WILL BLACKBURN

Coach Will Blackburn enters his 23rd season at the University of Houston and is in his first season as Director of Track and Field, Cross Country for the Houston Cougar Track and Field and Cross Country program.

During his tenure at the University of Houston, Blackburn has developed many athletes from high school throwers and jumpers into conference champions and nationally-respected athletes.

During the 2020-21 season the Houston Throwers set the tone for the Houston Track & Field team. Under the tutelage of Blackburn, Nora Monie, Mikaila Martin and Nu'uausala Tuilefano became program record holders. Monie shattered the program mark multiple times throughout the season en route to becoming the Drake Relays champion and The American Athletic Conference champion. Tuilefano rewrote a 34-year-old program record in the Shot Put after a stellar performance in the ring at the Texas Invite. Mikaila Martin set the standard for the Cougars in the Hammer Throw, finishing second to her teammate Taylor Scaife at The American Championships who became the first Cougar to take home the title since UH joined the league.

On the men's side, Triston Gibbons won the Shot Put title to give UH a sweep of the event. The Cougars 40 points on the women's side helped the UH throwers outscore the sprints for the first time on the women's side. Martin bounced back from her second-place finish at the conference championships qualifying for the NCAA Championships. She finished 12th in Eugene and earned Second Team All-America honors. Martin continued to find success competing in the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Felipe Valencia anchored the Houston throwers and was a mainstay on the medal stand for the Cougars during the 2017-18 season, with a fourth-place finish in the shot put at The American Indoor Championships and second-place finish in the event at The American Outdoor Championships. Valencia again would pace the Houston throwers during the 2018-19 season earning the shot put title at both The American Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The addition of Triston Gibbons has set the Cougars up for success as the true freshman took second-place in the shot put at the conference meet. Internationally, Valencia represented Mexico and the Cougars at the Mexican National Championships taking second-place in his signature event.

On the women's side Taylor Scaife and Priscilla Adejokun broke records and scored points for the Cougars during both the indoor and outdoors campaigns. Scaife shattered the weight throw record twice during the 2019 season, won the conference indoor title in the weight throw and took third-place in the weight throw at the Indoor NCAA Championships. Adejokun earned a third-place finish in the shot put at the conference outdoor meet and was one of four total throwers to advance to the NCAA West Prelims.

Houston's throw squad posted a strong campaign throughout the 2016-17 season. Houston won its third consecutive American Athletic Conference indoor men's shot put championships when Cameron Cornelius claimed gold in Birmingham, Ala. Cornelius claimed the silver at the outdoor championships, while sophomore Mikaila Martin broke the school record in the hammer throw.

The 2015 season was a stellar year for the Cougar throwers, which saw the school’s men’s hammer throw record fall in the first week of the indoor season. Sophomore Damon Thompson threw 19.10m at the Houston Indoor Opener to set the new school record. From there the Cougars went on to qualify three throwers to the NCAA West Regional including discus thrower Justine Price as well as shot putters Cameron Cornelius and A’Nease Linnear. Blackburn also coached Cornelius to back-to-back individual indoor conference championships in the shot put.

In 2013, he coached Rick Fenton to a record breaking finish. Fenton was the 2013 Conference USA Outdoor Champion in the hammer throw, a NCAA regional qualifer and competed in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw. He is the school record holder in both the hammer and weight throw. Blackburn has coached six All-Americans and 20 C-USA Champions over the past 14 seasons. In addition to coaching, Blackburn has recruited a National Champion, 18 All-Americans and 25 C-USA Champions.

Under Blackburn’s direction, Fenton competed for a spot in the conference championship in the hammer throw and finished in the top 10 during his freshman season. From there, he would improve tremendously, medaling in four conference meets and settling in the top-five of the programs all-time list. During the 2012-13 indoor season, Fenton took second place in the weight throw. Fenton’s 2012-13 performance of 18.68m broke the men’s indoor record. During the outdoor season, the San Clemente, Calif., native claimed gold in the hammer throw at the C-USA Championship and broke the school record with a throw of 65.69m (215’-6”).

Along with Fenton, Blackburn coached John Fortune to his first conference outdoor shot put title and long jumper Isaiah Sweeney to his third title in four years. He has also coached jumper John Horton to a repeat performance in the triple jump at the C-USA Indoor Championships. Horton went on to Nationals to be named to the All-America Second Team.

Blackburn has also coached the women’s indoor weight throw record holder, Emily Nnokwam, who set the record during the 2012-13 indoor season with a throw of 18.99m at the Conference USA meet. Additionally, Blackburn has coached all of the top-five women’s performers in the indoor weight throw at Houston, including Amanda Villanueva, Shayla Bowman and Nicole Benton. He has also helped coach Alicia Perkins and Ngozi Onwumere whom qualified in the long jump during the 2013 outdoor season.

During the 2010-11 season, Chris Carter, one of the best triple jumpers in program history, took home the Conference USA Indoor and Outdoor triple jump championships and an outdoor title in the long jump. Carter went on to qualify in the triple at the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships, where he placed fourth at both meets to earn All-America nods.

