CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Director of track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou added two assistant coaches to his staff, Ayden Owens-Delerme and Cheyenne Nesbitt, on Thursday (Sept. 19).
Kyprianou on Owens-Delerme: “‘Ayden is a great addition to our staff and team as he brings a plethora of talents as well as experience at the highest Olympic level. He is the first-ever elite active Olympian to get a full-time job as a coach. His position will strictly be through his training and being an on-campus recruiter. It is a position I always wanted to have on my staff, and finally we get to do it here at Illinois. He has the personality, character and work ethic to help our young athletes elevate their standards and mindset and push to become the best versions of themselves.”
Kyprianou on Nesbitt: “Cheyenne is another great athlete with Olympic potential who falls into the same category as Ayden, being a part of the combined events support program. She will be a direct link with our female combined event athletes while training to make her first Olympic team. We are excited to have her push alongside our team and help mentor some of our young ladies.”
AYDEN OWENS-DELERME
Owens-Delerme represents Puerto Rico internationally and most recently competed in the decathlon at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where he placed ninth. The Nike professional athlete claimed a decathlon gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean games in 2023, the third gold medal of his career.
He placed fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the decathlon and published the book Race of My Own: An Olympian’s Quest for Self-Discovery on July 15, 2024. In addition to being an author, he is also the founder and CEO of DapUp LLC, a software platform that connects college athletes with local businesses for marketing campaigns.
The Pittsburgh native finished his college career in 2023, representing Arkansas, Michigan and USC during that time. He became a three-time national champion (4x400m, decathlon and heptathlon), two-time SEC champion (400mH and heptathlon), Big Ten champion (decathlon) and Pac-12 champion (4x400m). Additionally, the seven-time All-American was the 2022 Bowerman Award runner-up, 2022 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, 2022 SEC Field Athlete of the Year, 2021 Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year and…
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at University of Illinois Athletics…