JJ Hunter enters his third season as an assistant coach for Miami track and field.
Coach Hunter led the men’s sprint squad to a historic 2025 indoor season. At the Indoor ACC Championships, his group captured the program’s first-ever ACC men’s 4×400m relay title, while Solomon Strader and George Franks claimed silver in the 400m and 200m, respectively. Strader went on to earn All-American honors in the 400m at the NCAA Indoor Championships—the program’s first in that event in almost three decades.
In his second season, Hunter guided Strader as he advanced from an ACC bronze medalist in 2023 (46.14) to one of the top quarter-milers in the country. In 2024, Strader ran a personal best of 45.52, which ranks No. 2 all-time at Miami, and qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 400m. He also qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, advancing to the semifinal round in one of the deepest events in American Track & Field. That same season, freshman Ace Malone was named the ACC Men’s Track Rookie of the Year after placing fifth in the ACC 400m with a personal best of 46.08, and contributing to the school-record-setting 4×400m relay alongside Strader, Jalen Gordon, and Robert Joseph. That group earned bronze at the 2024 ACC Outdoor Championships, breaking a 27-year-old school record with a time of 3:04.65.
Since arriving in Coral Gables, Coach Hunter has played a central role in rebuilding the men’s sprint program into one of the ACC’s most competitive and consistent groups. Across his three seasons, his athletes have set five program records, posted 22 top-5 all-time performances, and redefined the culture and competitive direction of Miami’s men’s sprint program.
Hunter served as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at MIT during the 2021-22 season. Under Hunter’s leadership, MIT had one of the most successful seasons in the program’s history. Hunter led the men’s team to a third-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. That team was also named the USTFCCCA Division III Program of the Year. This award recognizes the program with the best combined finishes at the NCAA Championships for Cross Country, Indoor, and Outdoor Track & Field. During the 2022 season, MIT won seven individual NCAA championships (including five at the outdoor meet), the most in program history. Their standout performer, Kenneth Wei, broke a 48-year-old NCAA Championship record with his 7.88m winning performance, which was the seventh best across all three NCAA Divisions. Wei was also the first athlete in Division III history to win both the 110m Hurdle and Long Jump at the NCAA Championships.
Prior to his time at MIT, Hunter was the track and field head coach at Division III Kenyon College (OH) during the 2020-21 season.
Before his time at Kenyon, Hunter served as an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania from 2016-20, where he worked with the men’s sprints, hurdles, horizontal jumps and multi-events. Hunter coached eight NCAA East Regional qualifiers, eight academic All-American honorees and 18 All-Ivy performers, resulting in him being named the 2019 USTFCCCA Indoor Regional Assistant Coach of the Year. At Penn, Hunter’s athletes had plenty of success, including nine Ivy League championships in sprints and hurdles and earning 23 top-10 marks.
Hunter previously coached at Miami under former men’s track and field coach Mike Ward as an assistant from 2004-07. During his time at Miami, Hunter coached Lance Leggett to a 12th-place finish in the 60m Hurdles at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships and a 2006 ACC title in the 400m Hurdles.
Prior to his time at Miami, Hunter spent the 2003-04 season at Florida International (FIU). At FIU, Hunter developed one NCAA Championship qualifier, four school-record holders, and 15 All-Sun Belt Conference Team selections.
Hunter’s first coaching position was at the Division III level at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), serving as an assistant from 2001-03. At TCNJ, Hunter coached 24 NCAA All-Americans, 23 NJAC Conference Champions, seven conference record holders and a pair of USATF Junior National qualifiers in the 200m and 400m.
Hunter graduated with a Bachelor of Science from La Salle University with a major in biology and a minor in music history. He went on to the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with his Master of Business Administration.
At the professional level, Hunter competed for Shore AC and Nike Atlantic Coast Club, was a three-time USATF Outdoor Championship qualifier and posted PRs of 10.10w and 10.25 in the 100m.
