ITHACA, N.Y. -- Jacky Mendes, who has spent the past decade coaching at various levels of college track and field, has joined the Cornell women's track and field staff as an assistant coach. Mendes brings varied experiences to the Big Red staff and specialized in working with the jumps and multi-events.
 
"I earned my master's degree at Ithaca College and spent two years in Ithaca. When it was time to jump into the real world, I decided that if I ever had the opportunity to come back to Ithaca I would, so this is a dream come true. I love the area and I am so honored to be given this chance to be a part of such a prestigious and historical team and university. I hope to be able to build deep connections with these student-athletes based on trust and respect, and to use those bonds to help build them up into the best versions of themselves both on and off the track," Mendes said. "I hope to continue  to develop elite student-athletes who experience a winning culture. I'm also very excited to be amongst such a great staff. I've known some of them for years now and am eager to work alongside them. I am so thankful to Mike Henderson for this opportunity."
 
Mendes comes to Cornell from Bucknell (2021), where she coached the jumps and multi-events. She was the program's academic coordinator and the community service liaison.
 
Prior to her stint at Bucknell, Mendes served in similar roles at Duke (2020-21) and her alma mater, New Hampshire (2018-20). At Duke, she helped the Blue Devils to the ACC outdoor title. Coaching the jumps, she had four athletes post top four all-time marks in school history and qualify for the NCAA East Preliminary Round. During her time at New Hampshire, her student-athletes set five individual school records and won IC4A and America East titles. Track athletes also won an NCAA title in the women's mile and were All-Americans in three other events.
 
Mendes spent three seasons as head coach at Merrimack College (2014-17), overseeing all aspects of the program. She assisted in the development of a six-time national champion, 12-time All-American and Olympic Trials runner. Her time there also resulted in All-Americans in the 4x400 relay in two straight seasons, as well as in the heptathlon and decathlon.
 
Mendes began her career as a graduate assistant coach at Ithaca College, working as head coach of javelin and assistant event coach in the jumps and multi-event groups. She had responsibilities in compliance, eligibility, recruiting, strength and conditioning and meet management.
 
"We are thrilled to have Coach Mendes joining the Big Red Track & Field Family, said Mike Henderson, the Alan B. '53 and Elizabeth Heekin Harris Head Coach of Women's Track & Field/Men's and Women's Cross Country. "She has a strong background and comes highly recommended, but what stands out even more is her enthusiasm and passion for coaching. Her technical expertise will help all of the athletes in her event groups, and her energy and competitive spirit will help the entire program as we continue to focus on moving forward at the conference, regional and national level."
 
A 2012 graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a double major in Kinesiology and Psychology, she later earned her Master's in 2015 in Sport Psychology from Ithaca College. As a student-athlete at UNH, Mendes was a four-year letter winner on the women's track & field team and a team captain as a senior. Her school record of 3,485 points in the pentathlon set in 2011 and still stands.