Woods Adds Kinard, Zelden To Coaching Staff

STARKVILLE – Head track and field coach Chris Woods has announced the hiring of two new assistant coaches on the Mississippi State staff.

Woods welcomed Vanitta Kinard, a veteran collegiate and U.S. Olympic coach with more than 20 years of coaching experience to assist the Bulldogs' sprints and jumps athletes. Additionally, recent MSU graduate Trent Zelden has filled the NCAA's newly-approved sixth assistant role at State.

Kinnard comes to Starkville after having coached at conference rivals Ole Miss and, most-recently, South Carolina. Additionally, she has made Division I stops at Kansas State, UNLV, CSU Northridge, Michigan State. She worked with both horizontal and vertical jumps at South Carolina while also serving as the program's recruiting coordinator, compliance liaison, travel and itinerary coordinator and academic liaison. She held the same roles at CSU Northridge.

"Vanitta brings an abundant amount of experience, not just in the conference, but experience in recruiting to the state of Mississippi with her time at Ole Miss. She was also a professional athlete back in her heyday," Woods said. "What she brings to the table is a high level of recruiting pedigree, a lot of knowledge about the SEC and what it takes to be successful in the conference, and she brings in her professional experiences that she can relay down to our student-athletes. She can tell them from firsthand knowledge what it takes to be successful not just at the NCAA level, but to also go on to the professional ranks."

Kinnard has coached professional jumpers and sprinters since 2016. In 2015, she helped Michigan State win the Big Ten women's outdoor team title. As an athlete herself, Kinnard recorded more than 10 NCAA honors and Big Ten championship appearances.

Zelden was a three-year letterwinner at MSU, competing in the 2021-23 seasons. During his time as a student-athlete, Trent competed in multiple throwing events including the javelin, hammer and weight throw. Additionally, his father was a collegiate thrower in the SEC, and his sister was a Second Team All-American in the javelin.

"Trent adds a sense of youthfulness to the staff. He's a Mississippi State alumnus as well, so he knows the program inside and out," Woods added. "I know that Trent is going to do everything in his power to make this the absolute best track and field program in the country. He's going to be helping out with the throwers with Coach April Thomas and assisting Coach Gary Horn with the throws in the multis. I think this is a tremendous opportunity for him. We're all excited about him, and I know when you cut him, he bleeds maroon and white. We're really excited to add another Mississippi State graduate to the staff."

Zelden graduated from MSU in May 2023 with his degree in business management.

For more information on the Bulldog track and field program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "HailStateTF."

Mississippi State University Athletics

Woods Adds Kinard, Zelden To Coaching Staff

Players Mentioned

Trent Zelden

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