The 2009 season was one of the most successful track and field seasons in Cougar history thanks to the leadership of Blackburn. The Cougars had 12 student-athletes qualify for the NCAA Midwestern Regional after standout performances at the Conference USA Championships. Two of those student-athletes advanced to the NCAA Championships.

Carter qualified for the NCAA Championships and finished in the top-10 that season. Thrower and Heptathlete Brittani Williams had a standout performance at NCAA Regionals, placing sixth in the javelin throw to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Williams went on to finish 13th at the Championships with a throw of 48.04m. Houston long jumpers, Ed Turner, Lamar Delaney and Isaiah Sweeney, swept the top-three places at the conference championships. Carter, Turner, Delaney, and Sweeney continued their dominance as all four again placed among the top-seven at the Conference USA Outdoor Championships.

Similar results were to be expected in the triple jump and the Cougars under Blackburn’s tutelage did not disappoint. Chris Carter won the C-USA Outdoor triple jump while two other Cougars placed in the top five. Carter’s title ensured him of the C-USA Male Athlete of the Year award. Shaunda McPherson was the female champion at the C-USA Indoor Championships while Dayo Ogunniyi and Tai’shea Reese finished in fourth and sixth place respectively.

The discus throwers showed their muscle as four Cougars, Matt Dudley, Brandon Hubbard, Andy Tackett and Sidney Flores, locked down four of the top seven places at the C-USA Outdoor Championships. Hubbard was a Regional qualifier and finished 20th at the NCAA Championships. Hubbard was also selected as an All-American Strength and Conditional Athlete of the Year. As a true freshman, Dudley would finish in second-place in the discus and shot put events at the C-USA Indoor Championships. Kierra Pulliam would establish the second longest shotput in Houston history with her throw of 14.95 meters at the Rice All-Comers Meet.

During the 2008 season, Blackburn witnessed a pair of his throwers break school records; as Brandon Hubbard and William Krokey set new benchmarks in the weight throw and the hammer throw. Blackburn also coached a group of talented freshmen jumpers, including Chris Carter, who won the triple jump and Ed Turner, who won the long jump at the conference indoor championships. Turner would garner C-USA Indoor Freshman of the Year.

In 2007, Blackburn coached Brandon Hubbard, James Lee, Ashley Bryant, Quin’shundolyn McPherson and Dayo Ogunniyi. Hubbard set a school record in the hammer during the outdoor season, while Lee earned a C-USA Championship in the discus and qualified for the NCAA Regional Qualifier. He also finished in the top-five in the Houston record books. In her first year as a Cougar, Bryant was an NCAA Qualifier and finished in the top-five of the all-time list in the discus and hammer. McPherson and Ogunniyi were NCAA Regional Qualifiers. Along with qualifying for Regionals, McPherson was named the 2007 C-USA Indoor Freshman of the Year. Blackburn also tutored Houston record holder Amanda Villanueva in 2007. Villanueva set a Cougar record in the weight throw at the 2007 C-USA Indoor Championships with a throw of 61’-1.25”.

In 2006, Blackburn coached Caresir Hamilton to a C-USA Indoor and Outdoor Championship in the triple jump. Hamilton also set a school record in the triple jump with a leap of 43’-4.50”. Jonathan Reeves earned the C-USA Outdoor Championship in the shot put with a throw of 62-3 and was also a conference champion in the discus with a throw of 189-0. Reeves also qualified for the NCAA Championship in the shot put.

Houston Track and Field saw great success in 2005. The program claimed conference titles across the board in men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor championships. Five of Blackburn’s throwers medaled in the indoor and outdoor seasons. Jonathan Reeves would win his first championship in the outdoor discus after transferring from Arkansas, before going on to win a championship again in the 2006 outdoor shot put. Between those two years, Reeves qualified for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships twice, finishing seventh and 11th.In 2005, Blackburn also coached the C-USA runner-up in the men’s shot put and a NCAA qualifier in the men’s discus. He assisted three of the school’s top-five women’s throwers in the eight throw and hammer, including Shayla Bowman, the school record holder in the outdoor hammer throw.

During the 2004 season, Blackburn coached Vincent Marshall to the C-USA Indoor Championship in the triple jump and runner-up at the Outdoor Championships en route to qualifying for the NCAA Championships.

Blackburn began his coaching career after throwing discus for the University of Houston Track and Field team. He won a C-USA conference championship as a competitor for Houston. Due to an injury, Blackburn had to sit out the 1998 season. Blackburn began his coaching career in 2000.

In addition to his coaching duties at the University of Houston, Blackburn has coached the Houston Gold Masters Club. Masters athletes are between the ages of 30 and 85 years old. Blackburn has tutored Linda Douglas, Joe Summerlin and Jean Vander Cruyssen.

Born in El Paso, Texas, Blackburn earned his bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Houston. He was a member of the Dean’s List, C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and he received an endowed athletics scholarship. He received a master’s in Sports Administration and teaches in the Health, Human Performance and Kinesiology Department at Houston.

Blackburn married the former Geri Blankenship of Crosby, Texas in 2004. The couple has three children.