championships and All-Americans
Garfield ‘Gee’ Ellenwood – Alabama State University
Experience: SEC, SWAC (Mississippi State, Alabama State, Norfolk State, NC A&T; Bethune Cookman, Head Coach)
Area Of Expertise: Sprints, Hurdles & Relays
Career Notes: Coached 3 NCAA Division I National Champions, 13 NCAA Division I First Team All-Americans and 157 All Conference performers
Rosalind Joseph – Southern Illinois
Experience: SEC, Big 10, MVC (Auburn Univ., The Ohio State Univ., Southern Illinois)
Area of Expertise: Jumps & Multi events
Career Notes: Coach numerous Champions and NCAA All-Americans, conference champions, Ohio State Hall of Fames, former associate head coach Ohio State Univ.
Duane Ross – North Carolina A & T
Experience: ACC, USA South, MEAC
Area of Expertise: Relay, Individual Events
Career Notes: He has earned three United States Track and Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Southeast Region men’s coach of the year twice and Southeast Region women’s coach of the year once. He has also seen athletes earn their way on to U.S. national teams.
Kebba Tolbert – Harvard University
Experience: Conference USA, Big Sky, GLVC, ACC, Ivy League
Area of Expertise: Women’s Sprints & Hurdles and Horizontal Jumps
Career Notes: Tolbert helped guide the team to a No. 1 northeast region ranking throughout the entirety of the 2019-20 indoor season.