Cornell University Men's Track

Durants team clinched the 2016 Outdoor HEPS Championship title with a record point score of 211.00 points, becoming the only team in conference history to score over 200 points in a single championship.  Durant also earned Ivy League Head Coach of the Year and Northeast Region Mens Coach of the Year honors.  To conclude a stellar first year, Coach Durant had the honor of attending the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a member of the U.S. Virgin Islands Olympic team serving as the head track and field coach.  Durant was also responsible for coaching Cornell alumnus and member of the Spanish Olympic team Bruno Hortelano-Roig 14, who shattered the Spanish National record in the 200m (20.12) at the Olympic Games just missing a spot in the 200m finals and placing 10 overall in the world.   Durant has been part of four Heptagonal championship teams and four more runner-up squads. Student-athletes he has worked with have won 21 Heps individual and eleven relay crowns and have been named NCAA All-Americans seven times (four individual, three relay).    In 2014-15 Durant helped lead the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams to Heps titles during the outdoor season. Max Hairston won the 110 hurdles and finished seconds in the 400 hurdles at the Heps. Tobennah Attah was the runner-up at 400 meters both indoors and outdoors, while Brailin Paulino was the runner-up outdoors at both 100 and 200 meters. In addition, he assisted in the development of the 4x100 women's relay team that won a Heps title and posted a school record time of 45.21. In 2013-14, Durants sprinters contributed directly to the mens team victories at the Indoor and Outdoor HEPS Championships and the Indoor IC4A Championship.  During the Indoor season several school sprint records were shattered, including the mens 60m record ( Bruno Hortelano- Roig- 6.69) and the mens 400m record (Bruno Hortelano-Roig - 47.04), both achieved at the HEPs indoor championship in a 60m/400m double that had not never been previously achieved. Also, the mens 4x400m record (3:10.14), the mens 200m record (Bruno Hortelano-Roig - 20.75), the womens 400m record (Udeme Akpaete - 54.02), and the womens 4x400m record (3:36.63) were all toppled.  Indoor Bruno Hortelano-Roig became the first Ivy League athlete to achieve All-American status in the 200m in recent history, cementing himself as one of the Ivy Leagues all-time great sprinters.   During the 2014 Outdoor season Durants sprinters continued the their record setting year, establishing new school bests in the mens 110m Hurdles (Max Hairston 13.74), the mens Sprint Medley Relay (3:21.01), the womens 200m (Udeme Akpaete 23.71), the womens 400m (Udeme Akpaete 53.24), the womens 4x100m (45.55),  the womens 4x200m (1:36.76), and the womens 4x400m which achieved All-American status while setting the Ivy League record (3:34.40).  The mens 4x100m also continued their success from the previous year, establishing another top 10 mark in in the 4x100m and one of the few sub-40 second performances in Ivy League history with a 39.98 at the NCAA East Preliminary round.  At the Texas relays, Cornells mens 4x400m shocked the field with their impressive 3:07.98, earning them third place in a highly competitive field and an NCAA East Preliminary round qualifying mark.        In 2012-13, Durant made an immediate impact during his first year with the Big Red coaching several HEPS Champions and HEPS Scorers; Bruno Hortelano-Roig (400m, 200m, 4x100m, 4x400m), Jedidiah Adarquah-Yiadom (60m, 100m, 4x100m), Larry Gibson (400, 4x400m), Ryan Hynes(4x100m), Chris Bain (60m), Kinsley Ojukwu(400m, 4x100m), Andre Anderson (500m, 4x400m, 400mH), Cisco Olloqui (500m), Max Hairston (400mH).  Durants athletes also set new school records and Ivy League records; Jedidiah Adarquah-Yiadom (60m school record, 6.75), Bruno Hortelano-Roig (200m Indoor Ivy League record - 21.18, 200m Outdoor School Record - 20.47), Kinsley Ojukwu (200m Cornell No. 2 All-Time Indoor - 21.66).  He also led the mens 4x100m relay to the NCAA Championship with an eye opening time of 39.85, the fastest time in the Ivy League since 1978 and the first appearance by an Ivy League 4x100m relay team at the national meet since the same year.          Prior to joining the Big Red, Durant was a member of the Florida A&M University Coaching staff where he was charged with coaching the jumps. While with the FAMU Rattlers, Durant successfully coached 4 x Conference Champion, All-American, and U.S. Virgin Island National Record holder in the long jump Leon Hunt (25 3). Durant also coached triple jumper Steve Emere whose nation leading jump (52 6) earned him a trip to the Indoor NCAA Championship where he earned All-American honors. Along with Head Coach Nathan Taylor, Durant is a national team coach for the U.S. Virgin Islands Track & Field Federation. Durants national team duties include organizing summer competition for the elite athletes, coaching the 4x100m relay team, and running the summer training camp for national team athletes. Before his coaching days, Durant was a highly successful sprinter himself.  As a member and captain of the United States Virgin National Team, Durant has made multiple appearances on the world stage and holds multiple junior and senior records on the national team.  