NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Justin Byron has been promoted to associate head coach Althea Thomas, director of Vanderbilt cross country and track and field, announced Tuesday.
“It’s a privilege to announce the promotion of Coach Byron to associate head coach,” Thomas said. “His dedication, expertise and leadership have been instrumental to our success over the past four years. I’m truly looking forward to the impact he will have in his expanded role as we continue to push Vandy track and field and cross country in the SEC and NCAA.”
The 2025 season was Byron’s fourth at Vanderbilt. During that time, he served as assistant coach for jumps and multi-event student-athletes, recruiting coordinator and director of player development. He has produced five Commodore NCAA qualifiers, including 2023 NCAA runner-up and SEC champion in the heptathlon Beatrice Juskeviciute. Student-athletes coached by Byron at Vandy have achieved four All-America selections.
Under Byron’s direction, Commodore student-athletes broke two school records and registered 24 program all-time top 10 performances during the 2025 indoor and outdoor seasons. Vanderbilt’s multis, Devyn Parham and Marta Sivina scored indoors and outdoors at the SEC Championships. With his coaching, Sivina also broke the Latvian U23 national record in the 60-meter hurdles. Byron led 60- and 100-meter hurdles squads that ranked top 5 in the USTFCCCA Event Squad rankings before both the indoor and outdoor conference championships. Falon Spearman broke school records in the 60- and 100-meter hurdles with Byron’s coaching and advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100-meter hurdles. At the NCAA East First Round, four of four Commodores tutored by Byron advanced to the quarterfinals in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles.
Before Vanderbilt, Byron served as associate head coach at Cornell from 2019 to 2021 after being promoted from assistant coach. While in Ithaca, he coached a team that boasted two All-Americans, set five school records and achieved 19 spots on the school’s all-time top 10 lists. Byron coached Juskeviciute to three conference titles in the multi. With his tutelage, Brooke Overholt, who was an All-American at Vanderbilt, earned a bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2019 Ivy League Championships.
Byron has also been the head coach at Nansemond River High School and an assistant coach at his alma mater, North Carolina A&T.
