The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Coach, Track & Field
Head Track and Field/Cross Country Coach Edrick Floréal announced the addition of Keilah Tyson as an assistant coach for sprints, hurdles and jumps on July 21, 2025.
In her first season on the Forty Acres, Tyson helped guide the Longhorns to a standout 2025-26 campaign that featured multiple All-America performances, conference champions and program records. During the indoor season, Kelsey Daniel earned NCAA bronze in the triple jump with a career-best mark of 16.68 meters (54-8.75), moving to fourth on Texas' all-time performers list. Kendrick Smallwood placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.50 after lowering the Texas school record to 7.46 during the season. He finished his season owning the eight fastest performances and 10 of the top 11 times in program history. Freshman Elise Cooper also earned First Team All-America honors with a seventh-place finish in the 200 meters (22.91). Outdoors, Tyson helped Smallwood earn NCAA silver in the 110-meter hurdles with a school-record 12.95, the third-fastest time in NCAA history, making him the second-fastest performer in collegiate history, and also coached SEC champion Kody Blackwood in the 400-meter hurdles. Amelliah Birdow also earned NCAA silver in the 400-meter hurdles while breaking the Texas school record with a time of 53.60. The Longhorns added First Team All-America honors from Kelsey Daniel and Jeanne Le Goff in the triple jump and the women's 4x100-meter relay of Carleta Bernard, Holly Okuku, Abigail Wolfe and Naomi London.
Tyson arrived in Austin with more than eight years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels and an accomplished résumé as both a coach and athlete. Most recently, she served as the boys and girls indoor and outdoor sprints and relays coach at Varina High School, where she coached eight regional champions and 25 all-region performers. Her athletes also produced six all-state finishes during the indoor season, seven all-state honors outdoors and 16 Virginia State Championship qualifiers.
Prior to Varina, Tyson coached at Mills E. Godwin High School from 2021-23, helping lead the program to a regional championship while coaching athletes to 11 state titles, 15 all-region honors and four school records. She also served as an assistant coach at Richard Bland College, working with the men's and women's short sprinters and jumpers.
Tyson began her coaching career as head coach at Powhatan High School in 2019, where she immediately transformed the program by helping rewrite the school's sprint, jump and relay record books. During her three seasons, Powhatan produced two national champions, two Virginia state champions, one state runner-up, 16 all-state selections and 10 school records. Among her top pupils was Anthony Greenhow, the Virginia state champion and record holder in the 100 and 200 meters who signed with South Carolina.
As a student-athlete at Kentucky, Tyson competed under Floréal and helped the Wildcats finish as the NCAA outdoor team runner-up in 2015. She earned 16 All-SEC honors and multiple NCAA All-America accolades, and is the the Virginia state record holder in both the 100 meters and long jump. Following her collegiate career, Tyson competed professionally as a Tier 3 athlete for Team USA, training under legendary coach Brooks Johnson alongside Olympic gold medalists.
Tyson is committed to developing student-athletes both on and off the track by emphasizing technical excellence, discipline, teamwork and a championship mindset.
