CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Director of track, field and cross country Petros Kyprianou added two assistant coaches to his staff, Ayden Owens-Delerme and Cheyenne Nesbitt, on Thursday (Sept. 19).
Kyprianou on Owens-Delerme: "'Ayden is a great addition to our staff and team as he brings a plethora of talents as well as experience at the highest Olympic level. He is the first-ever elite active Olympian to get a full-time job as a coach. His position will strictly be through his training and being an on-campus recruiter. It is a position I always wanted to have on my staff, and finally we get to do it here at Illinois. He has the personality, character and work ethic to help our young athletes elevate their standards and mindset and push to become the best versions of themselves."
Kyprianou on Nesbitt: "Cheyenne is another great athlete with Olympic potential who falls into the same category as Ayden, being a part of the combined events support program. She will be a direct link with our female combined event athletes while training to make her first Olympic team. We are excited to have her push alongside our team and help mentor some of our young ladies."
AYDEN OWENS-DELERME
Owens-Delerme represents Puerto Rico internationally and most recently competed in the decathlon at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where he placed ninth. The Nike professional athlete claimed a decathlon gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean games in 2023, the third gold medal of his career.
He placed fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the decathlon and published the book Race of My Own: An Olympian's Quest for Self-Discovery on July 15, 2024. In addition to being an author, he is also the founder and CEO of DapUp LLC, a software platform that connects college athletes with local businesses for marketing campaigns.
The Pittsburgh native finished his college career in 2023, representing Arkansas, Michigan and USC during that time. He became a three-time national champion (4x400m, decathlon and heptathlon), two-time SEC champion (400mH and heptathlon), Big Ten champion (decathlon) and Pac-12 champion (4x400m). Additionally, the seven-time All-American was the 2022 Bowerman Award runner-up, 2022 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, 2022 SEC Field Athlete of the Year, 2021 Big Ten Field Athlete of the Year and 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.
The former NCAA decathlon record holder is a three-time Puerto Rican national record holder and still owns school records at USC (heptathlon, decathlon), Michigan (heptathlon, decathlon) and Arkansas (heptathlon, decathlon, 4x400m).
Owens-Delerme graduated in three years from University of Michigan in 2021 and graduated from the University of Arkansas' Sam M. Walton College of Business MBA program in 2023.
"I am honored to join the exceptional staff and program that Coach Petros Kyprianou has built at Illinois," Owens-Delerme said. "The opportunity to contribute to a championship culture, learn from one of the world's most respected coaches and elevate my track career made this decision an easy one. I am excited to help Illinois track and field dominate on the national stage while continuing my growth as an Olympic athlete."
CHEYENNE NESBITT
Nesbitt is a 2024 indoor USA champion in the pentathlon and comes to Illinois after spending the last four years at Saginaw Valley State University. During her time there, she became a 10-time NCAA Division II national champion. She took home NCAA gold four times in the heptathlon (2021-2024), becoming the first-ever athlete to win four-straight national championships in the heptathlon. She was an NCAA champion in the high jump (2023), pentathlon (twice - 2021, 2022), 4x400m relay (2021), 60m hurdles (2021) and long jump (2021).
She is also a 19-time All-American, two-time USTFCCCA Outdoor National Field Athlete of the Year (2023-24), two-time USTFCCCA Indoor National Field Athlete of the Year (2021-22), four-time GLIAC Field Athlete of the Year (2021-24) and two-time GLIAC Female Scholar of the Year (2023-24). This past summer, she placed 11th in the heptathlon at the 2024 Olympic Trials and has represented the United States twice at the Thorpe Cup Championships (2022, 2024).
"Coming from Division II, I am excited to take the next step in my athletic career," Nesbitt said. "I am ready to learn, grow and become the best I can be with Coach Petros Kyprianou and the University of Illinois track and field program. I can't wait to progress as an athlete and as a coach with the Fighting Illini." Â
