Track & Field
Freeman, Michelle
Michelle Freeman
- Title:
- Assistant Coach, Sprints & Hurdles
- Email:
- mfreeman@athletics.ucla.edu
UCLA Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Avery Anderson announced the addition of Michelle Freeman as assistant coach for sprints and hurdles on Sept. 1, 2023.
"I'm very excited to add a coach of Michelle's caliber to our coaching staff," said Anderson. "She has proven to be an excellent coach who will add to our mission of competing at an elite level."
Freeman comes to Westwood after spending the past two year with the University of Oklahoma. The veteran coach had five of her student-athletes qualify for the national championship competitions during her time with the Sooners. This past season, Freeman coached Kennedy Blackmon to a silver medal in the 100m dash at the NCAA outdoor national championships. Blackmon ran 10.87 in the sprint; she returned to the track to run in the 200-meter dash and crossed the line at 22.53 for second team All-America honors.
Before signing on at Oklahoma in August 2021, Freeman spent a four-year stint at the University of Virginia where she coached four All-Americans and two ACC champions. Freeman mentored sprinter Halle Hazzard to All-America honors at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 200-meter dash.
Prior to her time at UVA, Freeman served as an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles at San Diego State for five seasons. In her final campaign with the Aztecs, Freeman coached four student-athletes to first-team All-America honors at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2016, she assisted sprinter Ashley Henderson to a runner-up finish in the 100-meter dash at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Freeman began her coaching career by spending 12 years at the University of Texas as a volunteer assistant, assistant coach and strength and conditioning coach. She worked with the Longhorn sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and relay squads, while also managing the team's weight training program. She helped coach four Olympians, 15 All-Americans and seven NCAA individual national champions, and was part of three national championship teams.
Also a former pro, Freeman was a three-time Olympian for Jamaica, running in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Games. She won a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter relay and reached the finals of the 100-meter hurdles in 1996, finishing sixth in the event. The Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica, native also competed in nine World Championships, winning three medals, including a gold in the 60-meter hurdles at the 1997 IAAF Indoor World Championships in Paris.
"I'm very excited to add a coach of Michelle's caliber to our coaching staff," said Anderson. "She has proven to be an excellent coach who will add to our mission of competing at an elite level."
Freeman comes to Westwood after spending the past two year with the University of Oklahoma. The veteran coach had five of her student-athletes qualify for the national championship competitions during her time with the Sooners. This past season, Freeman coached Kennedy Blackmon to a silver medal in the 100m dash at the NCAA outdoor national championships. Blackmon ran 10.87 in the sprint; she returned to the track to run in the 200-meter dash and crossed the line at 22.53 for second team All-America honors.
Before signing on at Oklahoma in August 2021, Freeman spent a four-year stint at the University of Virginia where she coached four All-Americans and two ACC champions. Freeman mentored sprinter Halle Hazzard to All-America honors at the 2021 NCAA Indoor Championships in the 200-meter dash.
Prior to her time at UVA, Freeman served as an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles at San Diego State for five seasons. In her final campaign with the Aztecs, Freeman coached four student-athletes to first-team All-America honors at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships. In 2016, she assisted sprinter Ashley Henderson to a runner-up finish in the 100-meter dash at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Freeman began her coaching career by spending 12 years at the University of Texas as a volunteer assistant, assistant coach and strength and conditioning coach. She worked with the Longhorn sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and relay squads, while also managing the team's weight training program. She helped coach four Olympians, 15 All-Americans and seven NCAA individual national champions, and was part of three national championship teams.
Also a former pro, Freeman was a three-time Olympian for Jamaica, running in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Games. She won a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter relay and reached the finals of the 100-meter hurdles in 1996, finishing sixth in the event. The Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica, native also competed in nine World Championships, winning three medals, including a gold in the 60-meter hurdles at the 1997 IAAF Indoor World Championships in Paris.
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