Durants participation in major competition includes appearances at the following Championships: Durants collegiate career was very much a Cinderella story.  Starting out as a walk-on athlete with the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, Durant quickly rose to through the ranks becoming one of the top sprinters on the team (2003-2007).  He earned All-American Status as a member of the University of South Carolinas 4x400m relay team (2003).  He also ran the opening leg of the 4x400m relay team that finished first at the SEC Championships with a time of 3:04.66.  While a member of the Gamecocks Durant earned multiple All Regional and Academic All-Conference Honors.  He made multiple appearances at the NCAA Championship and  boasted personal bests of 10.37 in the 100m, 20.83 in the 200m and 6.69* in the 60m dashes.    Coach Adrian Durant is a native of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.  He is a USATF and IAAF certified coach, holds a Bachelors of Science in Technology Support & Training Management from the University of South Carolina and is pursuing a Masters of Science from the University of Ohio in Recreation and Sport Sciences with a concentration in Coaching Education.   Adrian Durant

Simms group helped the men win the 2016 Outdoor Heptagonal title in record-setting fashion, and the women played an integral part in winning the outdoor ECAC title in 2016.  Triple jumper Bobby Plummer headlined the Heps-clinching group, winning the indoor IC4A title to go along with the outdoor Heps crown (15.99m) in route to advancing to the NCAA Championships, where he earned Honorable Mention All-American honors.  Alex Rodriguez in the lC4A long jump (7.57m) and Myles Lazarou in the Heps high jump (2.14m) were also titlists. Kate Gulbrandsen led the women, earning All-Ivy and All-East honors in the high jump (1.79m). In all, Simms coached two Heps champions, two IC4A champions and had four athletes reach the NCAA First Round in just his first year at Cornell. Simms brings an impressive resume to his coaching duties with the Big Red.  A six-time All-American, NCAA Division I National Champion, and USATF National Champion, he also has a wealth of coaching experience.  Simms comes to Cornell from California State University Los Angeles, where he was an assistant coach for jumps and multi-events. At Cal State L.A., he coached three jumpers to Division II National Championships and All-West Region honors. Seven of his athletes were named to All-California Collegiate Athletic Association teams. As an assistant coach at the University of Idaho in 2013, Simms saw one of his jumpers earn All-American honors after finishing sixth at the NCAA Division I Championships in the pole vault with a leap of 18 feet. He also led the teams jumpers to two NCAA regional qualifiers, a Western Athletic Conference championship, two school records and six All-WAC honors. Simms was also an assistant coach at Davidson College, where he worked with sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers from 2008-11, and at Utica College, where he coached the programs jumpers to five school records and two conference titles, during the 2011 season.     Simms has worked with numerous Olympic level athletes, he assisted Shakeema Wlesch in her 2008 Olympic run where she finished runner-up at the 2008 USA Olympic trials in the triple jump (4610). In 2014, he worked with Cuban Olympic pole vaulter Daylis Cabellero (14 feet, 9 inches). In 2015, he coached Skype Morrison to a personal best performance (21 feet, 5 inches) in the long jump and a top-15 ranking in the nation.   In his own collegiate days at the University of Southern California, Simms was the 2003 NCAA Indoor Champion in the triple jump, breaking the school and Pacific-10 Conference records with a mark of 56 feet, 7.5 inches. He earned All-America honors six times at USC and was the 2005 West Region Field Athlete of the Year. In 2004, he earned a Pac-10 triple jump title and won the long and triple jumps at the NCAA West Region Championships. In addition to his accomplishments at USC, Simms saw success on the national and international scale. He was the 2004 United States champion in the indoor triple jump, and at USA Junior Nationals in 2001, he swept the long and triple jump titles, becoming the first athlete in meet history to complete such a feat. He also represented the United States at the 2003 and 2005 World Outdoor Track & Field Championships and at the 2004 and 2006 World Indoor Championships.  He finished sixth in the triple jump at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials and third at the 2010 USA Indoor Championship. Simms is an International Association of Athletics Federations Level 4 Jumps coach and holds a USA Track & Field Level I Coaching Certificate. He graduated from USC in 2005 with a bachelors degree in multimedia technology and earned a Master of Art in liberal studies and a graduate certificate in global studies from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in 2014.Allen Simms

