Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Chris Woods Earns Extension, Carjay Lyles Promoted
August 15, 2024 | Track & Field
STARKVILLE – After guiding the largest group of Mississippi State athletes to the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Championships in a decade, head track and field coach Chris Woods has signed a four-year contract extension.
"Mississippi State has been my home for almost 20 years, and I'm excited to extend my time with the university." Head coach Chris Woods said. "I am grateful to Zac Selmon for his belief in me and the direction of the program. I am excited for the future of this staff and program as we continue to trend upwards both on and off the track."
Woods has served as head coach since June 2019, after a short stint as associate head coach and five years as an assistant coach on the Mississippi State staff. With Woods at the helm, State sent 22 athletes to the 2024 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships with multiple top-eight finishes.
In addition, sprints and jumps coach Lyles has been promoted to associate head coach. During his fourth full season on staff, Lyles oversaw multiple athletes to the NCAA Championships and the USATF Olympic Trials.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to be instrumental in student-athletes attainting their college degrees and reaching their athletic goals," associate head coach Carjay Lyles said. "Mississippi State is a special place and I'm looking forward to continue to represent STATE as we reach new milestones and continue to accomplish great feats on the track."
MSU's men put together a highly decorated outdoor season with multiple top-five USTFCCCA rankings, SEC Athletes of the Week, and seven All-Americans. State's women improved indoors and outdoors, seeing six school records fall, multiple top-nine SEC Championships finishes, and two All-American honors.
In addition, 30 men and women qualified for the NCAA East First Rounds, the most in recent history. At the meet, the women's 4 x 100 relay, women's discus, and men's freshman discus records were broken, as well as four new entries to the program's all-time top-five performances.
At the national championship meets, State saw three podium finishes with Rosealee Cooper finishing eighth in the 60 meter hurdles, Remi Rougetet finishing sixth in the javelin, and Peyton Bair as the national runner-up in the decathlon.
During the cross country season, Woods in addition to assistant coach Erinn Stenman-Fahey, oversaw the most successful cross country season in recent years. The team had multiple top-ten finishes in the regular season and finished 13th at both the SEC Championship and the South Region Championship. Ramat Jimoh was a top-five finisher in all regular-season meets, running the second-fastest time in school history in the 6k at 20:05.
In the professional circuit, Woods has also personally coached Bulldog great Marco Arop, the fourth-fastest 800m runner in history. During his time running at State, Arop won silver at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor National Championship. As a professional athlete, Arop is the current Olympic silver medalist in the 800m, after running a Canadian and North American record-setting time of 1:41.20.
Lyles has spent the past five years with State as an assistant coach, overseeing sprints, jumps, and multis. During his tenure on staff, he has produced multiple All-American and All-SEC athletes and relays. Most notably, alumni Cameron Crump took home multiple conference and national accolades, including national runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships in the long jump, in addition to multiple USATF Championships finalist finishes. Rosealee Cooper also rewrote the record books during her time under Lyles, as well as multiple national championship qualifications, finishing 8th at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles.
Prior to his time at MSU, Lyles spent time as an assistant coach at USC, as well as the University of Akron, Missouri and San Diego State. During his collegiate career as a Tennessee Volunteer, he earned three top-five NCAA finishes and helped rewrite the university's record book in the triple jump.
In his first five seasons as head coach, Woods has coached 39 All-Americans, multiple All-SEC selections, and multiple top-five national championship finishes. During his tenure, he has overseen four silver medal finishes at the championship meet, with DJ Johnsson in the javelin in 2021, Navasky Anderson in the 800m in 2023, Crump in the long jump in 2023, and Bair in the decathlon in 2024.
From September 2018 to his official hiring in June 2019, Woods served as interim head coach. During this time, he oversaw the "JavU" podium sweep at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor National Championship. The men's team with its 11th-place finish at the meet, secured the State's third-highest point total in school history and second-best mark since 1982. The men and women combined accounted for seven All-American honors that season.
During his time as an assistant coach, 17 athletes earned All-American honors and two SEC Championships under his coaching. At the time, his student-athletes held 40 times in the university record books.
Woods competed as a middle distance athlete at Mississippi State from 2005-2008. During his time in the Maroon and White, he earned two All-American honors and four All-SEC accolades.
Before his time returning to MSU, Woods served as the head coach for the cross country and track and field teams at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. He also served as a coach at Abilene Christian University, leading the sprints and distance athletes. In his time at ACU, Woods coached 14 athletes to All-American honors.
