CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami track and field director Amy Deem announced the addition of Jarius Cooper to her coaching staff Wednesday as an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles.
Jarius Cooper joins the Hurricanes after leading the Stanford’s sprinters, hurdlers and relays since 2019.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Coach Cooper to the University of Miami,” Deem said. “I have known him for years, and his reputation for developing elite-level talent speaks for itself. His expertise in sprints and hurdles, combined with his relentless work ethic, will be a tremendous asset to our program.”
In 2023, Cooper mentored sophomore Udodi Onwuzurike, who won the NCAA outdoor championship in the 200 meters and was sixth in the 100. Onwuzurike became the first Stanford student-athlete to win an NCAA men’s sprint title since 1963.
Onwuzurike broke or tied school records 18 times in his career and contributed to an onslaught of school records by Cooper’s athletes in 2023. Among them was by the men’s 4×100 relay team, which broke a mark that had stood for 58 years. Maya Valmon twice broke the women’s 400 record and helped the 4×100 team and distance medley relay to others. In all, Cooper’s athletes broke or tied Stanford indoor or outdoor records 18 times in 2023.
In Cooper’s first outdoor season on The Farm, redshirt freshman Alexa Rossum ran the fastest 100 and 200 for Stanford in 13 years. She advanced to the NCAA Championships in both events and the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 200. Rossum was Stanford’s first woman to qualify to the NCAA’s in either the 100 or 200 since 2012.
In addition, Allie Jones became Stanford’s fastest women’s 100 hurdler in eight years, moving to No. 3 all-time in school history and, in 2023, Samantha Thomas became the second-fastest 400 hurdler ever at Stanford, behind only 2017 world champion Kori Carter.
Cooper coached Ashlan Best to a school women’s indoor record in the 400. For the men, Julian Body had his best season, running big personal bests in the 60 hurdles and 200. Both Best and Body earned All-America honors as part of Stanford’s NCAA-qualifying distance medley relay squads.
Under Cooper, Dorien Simon broke the Stanford freshman 60 record four times and was tied for No. 2 in that event overall in school history. In all, Stanford athletes earned or improved school indoor top-10 marks five times.
Before Stanford, Cooper made his mark at Arkansas State, where…
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