Avery Anderson - Track & Field Coach

Avery Anderson

Title:
Director of Track & Field / Cross Country
Email:
aanderson@athletics.ucla.edu

UCLA track and field alumnus Avery Anderson enters his fourth year as Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. As Director, Anderson oversees all aspects of the planning, development, and administration of the track and field and cross country programs at UCLA. He was named to the position on July 6, 2017 by UCLA Athletics.

Ahead of the 2020 Cross Country season, Anderson helped sign a star-studded freshman class of distance runners. Nine of the 10 incoming freshman are from the Southern California area, including three 2019 NXN Nike Cross Nationals qualifiers (Carlie Dorostkar, Savannah Scriven, and Michael Mireles). Dorostkar is also the 2019 CIF-Division I State Champion in Cross Country. Freshmen Jake Parker and Dylan Wilbur competed in the1600m final at the 2019 CIF State Meet, where they competed against current Bruin Peter Herold, as UCLA now has a quarter of the participants in that race on its distance roster.

Anderson’s third season as Director saw the 2020 outdoor campaign canceled due to COVID-19, but his men’s and women’s squads impressed in the indoor season. The Bruins set six indoor school records in 2020 – Christina Rice (5000m), Shae Anderson (400m – 2x), women’s 4x400m relay, Alyssa Wilson (weight throw), Kenroy Higgins II (60m). Anderson guided three individuals and a pair of relay squads to NCAA Indoor qualification before the Championships were, ultimately, canceled.

The UCLA women achieved a No. 15 national ranking ahead of the NCAA Indoor Championships, the highest indoor ranking for the program since 2015. The women’s squad tied for fifth at the MPSF Indoor Championships after finishing 13th in 2019.

The Bruins continued to improve in Anderson’s second year at the helm. The 2019 indoor season saw the UCLA men’s squad finish second overall, the team’s highest finish since 2010. Robert Brandt doubled with victories in the 3000m (school record - 7:55.60) and 5000m while Sondre Guttormsen and Justin Stafford notched league titles in the pole vault and weight throw, respectively. Christina Rice (second place) and Ashlie Blake (third) led the Bruin women in the 5000m and shot put, respectively. Six Bruins went on to secure eight total All-America honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

Anderson went on to lead the UCLA men’s squad to a dominant 102-60 victory over USC in the annual crosstown dual meet. The Bruins’ steady improvement continued through the Pac-12 Championships, as the men’s team finished second with 140 points, the highest placement since the team finished second in 2005 and the most points since UCLA won the league title in 2004. Simon Litzell picked up his second-straight Pac-12 title in the javelin while Brandt (10,000m) and Guttormsen (pole vault) each added their first-career league crowns, respectively. The UCLA women finished in eighth place with 55 points. Alyssa Wilson (discus) and Elleyse Garrett (pole vault) each picked up league titles.

Anderson would earn Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors for UCLA’s performances ahead of the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Wilson won Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Year, the first Conference individual honor for the Bruins under Anderson’s direction. Anderson also earned USTFCCCA West Region Coach of the Year honors.

The Bruin men went on to finish 18th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, as Sean Lee (first team), Dotun Ogundeji (first team), and Brandt (second team) eached earned All-America honors en route to 16 points total points. It was the team’s highest point total since notching 18 in 2013. Wilson qualified in the shot put, discus, and hammer throw at NCAAs, scoring 10 points on her own to give the Bruin women a T-25 finish. She also earned First Team All-America status in each of her three events, becoming the first athlete to garner three First-Team accolades in the same meet since the First and Second teams were initiated in 2013.

In his first year at the helm, Anderson helped UCLA muster USTFCCCA All-America performances in several events during the outdoor season, including first team selections in Robert Brandt (10,000m), Kendall Gustafson (heptathlon), Jessie Maduka (triple jump) and Alyssa Wilson (shot put, hammer). The UCLA track & field program also saw two student-athletes (Simon Litzell, javelin; Marian Spannowsky, javelin) earn second team honors, while Justin Stafford (hammer) and Alyssa Wilson (discus) took home honorable mention plaudits in their respective events.

Anderson’s indoor All-Americans included: Ashlie Blake (first team, shot put), Jessie Maduka (first team, triple jump), Nate Esparza (second team, shot put), Dotun Ogundeji (second team, shot put) and Alyssa Wilson (second team, shot put).

During the 2018 outdoor track & field season, UCLA notched 26 Pac-12 All-Academic honorees, and the Bruins saw 24 student-athletes qualify for the NCAA West Regional Championships.

At the Pac-12 Championships, the Bruins collected an individual title in the women’s triple jump, as Jessie Maduka’s mark of 13.59m (44-7) gave the Bruins their first victory in the event since 2004. UCLA also saw Simon Litzell win a Pac-12 title in the javelin, as he threw a collegiate-best 74.46m (244-3).

Anderson returned to his alma mater after spending nearly 20 years coaching at the NCAA Division I level. His coaching career began at CSUN, where he served as a volunteer assistant track & field coach from 1999-2001 while competing as a professional decathlete. He served in the same role at UCLA from 2001-2002 and at Kansas State from 2002-2004 before returning to CSUN for the next 13 years working in various coaching roles. Most recently, he served as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country for CSUN from 2011-2017.

Anderson’s tenure with the Matadors was marked by staggering levels of success. During his time with CSUN, Anderson led his student-athletes to 13 Big West/WAC Conference Team Titles, 91 individual conference championships, and 21 NCAA All-America honors. He also coached the only individual male NCAA Division I champions in CSUN history, in any sport, long jumpers Dashalle Andrews and Reindell Cole.

Additionally, Anderson presided over three Big West Outdoor Championships on the women’s side (2011, 2015, and 2017). The women’s victory in 2017 extended CSUN’s record for most conference team titles on either the men’s or women’s side. Anderson was recognized for his coaching prowess when he received the 2015 and 2017 Big West Conference Women’s Track and Field Coach of the Year awards.

In addition to his evident coaching expertise, Anderson returns to Westwood with the invaluable experience of being a two-sport student-athlete with the Bruins, as he competed in both football and track & field and understands the winning tradition of UCLA Athletics. He was a member of the NCAA runner-up 4x100m relay squad his senior season and helped UCLA take home four Pac-10 Championships. As a wide receiver from 1991-1995, Anderson competed in football for the Bruins at the highest level. His most notable season came when he helped lead UCLA to a 1993 Pac-10 title and later played in the 1994 Rose Bowl.

Anderson went on to play for the Indianapolis Colts during the 1996-97 season. When a back injury ended his football career, he decided to return to track & field as a decathlete. He soon became a prominent decathlete as he set the CSUN complex decathlon record to qualify for the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. After finishing seventh at trials, he went on to compete internationally for the United States in 2001 in the U.S. vs. Germany decathlon competition in Germany.

In addition to receiving a Bachelor of Arts in political science from UCLA, Anderson earned his Master’s of Public Administration with honors at CSUN. His advocacy for academic success was on display during his tenure at CSUN, as his program achieved a total of 12 NCAA APR Public Recognition Awards.

Anderson is married to the former Bridget Pearson, who is in her third season at UCLA as a volunteer assistant after coaching for 12 seasons at CSUN. She is also a UCLA track & field alumna. The couple have two children: a son, Andy, and daughter, Avery.