A native of Covington, Georgia, Woods graduated from MSU in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in clinical exercise physiology. Woods is married to former two-time Olympian Wanda Hutson. The couple has two sons, Trace and Cade.
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"Mississippi State has been my home for almost 20 years, and I'm excited to extend my time with the university." Head coach Chris Woods said. "I am grateful to Zac Selmon for his belief in me and the direction of the program. I am excited for the future of this staff and program as we continue to trend upwards both on and off the track."
Woods has served as head coach since June 2019, after a short stint as associate head coach and five years as an assistant coach on the Mississippi State staff. With Woods at the helm, State sent 22 athletes to the 2024 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships with multiple top-eight finishes.
In addition, sprints and jumps coach Lyles has been promoted to associate head coach. During his fourth full season on staff, Lyles oversaw multiple athletes to the NCAA Championships and the USATF Olympic Trials.
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue to be instrumental in student-athletes attainting their college degrees and reaching their athletic goals," associate head coach Carjay Lyles said. "Mississippi State is a special place and I'm looking forward to continue to represent STATE as we reach new milestones and continue to accomplish great feats on the track."
MSU's men put together a highly decorated outdoor season with multiple top-five USTFCCCA rankings, SEC Athletes of the Week, and seven All-Americans. State's women improved indoors and outdoors, seeing six school records fall, multiple top-nine SEC Championships finishes, and two All-American honors.
In addition, 30 men and women qualified for the NCAA East First Rounds, the most in recent history. At the meet, the women's 4 x 100 relay, women's discus, and men's freshman discus records were broken, as well as four new entries to the program's all-time top-five performances.
At the national championship meets, State saw three podium finishes with Rosealee Cooper finishing eighth in the 60 meter hurdles, Remi Rougetet finishing sixth in the javelin, and Peyton Bair as the national runner-up in the decathlon.
During the cross country season, Woods in addition to assistant coach Erinn Stenman-Fahey, oversaw the most successful cross country season in recent years. The team had multiple top-ten finishes in the regular season and finished 13th at both the SEC Championship and the South Region Championship. Ramat Jimoh was a top-five finisher in all regular-season meets, running the second-fastest time in school history in the 6k at 20:05.
In the professional circuit, Woods has also personally coached Bulldog great Marco Arop, the fourth-fastest 800m runner in history. During his time running at State, Arop won silver at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor National Championship. As a professional athlete, Arop is the current Olympic silver medalist in the 800m, after running a Canadian and North American record-setting time of 1:41.20.
Lyles has spent the past five years with State as an assistant coach, overseeing sprints, jumps, and multis. During his tenure on staff, he has produced multiple All-American and All-SEC athletes and relays. Most notably, alumni Cameron Crump took home multiple conference and national accolades, including national runner-up at the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships in the long jump, in addition to multiple USATF Championships finalist finishes. Rosealee Cooper also rewrote the record books during her time under Lyles, as well as multiple national championship qualifications, finishing 8th at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 60m hurdles.
Prior to his time at MSU, Lyles spent time as an assistant coach at USC, as well as the University of Akron, Missouri and San Diego State. During his collegiate career as a Tennessee Volunteer, he earned three top-five NCAA finishes and helped rewrite the university's record book in the triple jump.
In his first five seasons as head coach, Woods has coached 39 All-Americans, multiple All-SEC selections, and multiple top-five national championship finishes. During his tenure, he has overseen four silver medal finishes at the championship meet, with DJ Johnsson in the javelin in 2021, Navasky Anderson in the 800m in 2023, Crump in the long jump in 2023, and Bair in the decathlon in 2024.
From September 2018 to his official hiring in June 2019, Woods served as interim head coach. During this time, he oversaw the "JavU" podium sweep at the 2019 NCAA Outdoor National Championship. The men's team with its 11th-place finish at the meet, secured the State's third-highest point total in school history and second-best mark since 1982. The men and women combined accounted for seven All-American honors that season.
During his time as an assistant coach, 17 athletes earned All-American honors and two SEC Championships under his coaching. At the time, his student-athletes held 40 times in the university record books.
Woods competed as a middle distance athlete at Mississippi State from 2005-2008. During his time in the Maroon and White, he earned two All-American honors and four All-SEC accolades.
Before his time returning to MSU, Woods served as the head coach for the cross country and track and field teams at Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina. He also served as a coach at Abilene Christian University, leading the sprints and distance athletes. In his time at ACU, Woods coached 14 athletes to All-American honors.
A native of Covington, Georgia, Woods graduated from MSU in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in clinical exercise physiology. Woods is married to former two-time Olympian Wanda Hutson. The couple has two sons, Trace and Cade.
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