Taylor Hurst - Women's Cross Country Coach - Mercer University Athletics

Taylor Hurst

Title:
Assistant Coach (XC, Distance, Middle Distance)
Email:
hurst_te@mercer.edu
Phone:
(478) 301-2144

Taylor Hurst began his tenure as the assistant men’s and women’s cross country/track and field coach in 2017-2018 after being hired by Head Coach Jerod Wims.

Coaching Experience:

August 2017- Present- Mercer University
- Assistant Coach
2015- 2017- Wake Forest University
- Volunteer Assistant Coach & Recruiter
- Aided in coaching two Indoor All-ACC performers in Ellie Abrahamson (3,000m run) and Kathryn Lazarchick (mile). Both athletes would earn All-ACC Academic honors at the end of the season
- In the outdoor season, Abrahamson would go on to finish second in both the 5,000m run and 3,000m steeplechase at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships while both Abrahamson and Lazarchick represented Wake Forest at the NCAA East Preliminary. Abrahamson capped her senior season with a school-record performance at the NCAA Championships, where she finished seventh in the 3,000m steeplechase with a time of 9:56, earning All-American honors
- Aided in coaching Samantha Jones to a sixth-place finish at the ACC Championship
  - This was the Deacons’ best individual finish at a conference championship since 2010
  - Samantha Jones went on to garner All-ACC honors, All-Region honors and was individual qualifier for the NCAA Division 1 Championship
- The men and women’s distance team to record four All-ACC honors (800m,1500m,5k) during 2016 season
- Hurst aided in coaching Robert Heppenstall to three All-American honors – two in the indoor 800m and one in the outdoor 800m
- Coached the men and women’s distance team to record four All-ACC honors (2016)
2014- 2015- University of North Texas
- Cross Country, Track & Field Assistant Coach
- Assisted the men’s Cross Country team to its first Conference USA Championship, and the women to third place
- Helped ten runners earn the All-conference individual honors
- 2014 South Central Regional Championship, the men’s team finished fourth and women’s team placed eighth
- Aided in coaching Troy Taylor in the men’s 10k race, placing eighth and allowing him to compete in the NCAA Cross Country National Championships
- Recorded six top-eight finishes at the 2014 C-USA Indoor Championships, while the women received two runner up finishes and an additional top-six finish
- At the C-USA Outdoor championship three athletes earned All-Conference honors.
- Troy Taylor and Charlotte Wilson went on to represent Mean Green Distance at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track and field West Preliminary Round
- Wilson also recorded the 5^th fastest women’s 3,000m steeplechase run by any female Australian athlete during 2014 with a time of 10:13.10

Collegiate Running Experience:

University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- Competed in both Cross Country and Track & Field
- Earned All- Southern Conference honors twice in the 800m
  - Once as a sophomore (Indoors) and once as a senior (Outdoors)
- Four-time letter winner in both cross country and track & field
- Helped earn University of North Carolina at Greensboro first Southern Conference Championship in 2011

Education: