Coach Carjay Lyles

---

Carjay Lyles is a collegiate track and field coach with over 20 years of NCAA Division-1 coaching experience. He has won two NCAA Runner- Up Team Trophies and has twice been recognized by his national governing body (USTFCCCA) as regional coach of the year. He is a world-renowned developer of athletic talent and has coached over 40 different student-athletes to over 60-Division-1 All- Americans awards, 25 conference championships, a dozen athletes to represent their respective countries at global athletic championships, 1 national High School record and 28 university program records at his various collegiate stops. Known for his coaching dexterity, Coach Carjay has built champions in all the sprinting, hurdling, jumps and multi events.His pupils have gone on to become Olympic Medalists, World Championship finalists, and developed into some of the best athletes in the history of their events. He is currently the Associate Head Coach at Mississippi State University.

Coach Carjay’s athletes have won dozens of national and conference recognitions.His legacy extends outside of the athletic realm as he is actively involved with peer mentorship and minority executive advancement in sports. Annually Carjay hosts a Minority Mixer aimed at creating and implementing strategies for career advancement. The mixer has also fostered professional relationships that have aided in coaches successfully navigating professional spaces within all areas of the NCAA. He has been a featured panelist and speaker at various events nationally covering areas of athletic development as well as social and financial An internationally recognized name and brand globally, Coach Carjay, has cemented himself as a consistent winner, who has produced of some of the world’s best talent. He’s global recruiter of student-athletes and a transformative teacher-leader. 

Tasked with coaching the men’s & women’s Sprints, hurdles, jumps, relays and Multi’s; The only position of its kind nationally, Carjay has shown excellence in development of well-rounded athletes. In 2024, Carjay coached Peyton Bair to a Silver medal in the NCAA decathlon. In doing so- Peyton set the NCAA Decathlon 100 Meter dash record. He also coached Lee Eppie to the 2024 Botswana Olympic Team. Eppie won the sliver medal at the 2024 African Games Championship as well.  Coach Carjay’s history of developing young athletes continued with Freshman Jordan Ware running a world Under-20 outdoor leading 200 meters – running 20.19 to open the 2024 season. This accomplishment gained two SEC athlete of the week honors for the true freshman. During the 2024 indoor campaign, Coach Carjay mentored Rosealee Cooper to her 4th straight indoor national championship.  She secured another All-American honor with an 8th place finish in the finals of the 60 meter hurdles. Her 8th place finish was the highest scorer in the women’s hurdles in school history. 

During the 2023 season, Carjay coached Cameron Crump Jr. to one of the Top- 5 performances in NCAA and indoor American History. Cameron finished Runner- Up at the NCAA Championships indoor after having a season in which he was crowned the SEC Champion, SEC indoor athlete of the year, and became the SEC meet record holder. Carjay also tutored Kamaya Dubose-Epps to 3 school records (60 meters-7.34, 200 meters-indoor 23.33, 100 meters outdoor-11.10) and #2 all-time on the list running the fastest outdoor 200 meters since 1990 with a 22.84 at the NCAA preliminary meet. During his time at Mississippi State, his teams have had 4 Top-25 team finishes at the NCAA championships. He also is the home meet director and tasked with team academic liaison for both men’s and women’s track and field. 

Prior to his time in Starkville, MS, he was an assistant coach at The University of Southern California (USC). There he coached Ayden Owens to American Junior Record, World Jr. #2 All-Time global mark in the Men’s Decathlon (8130 points).  Ayden won Pac-12 athlete of the year during the 2019 season and broke a 30-year old school record in winning the Bryan Clay Decathlon invite. Coach Carjay also tutored Earnie Sears to an Undefeated regular season in the High Jump. Sears broke into USC’s legendary all-time Top-5 performances in the High Jump with a PR of 2.30m (7feet 6 and ½inches). Sears won a silver medal in the NACAC U23 Championships in the competing for team USA. Sears became Coach Carjay’s 7th different athlete to represent their country at international competitions. Carjay also aided with the hurdlers during his time at USC and helped place 4 women in the NCAA 60-meter hurdle final during the 2019 indoor campaign; resulting in a national championship by Chanel Brissett in 7.90seconds. Carjay coached his teams to a PAC-12 championships, MPSF indoor team championship, 2 NCAA team runner-up finishes during his time with the Trojans.
 

Lyles spent the 2018 season at The University of Akron coaching the sprints, hurdles, and relays. His athletes posted 12 marks in the Zips all-time top 10, including three school records. He led Zips to 10 All-MAC selections as they won the women’s team title outdoors while coaching two athletes to outdoor conference meet records. Both the men and women were the league’s runners-up indoors.

In one season with the Zips, Dara Perry became the first hurdler from the MAC to advance to the NCAA outdoor championships in over a decade. Perry trimmed more than half of a second off her 100m hurdles time, running 13.10 en route to breaking the Mid-American Conference meet record. Taron Sloane and Daziah Green also improved by more than half of a second in the 200m, at the NCAA East Prelims championships, 20.65 and 22.99 respectively. Green was double sprint winner at the Mid-American Conference meet en route to setting the meet record in the 100 meters. Kwad Smith, who was listed as one of the fastest football players in the country in 2018, posted pr times of 6.72 in the 60m and 10.29 in the 100m during Lyles’ lone season with the Zips.
 

