Track and Field
Gray Horn
- Title:
- Assistant Coach (Sprints, Jumps, Hurdles and Multi-events)
- Email:
- horng@wfu.edu
Gray Horn helped lead Anna Bush (heptathlon), Emma Soderstrom (high jump) and Tony Jones (High Jump) to the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship, earning All-American Honorable Mentions.
Gray Horn begins his tenure as assistant coach of the Wake Forest track and field team in July 2019. Horn, a 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials bronze medalist in the decathlon, will coach the Demon Deacons in the sprints, jumps, hurdles and multi-events.
"We are extremely excited to have Gray Horn join our staff," said Hayes. "He brings very strong experience as both an athlete and coach. He understands our vision for the program and will play an important role in creating a positive, successful experience for our student-athletes at the ACC and NCAA level."
"I would like to thank Coach Hayes for the opportunity to join the Wake Forest family," said Horn. "This campus appealed to me the moment I stepped foot on it, and I look forward to doing my part to uphold the program's rich tradition."
Horn brings impressive experience as a competitive athlete and coach, most recently serving as head track and field coach at UC Santa Barbara. In two years at UCSB, Horn was instrumental in guiding student-athlete Hope Bender to her first-ever NCAA Division I Championships appearance, where she finished 12th in both the 2018 indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon, earning two NCAA Second-Team All-American honors. Bender went on to place 5th at the 2018 U.S. Indoor Championships. She saw additional success in 2019, earning two NCAA First-Team All-American honors after finishing 6th in the pentathlon and 4th in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, while concluding her collegiate career with personal best scores of 4262 and 5955 points, respectively. She was a 2019 NCAA finalist in the outdoor long jump as well.
In addition to Bender, Horn coached senior Tyler Nelson, who was sidelined by injuries in 2018, to a personal best score of 7420 points in the decathlon and his first NCAA Championships appearance in 2019. He also coached Kiely Gode to a school record long jump of 20'9.75" in 2018.
Prior to UCSB, Horn spent three seasons at Tiffin University from 2014 through 2017 as the sprints, hurdles and multi-events coach. Under Horn's tutelage, 16 student-athletes earned 43 First-Team All-American citations, helping TU win back-to-back Division II team titles at the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships (the first NCAA titles in program and school history). This included Lamar Hargrove who won three NCAA DII titles and set an NCAA DII record in the 200m, as well as 2017 NCAA DII long jump champion Marquise Corbett. For his work, Horn earned recognition as the 2016 USTFCCCA Division II National Assistant Coach of the Year (Indoor), as well as the 2016 Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year (Indoor and Outdoor).
A native of Waynesfield, Ohio, Horn began his coaching career in 2012 at Ashland University, where he mentored student-athletes to eight NCAA Division II All-American honors over a two-year period. Horn spent six months of that time with Santa Barbara Track Club's elite athlete development program, training competitively while leading youth of all ages in the Club's development program.
Horn's extensive athletic resume is highlighted by a 3rd place finish in the decathlon at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and a national title in the heptathlon at the 2014 U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championships. He was also a bronze medalist in the multi-events at the 2013 Pan-American Cup.
A 2012 graduate of the University of Florida with a BA in Anthropology, Horn was a major contributor to four NCAA Track & Field team championship titles for the Gators (2010 Indoor, 2011 Indoor, 2012 Indoor and Outdoor), serving as team captain his senior year. Under Florida Head Coach Mike Holloway, Horn was a 4-time NCAA All-American, 5-time SEC champion (the most SEC wins ever by a multi-event athlete), and school record holder in both the decathlon and heptathlon. In 2012, Horn was named USTFCCCA Division I Field Athlete of the Year for the South Region.
What others are saying:
"I'm very proud of Gray and what he has done as a coach," said Mike Holloway, director of track and field at the University of Florida and the 2012 U.S. Olympic team sprints/hurdles coach. "Wake Forest is getting a passionate young man who is dedicated to making his athletes better both in the classroom and on the track. He will make a great contribution to Wake Forest Track and Field."
"I'm so incredibly excited for Coach Horn to have this new opportunity at Wake Forest, although everyone at UCSB is going to miss him," said Hope Bender. "You would be hard-pressed to find a more dedicated, passionate and hard-working coach who always finds ways to bring out the best in his athletes – both on the track and in life. I was so blessed to grow under his coaching, and I can't wait to see the impact he has on the Wake Forest program."
