· Video: Getting to know John Hayes John Hayes is in his fourth season with the Longhorn track and cross country teams, focusing on distance and middle distance events. He also served as the head coach for women's cross country and assistant coach for the women's track and field team from 2001-04. Over the last seven years, Hayes has coached his athletes to seven NCAA titles and 21 All-America honors in virtually every event from 800 meters through cross country. Hayes had his best season in cross country in 2011 as the team placed 11th at the NCAA Championships, won the NCAA South Central Region Championships, and took third at the Big 12 Championships. For his efforts, Hayes was named the USTFCCCA South Central Region Coach of the Year. He guided freshman Craig Lutz to All-American status with a 33rd place finish at the national meet; six runners were chosen to the All-Region team, and two finished in the top 15 of the Big 12 Championships for All-Big 12 honors. In 2010-11, under Hayes' guidance, the Texas cross country squad repeated its second place showing at the NCAA South Central Regional and earned another automatic berth to the NCAA Championships, finishing 26th overall in the team competition. Five runners earned All-Region honors, and freshman Ryan Dohner was UT's top finisher and the highest-placing true freshman across all teams at the national meet. During the 2011 indoor and outdoor track seasons, Hayes guided his athletes to 13 All-Big 12 honors. Sophomore Patrick MacGregor paced the group, with a school record and first place finish in the indoor 1,000 meters and second place finishes in the indoor mile and outdoor 1,500 meters. Hayes' early success continued in his second year back with the Longhorns, as the Texas cross country team was one of only 31 teams to earn a berth to the NCAA Championship meet. In the indoor season, the Longhorns were propelled at the Big 12 meet by scoring efforts in the 1,000 meters by two-time champion Patrick Todd and Logan Gonzales; and the distance medley relay team of Gonzales, Danzell Fortson, Tevas Everett and Todd finished eighth overall at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors for UT the second-consecutive year. In his first season back with the Longhorns, Hayes enjoyed instant success. He guided Jacob Hernandez to a national title in the indoor 800 meters and Tevan Everett to a sixth-place finish in the event while helping three middle distance runners to Big 12 Indoor Championship titles (Tevan Everett, 600 yards; Jacob Hernandez, 800 meters; Patrick Todd, 1,000 meters). Hayes also coached the Big 12 Champion distance medley relay of Hernandez, Everett, Danzell Fortson and Jake Morse, which went on to finish fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships. At the Big 12 Indoors, Hayes' athletes tallied 73 points to help lead the Longhorns to a team title. In the outdoor season, Hayes helped Tevan Everett (800 meters) and Jake Morse (Steeplechase) to outdoor conference titles. At that meet, Hayes' runners recorded 39 points to help the team to a top-three finish. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Hayes coached Tevan Everett to a second-place finish in the 800 meters and helped Jake Morse finish fourth in the steeplechase. Overall in 2009, Hayes' athletes won one national title, nine individual Big 12 championship titles and garnered eight All-America and 21 All-Big 12 honors. In addition to his work at UT, Hayes mentored Lopez Lomong, whom he coached while at Northern Arizona University, to a U.S. title and eighth-place finish at the World Championships in the 1,500 meters. In the previous year, Lomong served as the U.S. flag bearer during the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies before reaching the Olympic semifinals in his first international competition. In his lone season as head cross country and assistant track and field coach at the U.S. Air Force Academy (2007-08), Hayes guided the men's cross country team to a third-place finish at the Mountain West Championships. He also coached Matt Williams to an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships, the Falcons' first appearance at the national meet in four years. His runners accounted for two selections to the all-region team and four all-conference accolades. During the track and field seasons, Hayes helped produce four conference champions, 16 all-time Top 10 performances and six regional qualifiers. Prior to his appointment at the Academy, Hayes served in the same capacity at Northern Arizona University. During his three years with the Lumberjacks (2004-07), Hayes coached his athletes to six individual NCAA titles, nine All-America honors and 10 school records. A two-time Big Sky Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year, Hayes guided his teams to four Big Sky titles, while accounting for five of six individual titles. Under Hayes' direction, Johanna Nilsson won the NCAA Cross Country Championship title, set a new course record, and was named NCAA Cross Country Athlete of the Year, pacing the team to a 12th place finish at the national meet. Nilsson went on to finish third at the 2005 European Cross Country Championships the same year. Backed by Hayes' athletes, the NAU women won both the indoor and outdoor Big Sky Conference Track Championships in 2006. Nilsson claimed NCAA championship titles in the indoor mile and 3,000-meter run, en route to being named NCAA Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. One year earlier, Hayes coached Johanna's sister Ida Nilsson to an NCAA Indoor Championship in the 5,000-meter run. In his final season with the Lumberjacks, Hayes coached three NCAA Cross Country Championship qualifiers, while helping the men's track and field team to the Big Sky outdoor title. He also coached Lomong to NCAA titles in the indoor 3,000 and the outdoor 1,500-meter runs. Hayes joined NAU following a three-year stint at The University of Texas. During that time, he guided the Longhorn women to three consecutive NCAA Cross Country Championship appearances and a regional team title in his final season. In his first season at Texas, Hayes led the women's cross country team to a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championships, the highest Big 12 finish in UT history, and a second-place showing at the NCAA South Central Regional. In his last season at Texas, Hayes led the team to a third straight NCAA appearance and UT's first regional/district title since 1988. His team's stunning two-point victory at the NCAA South Central Championships that year earned him South Central Region Coach of the Year honors. On the track, Hayes' athletes helped UT to four Big 12 Conference Championship team titles (two indoor/two outdoor), including 26 all-conference performances and two individual conference champions. His athletes set school records in four events, and he tutored five individual qualifiers to the NCAA Championships. Prior to his move to Texas, Hayes served as head cross country and assistant track coach at Morehouse College (1997-2000). During his career with the Tigers, Hayes directed the men to three top-three showings at the Division II Southeast Regional Championships. He had a profound effect on the distance program at Morehouse as well, coaching athletes to 20 All-America honors and breaking school records in 12 different events. An accomplished runner, Hayes was a scoring member of the U.S. Military Academy's team at the 1986 NCAA Cross Country Championships. In 1987, he moved on to the University of Georgia, where he served as team captain during his junior and senior seasons. Hayes continued to train and compete after college, finishing first among American competitors at the 1994 Armed Forces World Cross Country Championships. He also coached former UT walk-on turned All-American Talis Apud-Martinez in her professional duathlon and track career, highlighted in 2005 by first-place finishes at the Pan-American Duathlon Championships and U.S. National Championships and in 2007 by a silver medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Pan-American Games. A native of Randolph, N.J., Hayes received a bachelor's degree in statistics at the University of Georgia before completing the Defense Language Institute's Russian Language School. He then served as a Russian linguist in the U.S. Army, receiving the Good Conduct Medal in 1994 and Meritorious Service Medal in 1995. Hayes is married to the former Stacey Dickson. They have two sons - Christian (age 7) and Austin (2 months). |
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