Lyles spent the 2014-17 seasons in the SEC at The University of Missouri where he worked with the sprints, hurdles, jumps and relays. In a position that was unique among Power-5 institutions, he was the only assistant coach among major colleges and universities nationally tasked with coaching those event areas-singularly. He helped rewrite the Tigers’ record book with 13 school records, five All-SEC performances, two World Junior Championships finalists, and 2-U.S. junior national champions, and compiled 16 All-America honors. Four of his athletes represented their home nations in international competitions.
 

In 2016 he coached Kahmari Montgomery to USTFCCCA Midwest Athlete of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Montgomery won both the indoor and outdoor SEC championships in the 400m, recorded top-15 times in the world in the 400m and finished sixth in the event at the World Junior Championships. That same year, he tutored Valerie Thames as she broke three school records and was the only hurdler (male or female) to make the finals in both hurdles competitions in the 2016 SEC Outdoor Championships. For his efforts, he was named USTFCCCA’s Midwest Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year for the second time in his career.  Lyles coached three 16.00m-plus triple jumpers during the 2015-16 seasons. Markesh Woodson claimed multiple SEC runner-up finishes in the 60m and was a three-time indoor All-American in the event. In 2016, he finished sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100m.
 

He spent the prior four seasons in his first full-time job as an assistant overseeing sprints, hurdles and relays at San Diego State. In his final year with the Aztecs, he won the 2013 USTFCCCA West Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year award as Shanieka Thomas won the triple jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In the previous season, he saw the SDSU women finish ninth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, their best finish in program history.
 

Lyles’ athletes won 17 conference titles, earned 9 All-American honors and set 24 school and class records. Thomas earned Mountain West Athlete of the Year honors on her way to a runner-up finish at the 2012 NCAA Outdoor Championships.  Prior to joining the Aztecs, Lyles trained at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA under 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Al Joyner.

Lyles was an All-American in the triple jump at The University of Tennessee and was a member of the Vols’ 2007 SEC Outdoor Championship team. Lyles was a Penn Relays champion in 2006 as part of the Vol’s shuttle hurdle relay team.  He graduated with a B.A. degree in sociology in 2008, and is a USATF Certified Coach for sprints, hurdles and relays. While still in college he was a HS Club coach and volunteer High School coach. He coached a high school national record holder and coached one of his high school athletes to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100m hurdles. Carjay was a member of the Black Cultural Programming Committee (BCPC) during his time at The University of Tennessee- a student organization tasked with developing and hosting on campus events that enhance public awareness of African-Americans and their accomplishments within the international society. Hosting a series of seminars that included- Actor/Activist/Musician Harry Belafonte, Actress Ruby Dee, and Actor/Activist Mo'Nique, to name a few. They were also tasked with hosting university sponsored African-American Homecoming events and outreach. He also volunteered time speaking to Knoxville area HS encouraging literacy and High School graduation. He spent his last two years in college as a student-leader for FCA/AIA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes/Athletes in Action).
 

Led by the mantra: when you learn-TEACH. Annually, Carjay host and moderates a minority coaches mixer designed at sharing ideas of success-coaching and professional development- among track and field coaches.  He is a vocal proponent for diversity & inclusion and he has been a featured speaker nationally- covering a vast array of athletic and professional topics. Carjay's presentations on diversity, inclusion and race are thought provoking and inspirational. 

As an advocate for the Arts, Carjay has volunteered and supported many projects in film and music. In 2011, he was the staff creator and advisor for an on campus group that merged HBCU traditions of dance into the culture of California and FBS Football universities. His Track and Field athletes created a drill team giving many college women an outlet of school support thru dance. The Aztec Diamonds are still a main stay at all San Diego State University sports and are a unique entity on college campuses nationally. Platinum Recording music artist Saweetie is one of the original members. Coach Carjay also had the opportunity to learn and participate in the production of Multiple Emmy award winning online series 'Giants' now found on BET+. Coach Carjay's athlete, Shanieka (Thomas) Ricketts is pictured in the National Museum of African American History in Washington, D.C.- The exhibit is highlighting the contributions of African American women in the NCAA. She is pictured next to Florence Griffith-Joyner (Flo-Jo) of UCLA.   

He credits his coaching passion to the great teachers and coaches he had growing up.  Encouraged by early elementary school teachers to explore the option of coaching, Carjay has been well mentored and is highly studied in the field of speed and athletic performance. Carjay’s love for coaching was first inspired by his 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Hardy.  The positive experiences during his associated age-group football teams,  summer track club teams, and great HS Track and Field teams fueled the desire to continue influencing lives thru sports.  Carjay has had the unique experiences to train under, work with and be mentored by many of the best Track and Field athletes and coaches in the history of the sport. He credits these unparalleled influences to his consistency of unprecedented success.  

~