Sooners Add Darden to Track, Cross Country Staff

NORMAN – Oklahoma interim head cross country and track and field coach Tim Langford and vice president/director of athletics Joe Castiglione announced Monday the addition of Charmaine Darden to the XC/track and field staff.

Darden will have a dual title with the Sooners as she will serve as cross country associate head coach and assistant track and field coach for distance events.

"We are pleased to have Coach Darden join the Sooner family," said Langford on the addition of Darden. "She has a tremendous work ethic and track record of success that will foster growth and development in our cross country and distance running programs.

"She has a reputation in the coaching community as being a rising star. That's exactly what this program needs. I'm looking forward to watching her recruit and develop our student-athletes to unrivaled levels of national and international success."

Darden joins the Sooners from Southern University where she served as head cross country coach for three seasons and assistant track coach for distance events for four years. She received her bachelor's degree in 2007 from Hampton University and master's in public administration from West Chester University in 2012.

"I am honored to be given the opportunity to lead the University of Oklahoma men's and women's cross country team and track and field distance program," said Darden. "I look forward to building this program and I believe that my experiences over the past 12 years will help me guide OU distance into a new era. I would like to thank Mr. Castiglione and Mr. (Zac) Selmon for showing confidence in my abilities. I'm very excited to be joining the OU family."

In her time at Southern, Darden coached 20 student-athletes to top-three finishes at the Southwestern Athletic Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships, including two conference champions in Terralicia Mercadel (2018, 400m) and John Haynes (2015, 800m). In 2015, Darden helped Southern freshman Andrew Martinez finish eighth at the SWAC Cross Country Championships.

During her three seasons as head cross country coach, 13 student-athletes made the SWAC All-Academic Team.

Prior to Southern, Darden held the title of head cross country and track and field coach at Neumann University in Aston, Pa. At Neumann, she coached triple jumper Kyree Willis-Lear to a 16th-place finish at the 2014 NCAA D-III Outdoor Championships.

Before her arrival at Neumann, Darden was an assistant at West Chester (Pa.) University for three seasons and a high school and club team coach for four years.

The Norristown, Pa., native is a USATF certified coach and holds two Level II certifications in endurance and sprints and hurdles and relays. Also, in 2014 Darden received a USTFCCCA certification as a jump, strength and conditioning coach.

As a student-athlete Darden was a letter winner at Hampton University, where she helped the Pirates to a combined nine indoor and outdoor Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference team championships as a distance runner.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma track and field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Add Darden to Track, Cross Country Staff

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