2 Olympians

BY THE NUMBERS

• Big Ten Champions: 3    School Records (ILL): 7    Top-10 Marks (ILL): 45

BIO

In his third year at the helm (2024-25) he guided the women's 4x100m relay team (Azariyah Bryant, Sophia Beckmon, Asia Thomas, Llyric Driscoll) to shatter the program record and qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships on a time of 43.35 at the NCAA West Preliminaries. Earlier in the indoor season he led Thomas to break the school record in the 60m twice (7.24) and (7.22) the following week where it stands today. She also own's the indoor 200m program record (23.21). 

Small's second season (2023-24) he coached Jessica McDowell to be the women's squad's leading scorer at the Big Ten Indoor Championships with 16 points where they won their first Big Ten Indoor Championship Title since 2013. She claimed gold in the 200m dash (23.32) and placed third in the 400m (51.81). She later would go on to take the crown in the 400m (51.73) at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships and qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

At the outdoor national meet, McDowell nearly earned All-America honors in the 400m by placing ninth on the program's second-fastest time (50.98) which also qualified her to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Robert Williams earned his first silver medal in the 400m hurdles (50.27) at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships under Small's direction. He qualified to his second-straight NCAA Outdoor Champoinships after he ran the program's seventh-fastest 400m hurdles time of 50.27 at the NCAA West Preliminaries. 

Azariyah Bryant broke the 100m dash school record (11.24) and recorded the program's third-fastest outdoor 200m (22.92) under Small's coaching. Tadeas Placek also entered the program's top-10 list in the 600m at second place (1:16.93). At the end of year two, Small's athletes have posted 27 top-10 program marks. 

His first year (2022-23) he led the men's 4x400m relay team of Jason Thormo, Kashief King, Tadeas Placek, and Robert Williams to a Big Ten Indoor Championships gold medal on school record time (3:06.24). Williams would later qualify for his first NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400m hurdles where he placed 19th (51.07).

Small joins the Illini after a six-year stint at Arizona State University (ASU) serving as the men’s and women’s sprints, hurdles, relays coach as well as the recruiting coordinator. He helped improve the ASU men’s team from a 74th place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2017 to a ninth-place finish in 2021, the best since 2010. With his assistance, 22 updates were made to the ASU all-time top-10 lists in the 2021 and 2022 seasons alone.

He brought in some prominent members to the ASU track program in two-time and six-time All-Americans Jamar Marshal Jr. and transfer Cortney Jones, respectively. Marshall Jr. set the ASU record in the 60m and 110m hurdles under Small’s direction. He also secured number one overall recruit and U20 Pan American champion Justin Robinson.

Prior to ASU, Small spent four years at the University of Georgia (UGA). First as a volunteer assistant coach in the 2013-15 seasons, then as the Director of Operations from 2015-17. This is where Small and Kyprianou first made their professional connection. From 2006-10 Small had his first crack at UGA where he was a volunteer assistant coach.

As the Director of Operations, he coordinated all operations and logistics for the track and field/cross country teams. He directed all home track meets and maintained proper usage of the budget.

As an assistant coach, Small assisted coach Kyprianou in coaching American triple jump record holder and Olympian Keturah Orji and Olympic heptathlete Kendell Williams. Williams became a seven-time NCAA champion and Orji won eight titles. He also created group and individual workouts and carried them out in the absence of event coaches.

Preceding his NCAA days, Small spent time at Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia as the girls track and field coach for the 2011-13 seasons. In 2012 he founded the Nitro Track Elite club. Here he worked with athletes ages 4-18 and exposed them individualized high level training and to collegiate and professional level competition.

Prior to his coaching days, Small earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology from Morehouse College (Division II) in Atlanta. Here he was a six-time All-American hurdler and eight-time SIAC conference champion.

The former Texas high school state champion in the 110 hurdles also competed at the U.S. Championships in 2006 and 2007. He advanced to the semifinal of the 400-meter hurdles at the championships in 2006 and finished 15th overall. He is a five-time high school conference champion; three-time in the 110m hurdles and two-time in the 300m hurdles.

Small made the move to Champaign with his daughter Gabriella.