ITHACA, N.Y. -- After making a significant impact on the Cornell women's track and field program in his first season on the sidelines, Justin Byron has been promoted to Associate Head Coach it was announced today.

In his first season with the Big Red, the women's sprints, hurdles, relays and men's hurdles combined to break a pair of school records, one freshman mark and 14 additions to the school's all-time best lists. Rising sophomore Brooke Overholt won the 400 hurdles at the Canadian National Track & Field Championships in the Under 20 division. The Big Red finished third at both the Heptagonal and ECAC Championships outdoors in his first season. Numerous student-athletes set personal best times in the sprints and hurdles during his first campaign with the program.

He was a highly regarded high school coach prior to arriving at Cornell, earning USTFCCCA Virginia High School Girls Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2016. Bryon's athletes at Nansemond River HS set a staggering five high school national meet records. Additionally, his athletes held 11 Virginia state records and earned 14 national titles, with Nansemond River athletes breaking into the United States all-time top 10 high school lists on eight occasions. In his tenure at Nansemond River, his athletes earned 47 individual and 15 relay state titles, while 153 individual and 31 relay teams earned all-state honors. More than 20 of the athletes he coached went on to the Division I ranks.

In 2010, Byron founded 5 Star Track Program, a youth track and field club designed to promote academic and athletic success. In addition to claiming three AAU National Club Championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014, the program implemented a college prep program that produced a 100 percent high school graduation rate with more than 80 percent going on to pursue higher education. Of the athletes that were part of the year-round training program, 14 won high school state championships, four claimed high school national championships and one set a high school national record.

Byron served as the executive director of the Athletic Bridge Experience, a non-profit with a two-fold focus of helping student-athletes strive for academic and athletic excellence and to increase youth health and fitness for both athletes and non-athletes in the community.

He obtained his master of science in recreation and sports science in 2014 from Ohio University. He graduated cum laude from North Carolina AT&T with bachelor of science in business finance, where he was a five-time all-academic selection. As a collegiate athlete for the Aggies, Byron was a seven-time conference champion, two-time NCAA qualifier and a conference record holder. He also coached at his alma mater from 2006-2007.