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Reeves Hired as Assistant Track and Field and Cross Country Coach
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jason Vigilante announced Thursday the hiring of Mary Jayne Reeves as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers’ track and field and cross country program. Reeves will assist with the middle distance and distance runners.
A six-time All-American in outdoor track at Appalachian State, Reeves won two NCAA 1500m titles and was named the 2001 NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of North Carolina.
“I am delighted to announce the addition of Mary Jayne Reeves to our program and University,” Vigilante said. “Mary Jayne’s vast knowledge of track and field training, her experience as a top level athlete combined with exceptional character and enthusiasm make her a perfect fit. I am certain Mary Jayne will play a positive role in helping our program continue to improve.”
Reeves joins the Cavaliers after wrapping up a career as a professional distance runner who spent eight years representing Nike, Inc. and the last two Brooks. During her professional career, she was coached and guided primarily by her college coach, Ben Thomas of Virginia Tech. She also trained in Knoxville, Tenn., with J.J. Clark, in addition to the Oregon Track Club and Frank Gagliano.
Although wrapping up competition in 2010, Reeves also spent the past three years, along with her husband Jon, as an owner and operator of Reeves Tennis and Fitness, Inc. in Newnan, Ga. As a founder of the company in 2007, Reeves coordinates strength and conditioning programs for athletes and directs a women’s fitness program. The focus of the program is to prepare tennis athletes for college, physically and mentally.
The Timberlake, N.C., native began her coaching career in 2001, spending four seasons as an assistant at Virginia Tech. While with the Hokies, she helped coach three ACC individual champions, two All-Americans and six all-region performers.
Throughout her professional career, Reeves advanced to the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials and earned silver medals in the 1500m for the United States at the 2003 and 2007 PanAm Games. Holding the ninth-fastest mile time in the world in 2003, Reeves was a silver medalist in the 800m and 1500m at the 2002 USA Indoor Championships and won the gold medal for Team USA in both events at the 2007 NACAC Championships in El Salvador.
In 2002, Reeves was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame and was named the Female Amateur Athlete of the Year.
While competing for Appalachian State, Reeves became one of the most accomplished athletes in Southern Conference history. Winning 26 individual conference titles, including three-straight cross country championships, she was the schools first-ever NCAA Champion.
In addition, Reeves represented the United States at the 1999 and 2001 World University Games and was a member of Team USA in Lisbon, Portugal at the 2000 World Cross Country Championships. She advanced to the Olympic Trials in 2000, finishing fifth in the 1500m and sixth in the 800m, and graduated as the second-fastest collegian all-time in the 1500m.
A 2006 inductee into the Appalachian State Hall of Fame and 2010 inductee into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame, Reeves graduated from Appalachian State in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.