Gray Horn begins his tenure as assistant coach of the Wake Forest track and field team in July 2019. Horn, a 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials bronze medalist in the decathlon, will coach the Demon Deacons in the sprints, jumps, hurdles and multi-events.
"We are extremely excited to have Gray Horn join our staff," said Hayes. "He brings very strong experience as both an athlete and coach. He understands our vision for the program and will play an important role in creating a positive, successful experience for our student-athletes at the ACC and NCAA level."
"I would like to thank Coach Hayes for the opportunity to join the Wake Forest family," said Horn. "This campus appealed to me the moment I stepped foot on it, and I look forward to doing my part to uphold the program's rich tradition."
Horn brings impressive experience as a competitive athlete and coach, most recently serving as head track and field coach at UC Santa Barbara. In two years at UCSB, Horn was instrumental in guiding student-athlete Hope Bender to her first-ever NCAA Division I Championships appearance, where she finished 12th in both the 2018 indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon, earning two NCAA Second-Team All-American honors. Bender went on to place 5th at the 2018 U.S. Indoor Championships. She saw additional success in 2019, earning two NCAA First-Team All-American honors after finishing 6th in the pentathlon and 4th in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, while concluding her collegiate career with personal best scores of 4262 and 5955 points, respectively. She was a 2019 NCAA finalist in the outdoor long jump as well.
In addition to Bender, Horn coached senior Tyler Nelson, who was sidelined by injuries in 2018, to a personal best score of 7420 points in the decathlon and his first NCAA Championships appearance in 2019. He also coached Kiely Gode to a school record long jump of 20'9.75" in 2018.
Prior to UCSB, Horn spent three seasons at Tiffin University from 2014 through 2017 as the sprints, hurdles and multi-events coach. Under Horn's tutelage, 16 student-athletes earned 43 First-Team All-American citations, helping TU win back-to-back Division II team titles at the 2016 and 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships (the first NCAA titles in program and school history). This included Lamar Hargrove who won three NCAA DII titles and set an NCAA DII record in the 200m, as well as 2017 NCAA DII long jump champion Marquise Corbett. For his work, Horn earned recognition as the 2016 USTFCCCA Division II National Assistant Coach of the Year (Indoor), as well as the 2016 Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year (Indoor and Outdoor).
A native of Waynesfield, Ohio, Horn began his coaching career in 2012 at Ashland University, where he mentored student-athletes to eight NCAA Division II All-American honors over a two-year period. Horn spent six months of that time with Santa Barbara Track Club's elite athlete development program, training competitively while leading youth of all ages in the Club's development program.
Horn's extensive athletic resume is highlighted by a 3rd place finish in the decathlon at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and a national title in the heptathlon at the 2014 U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championships. He was also a bronze medalist in the multi-events at the 2013 Pan-American Cup.
A 2012 graduate of the University of Florida with a BA in Anthropology, Horn was a major contributor to four NCAA Track & Field team championship titles for the Gators (2010 Indoor, 2011 Indoor, 2012 Indoor and Outdoor), serving as team captain his senior year. Under Florida Head Coach Mike Holloway, Horn was a 4-time NCAA All-American, 5-time SEC champion (the most SEC wins ever by a multi-event athlete), and school record holder in both the decathlon and heptathlon. In 2012, Horn was named USTFCCCA Division I Field Athlete of the Year for the South Region.
What others are saying:
"I'm very proud of Gray and what he has done as a coach," said Mike Holloway, director of track and field at the University of Florida and the 2012 U.S. Olympic team sprints/hurdles coach. "Wake Forest is getting a passionate young man who is dedicated to making his athletes better both in the classroom and on the track. He will make a great contribution to Wake Forest Track and Field."
"I'm so incredibly excited for Coach Horn to have this new opportunity at Wake Forest, although everyone at UCSB is going to miss him," said Hope Bender. "You would be hard-pressed to find a more dedicated, passionate and hard-working coach who always finds ways to bring out the best in his athletes – both on the track and in life. I was so blessed to grow under his coaching, and I can't wait to see the impact he has on the Wake Forest program."
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