Langs student-athletes notched five top-ten marks in school history behind James Gowans (1:49-800, 4:04-mile), Ben Rainero (4:04), and Jonny Phillips (14:23-5k), who sliced 35 seconds off his 5k personal best over the season. Outdoors, the milers and steeplers led the squad as Gowans (second at Heps) and Rainero both advanced to the NCAA First Round in the 1500 with 3:45 seasonal bests as Academic All-American David Melly (second at Heps, 8:51) and Connor Herr (third, 8:53) also advanced to the NCAA First Round.  All four individual marks rank in the top ten in school history on a squad that was runner-up at the Heps. In 2013-2014, Cornell won the Heps title during both the indoor and outdoor seasons.  Indoors, Lang guided Will Weinlandt to his second consecutive conference championship in the 800 as his teammates recorded five performances that rank in the top-ten in school history.  New freshmen records were set in the DMR and the mile (James Gowans, 4:06.20) as the squad also won the IC4A title. Outdoors, Langs athletes set five all-time top-ten marks in school history, including a 1:49 anchor leg by Will Weinlandt at Penn Relays that helped the sprint medley squad break a school record that had been last set in 1969.  Two athletes qualified for the NCAA Preliminary round in the 800 (Weinlandt) and steeplechase, where David Melly improved his personal best by sixteen seconds over the course of the season. Over the entire 2013-2014 year, Lang guided eighteen of his athletes to IC4A-qualifying performances with top times of 1:48 at 800 (Weinlandt), 3:47 at 1500 (James Gowans & Ben Rainero), 8:58 in the steeplechase (Melly), 14:13 at 5k (Brian Eimstad), and 29:59 at 10k (Eimstad).  Three student-athletes were honored with Academic All-American honors (Melly, Mark Tedder, and Weinlandt). In 2012-2013, Lang led the cross-country team to a fourth-place finish at the Heps as the Big Red had its best point total since 2008 with four finishers in the top twenty and two All-Ivy Second Team finishers (Nick Wade & Max Groves).  At the Northeast Regional meet, Cornell again turned in its best score since 2008 in placing seventh behind All-Region performer Nick Wade. During the indoor season, Cornell won the Heps title for the first time since 2009 as Nick Wade was meet Co-MVP, Will Weinlandt was the 800-meter champion, and the 4x800-meter relay team won Cornells first conference title in the event since 1975.  Wade also set the school record in the mile (3:59.998) and his teammates combined for eleven performances that place top-ten in school history. In the outdoor season, Lang's athletes set a school record at 800 meters (Will Weinlandt, 1:48.43) and a freshman record in the steeplechase (Connor Herr, 8:55.41), as five athletes qualified for the NCAA Preliminary meet and the Cornell middle-distance and long-distance runners recorded six all-time top-ten marks in Cornell history. Over the entire 2012-2013 year, Lang guided twenty-six of his athletes to IC4A-qualifying performances, two men under 4:03 in the mile (Wade, John Schilkowsky), two under 8:10 at 3,000 meters (Schilkowsky, Andy Arnold), two under 9:00 in the steeplechase (Herr, Teddy Brinkofski), and Brett Kelly ran 14:09 at 5,000 meters and 29:14 in the 10,000 meters, where he joined Max Groves and Matt McCullough in breaking 30:00.  Rutger Admirand also ran 1:03 for 500 meters indoors in placing second at the Heps. Two student-athletes were honored with Academic All-American honors (Brett Kelly and Will Weinlandt). In 2012, Lang helped guide Brett Kelly to 29:24 in the 10,000 meters, Max Groves to 14:15 in the 5,000 meters, and John Schilkowsky to 4:03 in the indoor mile.  He also assisted in coaching Rutger Admirand, Will Weinlandt, and Nick Wade to sub-1:50 800-meter races. In 2011, Lang worked with two distance runners who earned a berth in the NCAA outdoor championships, where Adrien Dannemiller competed in the steeplechase and Nate Edelman earned an All-American finish in the 10,000 meters. Over the past five years, Lang has guided six sub-30:00 10,000-meter runners, fourteen 5,000-meter runners who have run 14:30 or faster, four sub-9:00 steeplechasers, eight 1,500-meter runners who clocked 3:50 or faster, and seven 800-meter runners who ran 1:51 or faster. As an undergraduate, Lang competed in cross-country for four years, earning a varsity letter his senior year and competing at the Heptagonal Championships and Northeast Regional Championships in 2002.  Zeb was also a member of the 2002 Cornell squad that won the IC4A Cross-Country Championship for the first time since 1921.  In track & field, Lang competed in the long-distance events and during his senior year, Cornell won Heptagonal Championships in both indoor and outdoor track & field.  Lang received his bachelors degree in Economics from Cornell in 2003 and spent the following year as a volunteer assistant while working in Cornells Department of Alumni Affairs.  After a five year stint as a real estate accountant in Denver, Lang returned to Ithaca in 2009 and completed his MBA at Cornells Johnson Graduate School of Management in May 2011 before gaining experience as a senior financial analyst at Merck in 2011-2012.  Lang has four years of volunteer coaching experience for the Big Red men under his predecessor Robert Johnson.  He served as a volunteer assistant coach from 2009-2012 and also volunteered during the 2003-2004 school year. Lang is currently training for his eleventh marathon and resides in Ithaca with his wife Leah Scolere and their energetic black Labrador, Reykja.  Zeb Lang

