Murray State University Athletics
Women's Track and Field
Dereck Chavis
- Title:
- Head Track & Field Coach/Director of Cross Country
Murray State University Head Track and Field Coach Dereck Chavis is in his 14th overall season of coaching track and field. Chavis joined the MSU athletics department on Jan. 12, 2005.
His coaching duties encompass the sprints, hurdles, horizontal and vertical jumps. Chavis is a United States Track and Field Level I Lead Instructor and is a USATF Level II coach in the sprints, hurdles and endurance events. In addition to being a USATF meet official, Coach Chavis is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Since his arrival in 2005, the impact he has made on the women’s team has been significant and unparalleled. It is evident that Chavis has restored and propelled Murray State’s track & field program into a perennial contender within the OVC in only four seasons. During the past four seasons the track program has seen 14 OVC individual conference champions, 38 all-conference athletes, and 28 broken school records. Chavis has helped to coach athletes to all conference and record setting performances.
A year aft er one of the most successful track and field seasons in 2007-08, Coach Chavis continued to produce champions and record breakers.
During the 2008-09 season, Chavis coached three OVC Athletes of the Year, six conference champions, two Athletes of the Championship and 16 all-conference athletes. Chavis witnessed 11 school records being broke throughout the season as well.
Chavis began his coaching career at Indiana State, his alma mater, where he was a two-time team captain and All-Missouri Valley Conference sprinter. During his two-year stint as an assistant at Indiana State, he was instrumental in helping the women’s program gain two Missouri Valley track and field titles. He coached a runner-up in the 60-meter high hurdles and a 4th-place finisher in the long jump at the men’s NCAA Division I national meet while at Indiana State. Additionally, Chavis coached Sariyu Shittu who ranked 3rd and 4th on the women’s list in the 200 and 400; and Craig Brown, who ranked 4th in the 60 and indoor 200-meter dashes.
Chavis also spent five seasons at Division III Hope College where he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and the men’s and women’s head track and fi eld coach. During his time at Hope he elevated the men’s and women’s programs by developing them into conference championship contenders and garnering the most national recognition ever attained in the program’s history. Under Chavis’ tutelage the programs boasted seven All-Americans, 23 national qualifiers, 21 conference champions, 31 all-conference athletes, two conference MVP’s and 32 school records.
Some notable athletes include three-ti me national qualifier Eduardo Perez in the 400-meter hurdles, All-American Christiana Watkin in the long jump and national qualifier Erica Torgerson in the heptathlon.
Coach Chavis’ knowledge of speed and power development are key in his ability to improve his athletes and elevate the overall competitiveness of the cross country and track/field athletes. His firm belief of patiently teaching the skills and technique involved in an event, in addition to bringing the athlete to a high level of power and fitness, have been the catalysts for the high level of success that has followed him.
Chavis is married to Llena Chavis and has a daughter, Danielle, and two sons, Ian and Xavier.
His coaching duties encompass the sprints, hurdles, horizontal and vertical jumps. Chavis is a United States Track and Field Level I Lead Instructor and is a USATF Level II coach in the sprints, hurdles and endurance events. In addition to being a USATF meet official, Coach Chavis is also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Since his arrival in 2005, the impact he has made on the women’s team has been significant and unparalleled. It is evident that Chavis has restored and propelled Murray State’s track & field program into a perennial contender within the OVC in only four seasons. During the past four seasons the track program has seen 14 OVC individual conference champions, 38 all-conference athletes, and 28 broken school records. Chavis has helped to coach athletes to all conference and record setting performances.
A year aft er one of the most successful track and field seasons in 2007-08, Coach Chavis continued to produce champions and record breakers.
During the 2008-09 season, Chavis coached three OVC Athletes of the Year, six conference champions, two Athletes of the Championship and 16 all-conference athletes. Chavis witnessed 11 school records being broke throughout the season as well.
Chavis began his coaching career at Indiana State, his alma mater, where he was a two-time team captain and All-Missouri Valley Conference sprinter. During his two-year stint as an assistant at Indiana State, he was instrumental in helping the women’s program gain two Missouri Valley track and field titles. He coached a runner-up in the 60-meter high hurdles and a 4th-place finisher in the long jump at the men’s NCAA Division I national meet while at Indiana State. Additionally, Chavis coached Sariyu Shittu who ranked 3rd and 4th on the women’s list in the 200 and 400; and Craig Brown, who ranked 4th in the 60 and indoor 200-meter dashes.
Chavis also spent five seasons at Division III Hope College where he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and the men’s and women’s head track and fi eld coach. During his time at Hope he elevated the men’s and women’s programs by developing them into conference championship contenders and garnering the most national recognition ever attained in the program’s history. Under Chavis’ tutelage the programs boasted seven All-Americans, 23 national qualifiers, 21 conference champions, 31 all-conference athletes, two conference MVP’s and 32 school records.
Some notable athletes include three-ti me national qualifier Eduardo Perez in the 400-meter hurdles, All-American Christiana Watkin in the long jump and national qualifier Erica Torgerson in the heptathlon.
Coach Chavis’ knowledge of speed and power development are key in his ability to improve his athletes and elevate the overall competitiveness of the cross country and track/field athletes. His firm belief of patiently teaching the skills and technique involved in an event, in addition to bringing the athlete to a high level of power and fitness, have been the catalysts for the high level of success that has followed him.
Chavis is married to Llena Chavis and has a daughter, Danielle, and two sons, Ian and Xavier.
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