Aaron Gordon enters his eighth season with the University of Dayton Track & Field program as Associate Head Coach for the 2026-27 campaign, continuing to establish himself as the premier sprint, hurdle, relay, and jumps coach in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Gordon has elevated Dayton’s sprinters, hurdlers, relays, and jumpers to unprecedented success at both the conference and national levels. Gordon also represented the Atlantic 10 as the United States Track and Field & Cross Country Coach’s Association (USTFCCCA) Division 1 Executive Committee Representative from 2024-2026.
In 2026, Gordon helped guide the Flyers to their first ever Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championship Team Title while leading the way by scoring 104 points in the Sprints, Jumps, and Hurdles events. He was named Coach of the Year alongside fellow Associate Head Coach Kevin Gilhuly. Gordon guided Jadyn Haywood to back-to-back Atlantic 10 Track Athlete of the Year Awards in 2025 and 2026. Haywood is the first Flyer to repeat as Athlete of the Year in Dayton history, she is also only the third person in Atlantic 10 History to accomplish that feat as well. Gordon also guided Simone Bessong into being named Rookie of the Year by scoring 18 points and securing four medals in the process. Bessong finished third in the 100m dash, second in the 200m dash, second in the 4x100m Relay, and first in the 4x400m Relay. Bessong also qualified for the 2026 U20 World Championships in the 100m and 200m dash and will represent Cameroon. Gordon is scheduled to represent Bessong and Cameroon as their coach at the 2026 U20 World Championships.
Under Gordon’s leadership, Dayton broke the Atlantic 10 Indoor 60m Conference Record (7.33, Clinkscale, 2022) and the Atlantic 10 Indoor 200m Conference Record (23.73, Haywood, 2026). Since his arrival, Dayton has produced conference champions, school record holders, conference record holders. NCAA East Regional qualifiers, NCAA Championship Qualifiers, U20 World Qualifiers, and All-Americans.
In 2026, Gordon also guided Camryn Thompson to the NCAA East Regional in high jump. Thompson became the first Flyer in school history to qualify for the NCAA East Regional in High Jump and broke the school record in the process (1.76m). Also in 2026, Jadyn Haywood broke the Atlantic 10 Indoor 200m Conference Record (23.73). In 2025, Gordon guided Haywood to the NCAA East Regional in the 100m dash with a time of 11.41, tying the school record. In 2024, Gordon coached Kendall Johnson to NCAA All-American honors in long jump and Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Year. Johnson became the first freshman in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Johnson was also the first ever athlete in school history to qualify for the NCAA East Regional and NCAA Championships in Long Jump. Gordon helped guide Dayton’s historic rise in 2022, when the Flyers captured the program’s first-ever Atlantic 10 title in the women’s 4x100m relay. That same season, Chante Clinkscale shattered the At-10 record in the 60m with a time of 7.33. In the process she was also named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Indoor and Atlantic 10 Track Athlete of the Year Outdoor, becoming only the third freshman in conference history to accomplish the feat.
Since arriving at Dayton, Gordon’s athletes have accumulated an impressive list of accomplishments:
- 62 Atlantic 10 All-Conference Honors
- 20 Atlantic 10 Conference Championships
- 3 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Honors
- 3 Atlantic 10 Track Athlete of the Year Honors
- 13 Atlantic 10 All-Freshman Team Selections
- 53 Indoor/Outdoor School Records
- 2 Atlantic 10 Conference Records
- 4 NCAA East Regional Qualifiers
- 1 NCAA All-American
- 162 Top-5 Performances in Program History
- Highest Event Ranking in Program History (Heptathlon, 8th Nationally)
Prior to Dayton, Gordon spent two seasons at Eastern New Mexico University, where he worked with the sprints, hurdles, relays, jumps, and throws groups while helping build one of the nation’s top NCAA Division II programs. During his tenure, Gordon coached Marcus Parker to the ninth-fastest indoor 200m time in NCAA Division II history (21.01) and the fourth-fastest
wind-legal outdoor 200m performance in Division II history (20.36). He also helped elevate the ENMU men’s 400m group to a national ranking of 24th, while the women’s 200m and 100m groups climbed to Top-5 and Top-10 national rankings, respectively.
Gordon also coached Susan Jackson to victory at the prestigious 2018 Texas Relays in the high jump with a clearance of 1.86m before she earned an eighth-place finish at the USATF Outdoor Championships. As part of the coaching staff, Gordon helped guide the ENMU men’s indoor team to the highest national ranking in program history at No. 13 and the program’s best-ever NCAA Division II Championship finishing 16th nationally.
During his time at Eastern New Mexico, Gordon’s student-athletes earned:
- 16 NCAA Division II All-America Honors
- 26 NCAA Division II National Championship Qualifications
- 23 USTFCCCA South Central All-Region Honors
- 14 Lone Star Conference All-Conference Honors
- 5 Lone Star Conference Championships
- 61 Indoor/Outdoor School Records
- 112 Top-5 Performances in Program History
- 1 Indoor Conference Record in the Men’s 60m Dash (6.67, Parker, 2018)
- 1 Lonestar Conference Track Athlete of the Year (Marucs Parker, Indoor/Outdoor, 2018)
Before ENMU, Gordon served as an assistant coach at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where his athletes broke ten school records and earned an NAIA All-America honor. Gordon began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Augusta State University, where he coached Sean Michael-Rand to the 2019 Peach Belt Conference Field Athlete of the Year award. During his time with the Jaguars, Gordon’s athletes combined for 33 school records, multiple conference championships, and NCAA Division II national qualifications.
In addition to his coaching success, Gordon has pursued extensive professional development through advanced certifications from the United States Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). He holds certifications in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays, Combined Events, Jumps, Technical Coaching, and Strength & Conditioning, along with USATF Level 1 and Fundamentals of Coaching certifications.
A native of Waco, Texas, Gordon competed as a high jumper at West Texas A&M University, where he scored at the Lone Star Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships and recorded a runner-up finish at the 2012 Lone Star Conference Indoor Invitational. He graduated in 2013 with a degree in Sports & Exercise Science.
Gordon resides in West Carrollton, Ohio, with his wife, Michaela.
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