Johnsons athletes have broken nine school records and two Ivy League records and can already be seen all over the schools top 10 lists. She has sent one athlete to the Indoor NCAA Division I Track & Field Championships and two to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, and her athletes have also tallied 18 individual Heptagonal Championship event wins and an indoor IC4A individual championship. Johnson has also produced ten NCAA First Round qualifiers, two Junior National qualifiers, a Junior National Champion, a USA Track and Field Outdoor Championship qualifier and two All-Americans. She has also helped coach multi-event athletes to two NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championship appearances, two Heps Championship titles and a Junior National qualifier. At the conclusion of the 2015 season, Johnson was named the Northeast Regional Mens Assistant Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaching Association after leading Stephen Mozia and Rudy Winkler to NCAA Championship appearances. Mozia and Winkler were also both named all-americans, meaning that the Big Reds weight men have produced All-American honors in every outdoor throwing event (shot put, discus, javelin and hammer) since 2013. Winkler also qualified to compete in the hammer at the prestigious U.S. Track & Field Championships. At Heps, Mozia was named Most Outstanding Field Performer for the second time in his career for his first-place finish in the shot put and runner-up performances in the discus and hammer throw. Winkler placed first in the hammer throw at Heps and broke the school record in the qualifying round. In 2014, under Johnsons tutelage, Mozia broke the Ivy League record in discus throw and claimed Heps titles in shot put at both the indoor and outdoor championship. He also qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championship. Mozias first Most Outstanding Field Performer at Heps came in the 2013 season, when he finished first in the shot put and discus at the championship event. Robert Robbins claimed the Outdoor Heps title in javelin, won the Outdoor IC4As and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. On the womens side, Victoria Imbesi was the outdoor Ivy League champion in shot put and javelin and advanced to the national championship in javelin. The 2012 seasons demonstrated the strength of Johnsons team with dominating performances throughout both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Senior Bob Belden had NCAA First Round qualifying marks in both the shot put and the discus, and Junior Bob Fiedler also threw a NCAA First Round qualifying mark in the hammer. Senior hammer thrower Erin Rossi also broke the school record in her final throw at the 2012 Outdoor Heptagonal Championships. Junior Victoria Imbesi broke both the indoor and outdoor school record in the shot put as well as continuing a fantastic career which includes NCAA First Round qualifying marks in both the shot put and the javelin. Johnson also showcased her ability with her first recruiting class, led by indoor Second Team All-American Mozia in the shot put. Mozia capped an outstanding indoor season with a trip to the Indoor NCAA National Meet and also broke the 37-year-old school record. Mozias throw also placed him third all-time in the Ivy League for indoor shot put, putting him just behind throwers like Olympic Gold Medalist Adam Nelson and Olympian Augie Wolf. During the outdoor season, Mozia also broke the freshman discus record and tied the freshman shot put record, both of which earned Mozia trips to the NCAA First Round meet. Mozia finished his outstanding freshman year by winning the Junior National Championship in the shot put and placing third in the discus, earning him a spot on the Junior National team for the USA, which competed in the Junior World meet in Barcelona, Spain, where he placed 10th in the shot. Fellow freshmen of note were Jesse Braun, who earned a spot on Cornells top-10 list in the discus, as well as a berth to the Jr. National meet in Bloomington, Ind. Freshmen Megan DeFord and Felicia Reid both placed at the conference meet. Reid also made the top-10 list in the javelin. In 2011, Johnson guided sophomore and second-team All-American Imbesi to a school record and NCAA First Round qualifier in the javelin, as well as junior Bob Belden to an NCAA First Round qualifying mark in the shot put. The entire team saw solid growth and personal bests for everyone in almost every event. Before coming to Cornell, Johnson was first a manager, then a volunteer coach under throws coach Debra Farwell at Washington State University. Johnson was lucky enough to work with multiple All-Americans between 2007 and 2010 under Farwells guidance. Prior to coaching under Farwell, Johnson coached at Pullman High School in Pullman, Wash., where she produced a three-time state champion and dual record holder in the shot put and discus, as well as multiple state scorers, many of whom went on to successful college throwing careers. Johnson earned Bachelors degrees from Washington State University in Kinesiology and International Area Studies with an emphasis in Latin America. Johnson also threw at the University of Minnesota under Coach Lynne Anderson from 2000 until 2003 before suffering a career ending injury after only two years of competition.  Megan Johnson