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Cornell University Athletics

Headshots taken on Coaches & Staff headshot day on July 31, 2024 at Schoellkopf House in Ithaca, N.Y.

Jacky Mendes

COACHING EXPERIENCE
• Assistant Coach, Cornell University (2022 - present)
• Assistant Coach, Bucknell University (2021)
• Assistant Coach, Duke University (2020-21)
• Assistant Coach, University of New Hampshire (2018-20)
• Head Coach, Merrimack College (2014-17)
• Graduate Assistant Coach, Ithaca College (2012-14)

EDUCATION
• B.S., Kinesiology: Sport Studies, University of New Hampshire (2012)
• B.S., Psychology, University of New Hampshire (2012)
• M.S., Exercise and Sport Sciences: Sport Psychology Concentration, Ithaca College (2015)

AT CORNELL
Jacky Mendes joined the Big Red track and field staff as an assistant coach in 2021.

PRIOR TO CORNELL
Mendes has spent the past decade coaching at various levels of college track and field, bringing varied experiences to the Big Red staff and having specialized in working with the jumps and multi-events over the course of her career.

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.

COMPETITION CAREER
As a student-athlete at the University of New Hampshire, 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.

PERSONAL
A 2012 graduate of UNH with a double major in Kinesiology and Psychology, she later earned her Master's in 2015 in Sport Psychology from Ithaca College.