Willie Randolph - Associate Head Coach - Staff Directory - Florida Atlantic University Athletics

Staff Directory

2017 FAU Men's & Women's Track @ Hurricane Collegiate Invitational

Willie Randolph

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
Phone:
561-235-1063

Willie Randolph joined the coaching staff of the FAU women's cross country and track program, as associate head coach, in September of 2016.

In 2018-19, Randolph coached a pair of athletes to the NCAA Regionals in Jacksonville. Anne-Catherine Wasser qualified for the 400 meter hurdles after posting her personal best time of 59.53 in the C-USA Championship prelims. Natalliah Whyte advanced after winning gold in the 100 meter dash at the conference championship. Whyte then became the first FAU runner to qualify for the NCAA Championship after advancing out of the regionals. Whyte was named an USTFCCCA Second Team All-American, the program's first, and was tabbed the C-USA Female Track Athlete of the Year after winning one gold at the outdoor meet and two golds at the indoor meet.

In his second season with FAU, Randolph led a pair of Owls to podium finishes at the C-USA Outdoor Championship. Frida Thorsås took silver in the heptathlon and Crystal McDougle placed third in the 100 meter hurdles.

In his first season, Randolph guided the squad to a number of successes. At the Conference USA Indoor Championships, four members advanced to their respective finals, with three top-five showings. Also, on the first day of the event, pentathlete Frida Thorsås made it to the medal stand by virtue of a second-place finish. A similar number of Owls moved on at the C-USA Outdoor Championships, with four individuals qualifying for five events, while again achieving three top-five finishes.

Additionally, hurdler Jamika Glades and Thorsås, in the javelin throw, competed at the NCAA East Regionals in Lexington, Kentucky. At the time of qualification, Glades ranked No. 26 in the region in the 400 meter hurdles and No. 44 in the 100 meter hurdles, while Thorsås was No. 44 in the javelin. Thorsås also finished No. 12 in the heptathlon (No. 31 nationally). Over the course of the season, members of the squad entered into the program's all-time Top 10 in 14 positions on the indoor list and earned 19 new slots on the outdoor ledger as well.

Randolph arrived in Boca Raton with an extensive amount of collegiate coaching experience, both as a head coach and assistant, at various storied schools. He was a three-year assistant coach at the University of Virginia, specifically working with hurdles, sprints and relays. While with the Cavaliers, he coached nearly 20 All-ACC student-athletes and 25 All-Region honorees, setting six school records and 15 all-time top 10 performances during his tenure. Two of the athletes Randolph worked with at Virginia earned second and third place in the 400 hurdles in 2016.

“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to help build FAU's women's track and field and cross country program to become a force within the conference, regional and national level,” said Randolph.

Prior to Virginia, Randolph was at Central Michigan University, and as Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, he implemented the first ever combined program at the school. The Chippewas earned four All-American honors and had 47 All-MAC performers in the four years he was in charge of the program. Also, the team set 22 new school records and had 19 individual MAC titles.

Randolph was also an assistant track coach at Louisville from 2006-09, earning four BIG EAST team titles and setting 15 school records; and before that, was the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country at New Orleans, from 2003-06. Not only did he lead that program to earn 30 All-Sun Belt Conference nods, 10 individual conference champions and 56 school records, he was also there while having to temporarily move the program to LSU during Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath.

Before New Orleans, Randolph was an assistant at both Vanderbilt (2002-03) where he coached four NCAA Regional qualifiers and three SEC All-Conference athletes. The athletes he trained broke 12 school records and worked directly with Josie Hahn, two-time Haptathlon All-American.

His first collegiate experience came at Belmont (1999-2002), where he coached a NCAA qualifier and a junior national qualifier in the 100m dash. He led 14 student-athletes to Atlantic Sun academic honors and three athletes earned Atlantic Sun Conference Championships during his time with the Bruins.

All told, Randolph has 19 years of collegiate coaching experience, including seven as a head coach

He is also a USATF Level I and II Certified coach in jumps/sprints and hurdles (since 1999), has been a USATF Certified Meet Official since 2000, and served on both the Division I Track and Field Committee and USTFCCCA Coaches Committee from 2011-13. Randolph is an alumnus of Central Michigan, and was a letterman hurdler for the Chippewas.