Joel Williams - UNC Asheville
2023 Guest Speaker
Joel Williams recently wrapped up year fifteen as a track and field coach for UNC Asheville-his second as head coach. He oversees the sprints/hurdles/relays group and develops their strength training programs. He coached 110m hurdler Milan Ristic, who competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2015 & 2017 world championships. In 2016, Ristic set a Serbian national record of 13.39. In 2022 sprint school records were set for men’s 100m (10.35) and 200m (20.87) by Jalen Anderson;400m-Bryson Riddick (47.68); 4x100m relay team (40.49) Akin Williams, Jalen Anderson, Denley Joseph, Anthony Mason; 4x400m relay (3:11.59) Mason, Anderson, Joseph, Riddick.
Coached school record holder in men's javelin throw Simon Haake, a former walk-on student athlete who qualified twice for the NCAA Division I East Preliminary Round (top 48). He finished 21st in 2011. Before Asheville, Williams coached at Watauga High School. Watauga captured three straight state girls’ outdoors titles and won the 1997 girls’ indoor championship. Former Watauga athletes whose careers Williams influenced achieved noteworthy success post high school: Brenda Taylor: 2001 NCAA 400mH Champion (Harvard); 7th place for team USA in the 2004 Athens Olympics-set PR 53.36 at the USOT-time was #5 in the world. Taylor also earned a bronze medal in the U.S. 4x400m at the 2003 World Indoor Championships. Williams created her post collegiate strength program.
Lindsay Taylor: For Watauga HS, high jumped 5-11.5 PR, finished 2nd at USATF Junior Nationals, 4th at Pan Am Junior Championships-ranked 3rd in the U.S. in 1997 by Track & Field News. In college (Brown) was 2x heptathlon qualifier at NCAA championships.
Abraham Morlu: Competed for Liberia on 4x100m relay team at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the 2001/2003 World Championships.
Williams is a 2004 graduate of Appalachian State with a B.S. in Health Promotion, Exercise Science and Sociology.