Troy University Men's Track

Blount joined Troys staff after four years as an assistant coach at Columbia University.   Blount worked primarily with the Lions mens middle distance group. While at Columbia, he helped lead the cross country team to NCAA appearances in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In his four years, he coached five All-Americans, 13 NCAA East Regional qualifiers, 10 individual conference champions, 37 All-Ivy League selections and two Academic All-Americans.   I am extremely excited to work with the young men and women here at Troy University, Blount said. I am humbled, and greatly appreciative to have the opportunity to lead our cross country, distance and middle distance programs, granted to me by Athletic Director John Hartwell and Sandy Atkins. Under the direction of Marc Davis, the potential here in Trojan Nation is tremendous.  I very much look forward to bringing the distance programs to a level of excellence in which past, present and future Trojans will be proud to be a part of.   A former NCAA All-American and six-time All-Big East selection, Blount graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2002 with a degree in sports marketing.   As a two-year captain at UConn, he was a nine-time letter winner with the Huskies, an eight-time All-New England selection, the 2002 UConn Outstanding Student Athlete and the 2002 Big East Indoor Outstanding Track Performer.   Upon graduation, Blount became a member of the Oregon Track Club Elite/Nike Farm Team, training in Eugene, Ore., for five years. He was a U.S. Olympic Trials semifinalist in the 800m in both 2004 and 2008, and was a 12-time USA Track & Field Championships qualifier. He raced the European Circuit from 2005-2007, and finished in fifth place in the 800m at the 2006 USATF Indoor Championships.   A native of Freeport, N.Y., Blount is a sub-four minute miler. He served as the assistant track & field coach in his hometown at Freeport High School, before being named the head coach of the boys cross country team at Hempstead High School in Hempstead, N.Y. in 2009.  

Claytons time at Troy, she worked five seasons at Dartmouth as an assistant coach with a primary focus on throws. While working with the Big Green, Clayton helped develop and guide strong performers in the throwing circle including Emmaline Berg, Cathy Liebowitz as well was Dave Irving and TJ Servino. I am very excited for this opportunity, Clayton said. Troy has traditionally had a great throws contingent and I am looking forward to helping carry on that tradition. I would like to thank John Hartwell and Sandy Atkins for making this a reality and I cannot wait for the upcoming season! She joined Dartmouth after two years at Duke where she coached the mens and womens throwers. During her time at Duke, Claytons throwers set multiple records and four of the student-athletes qualified for NCAA regionals in 2009. In 2008, Clayton coached freshman John Austin to the IC4A title and All-America honors in the javelin. From 2001 to 2004, Clayton served as a part-time track and field coach and strength coach at East Carolina. In 2004, Michelle rejoined the ECU staff full time as an assistant strength and conditioning coach and remained in the role before joining the Pirate Club Staff in August of 2007. Prior to her time at ECU, Clayton was at Virginia Tech from 2000 to 2001 as the coordinator of strength and conditioning for womens Olympic sports. As a student-athlete, Clayton was a four-year, All-America letter winner at East Carolina (1995-99) on the womens track and field team. At the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she placed ninth in the hammer throw. During her ECU career she dominated in several throwing events and set school records in the indoor 20-pound weight throw and shot put as well as the outdoor shot put, discus and hammer throw. Clayton was a 19-time All-East performer and won Colonial Athletic Association titles in the shot put, discus, and hammer, while being named MVP and setting the conference record in the hammer. She became just the second individual Eastern College Athletic Conference Champion in school history in both the indoor weight throw and outdoor hammer throw. Upon graduation, she went on to compete for five more year,s qualifying for the 2000 and 2004 USA Track and Field Olympic Team Trials in the hammer throw. In 2003, Michelle was ranked seventh in the country and was consistently ranked in the top 10 from 2000 to 2005. Following her track career, Michelle went on to compete for USA Weightlifting finishing third in the country at the Senior Nationals in 2005.  Clayton also previously served as a graduate assistant strength coach from 1998 to 2000 at East Carolina.  Clayton graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1998 with a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. In 1997, due to her efforts in the classroom, she was named to the GTE Academic All-America team as well as being named ECUs Outstanding Female Student-Athlete. In 2000, Clayton completed her M.A. in Athletic Administration from East Carolina.  

Davis was named the Director of Track & Field at Troy in July 2014.   Davis comes to Troy after 15 seasons with the Yale University track & field program, where he served as the mens head coach since 2011. During his time at the helm of the Bulldogs program, Davis coached Ivy League champions in the 60m, 100m, 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m events. He also coached school record holders in the womens 60m, 100m, indoor and outdoor 200m, 4x100m, 4x200m, 4x400m, mens 60m, 100m, indoor and outdoor 200m and 400m.   We are extremely excited to welcome Marc to the Troy Family as his results over a decade and a half at Yale speak for themselves, Hartwell said. His enthusiasm is contagious and his vision for the future of the Troy track & field and cross country programs is one every Trojan can be excited about. Marc has competed and coached at the highest level in collegiate athletics and he will be a great asset to this athletics department.   Davis began his coaching career in the fall of 1995 at his alma mater, Lafayette College, where he was a volunteer assistant coaching the sprints and hurdles.  Davis left Lafayette to become a graduate assistant at Millersville in January 1997. He helped guide numerous Millersville student-athletes to the NCAA Division II National Championships and to All-East performances as the sprints, hurdles and jumps coach.   I want to thank Chancellor Hawkins, (Associate Athletic Director) Sandy Atkins and John Hartwell for this opportunity, Davis said. Im ready to get down to Troy and start working. We have an outstanding returning nucleus of student-athletes and Im excited about the future of the Troy track & field and cross country programs. There are a lot of talented athletes in the South and Ive always wanted to have the opportunity to coach in this part of the country.   From Millersville, Davis joined the staff at Yale before the 2000-01 season to coach the sprints.  Under the guidance of Davis, Yale sprinters saw a great deal of success and have virtually rewritten the schools track and field record books.   He competed as an undergraduate at Lafayette under the tutelage of current Yale coach David Shoehalter. He was a two-time Patriot League champion in the sprints and was an All-East performer in the 200m (indoors).   Davis, a Kennett Square, PA, native, graduated from Lafayette in 1995 with a degree in anthropology and sociology. Davis currently serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.