Cross Country
Hazouri, Brandon
Brandon Hazouri
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- hazourb@wfu.edu
Hazouri joined Wake Forest in July 2021, since then 16 Demon Deacons brought home All-ACC honors, led by ACC Outdoor Champion Thomas Vanoppen (1500m). Five Wake Forest athletes advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships: Anna Bush (heptathlon), Emma Soderstrom (high jump), Zach Facioni (5000m), Tony Jones (high jump) and Vanoppen (1500m). Vanoppen is the first Wake Forest outdoor All-American since Robert Heppenstall in 2018 and the first 1500-meter All-American since Kyle Graves in 2015, second 1500-meter All-American in school history.
He has helped the men's cross country team grab three top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including a fifth-place finish in 2022. Additionally, he led the squad to the 2022 & 2025 ACC Championships. He has also coached five All-Americans in cross country so far during his tenure.
As the lead recruiting coordinator for men's cross country, Hazouri has brought in the No. 7 class in 2022, No. 4 class in 2023 and No. 3 class in 2024.
As an event coach for track & field, he helped Rynard Swanepoel break the program record in the 800m (1:45.28) for outdoors as well as the third-best time indoors. Swanepoel has been ACC runner-up twice in the event as well as a two-time All-American. Other top 10 records achieved under Hazouri include:
- Jack Balick #2 All time indoors. #4 Outdoors (1:47.11)
- Dillon Aryeh #9 All time indoors. #6 Outdoors
- Emma Douglass #3 All time indoors.
Coach Hazouri most recently served as head cross country and assistant track at Western Illinois. In two years leading the program, he guided the Leathernecks to Summit League Championship titles in the men's 800-meter run and the men's distance medley relay before capping the indoor season with a trip to the NCAA Track & Field Championships. Ackeen Colley and Richard Brown were named the Summit's Most Outstanding Championship Performer and Newcomer of the Championship, respectively. The two were members of the Leathernecks' first men's DMR championship team (10:02.56) and the 4x400 relay that set a school record (3:13.9).
Hazouri has coached several Leathernecks to WIU all-time marks including: Colley (800 / school record / indoor and outdoor); Colley (1,500 / second all-time outdoor); Brown (800 / second all-time indoor and outdoor); and the men's 4x400 (school record / indoor).
Additionally in cross country, WIU's women recorded the third-best GPA in the country during the 2019 season. Hazouri tutored Nicole Beebe to a 16th place finish at the 2019 Summit League Championships, and a year later, Habibu Moise claimed 17th.
Hazouri came to Western from his alma mater, Samford, where he served in 2019 as an assistant cross country and track coach. As a student-athlete, he was named an All-American in the 800-meter run and was a four-time NCAA regional qualifier. He was a seven-time Southern Conference champion and competed at the United States Track and Field national championships in 2015.
After college, he spent a stint running professionally for the Atlanta Track Club.
Hazouri currently holds Samford school records in the indoor and outdoor 800-meter run (1:47.28), the 1500-meter run (3:42.17), the mile (4:00.50), and the distance medley relay. His PRs also include a time of 2:22.9 in the 1,000-meter. He was also a member of the second fastest indoor 4x800m in world history.
As a coach with the Bulldogs, he mentored Karisa Nelson to run the ninth 1500-meter time in NCAA Women's Track and Field history (4:06.14). Hazouri also helped lead the Samford women to Southern Conference championships in indoor and outdoor track.
The Birmingham, Ala., native completed his undergraduate degree in health sciences from Samford in 2017.
He has helped the men's cross country team grab three top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including a fifth-place finish in 2022. Additionally, he led the squad to the 2022 & 2025 ACC Championships. He has also coached five All-Americans in cross country so far during his tenure.
As the lead recruiting coordinator for men's cross country, Hazouri has brought in the No. 7 class in 2022, No. 4 class in 2023 and No. 3 class in 2024.
As an event coach for track & field, he helped Rynard Swanepoel break the program record in the 800m (1:45.28) for outdoors as well as the third-best time indoors. Swanepoel has been ACC runner-up twice in the event as well as a two-time All-American. Other top 10 records achieved under Hazouri include:
- Jack Balick #2 All time indoors. #4 Outdoors (1:47.11)
- Dillon Aryeh #9 All time indoors. #6 Outdoors
- Emma Douglass #3 All time indoors.
Coach Hazouri most recently served as head cross country and assistant track at Western Illinois. In two years leading the program, he guided the Leathernecks to Summit League Championship titles in the men's 800-meter run and the men's distance medley relay before capping the indoor season with a trip to the NCAA Track & Field Championships. Ackeen Colley and Richard Brown were named the Summit's Most Outstanding Championship Performer and Newcomer of the Championship, respectively. The two were members of the Leathernecks' first men's DMR championship team (10:02.56) and the 4x400 relay that set a school record (3:13.9).
Hazouri has coached several Leathernecks to WIU all-time marks including: Colley (800 / school record / indoor and outdoor); Colley (1,500 / second all-time outdoor); Brown (800 / second all-time indoor and outdoor); and the men's 4x400 (school record / indoor).
Additionally in cross country, WIU's women recorded the third-best GPA in the country during the 2019 season. Hazouri tutored Nicole Beebe to a 16th place finish at the 2019 Summit League Championships, and a year later, Habibu Moise claimed 17th.
Hazouri came to Western from his alma mater, Samford, where he served in 2019 as an assistant cross country and track coach. As a student-athlete, he was named an All-American in the 800-meter run and was a four-time NCAA regional qualifier. He was a seven-time Southern Conference champion and competed at the United States Track and Field national championships in 2015.
After college, he spent a stint running professionally for the Atlanta Track Club.
Hazouri currently holds Samford school records in the indoor and outdoor 800-meter run (1:47.28), the 1500-meter run (3:42.17), the mile (4:00.50), and the distance medley relay. His PRs also include a time of 2:22.9 in the 1,000-meter. He was also a member of the second fastest indoor 4x800m in world history.
As a coach with the Bulldogs, he mentored Karisa Nelson to run the ninth 1500-meter time in NCAA Women's Track and Field history (4:06.14). Hazouri also helped lead the Samford women to Southern Conference championships in indoor and outdoor track.
The Birmingham, Ala., native completed his undergraduate degree in health sciences from Samford in 2017.
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