Cooper Named Assistant Coach
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 he coached Sharika Nelvis to NCAA titles in the 100 hurdles (12.52w) and 60 hurdles (7.93). Nelvis also won the prestigious Honda Sports Award as the nation’s top female track and field athlete. Nelvis went on to win a U.S. indoor title and represent Team USA at the World Championships.
Cooper also developed Jaylen Bacon into one of the nation’s top sprinters. Bacon earned five All-America honors, placed fourth in the 100 at the U.S. Championships, and won a silver medal with Team USA’s 4×100 relay at the World Championships in London. His fifth-place finish in the 100 at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships was Arkansas State’s best in nearly four decades.
Bacon completed his collegiate career with top marks of 6.56 in the 60, 9.97 in the 100, and 20.25 in the 200 and holds A-State records in the 60 and 100. He was the first in program history to earn first-team All-America honors in the 100 and 200 at the same NCAA Championships meet.
When Cooper left Arkansas State, his athletes held 15 school records – six outdoors and nine indoors. Arkansas State won five Sun Belt indoor and outdoor team titles during Cooper’s tenur.
Prior to A-State, Cooper was an assistant in the same events at his alma mater, Flagler Palm Coast High School in Palm Coast, Florida.
Cooper graduated from University of Florida in 2011 with a degree in criminology. For the Gators, Cooper was fourth in the 110 hurdles at the 2010 Southeastern Conference Championships and third in the 60 hurdles at the 2011 SEC Indoor finals. He was named to the SEC All-Academic team all four years.
Cooper is a native of Palm Coast, Fla., and was the 2007 4A state champion in the 110 hurdles (13.97), while helping the Bulldogs to the state team championship. He was the state’s top-ranked high school hurdler.
Cooper completed his masters in sport administration from Arkansas State in 2014. He is a USA Track and Field Level 1 certified instructor.
