Upcoming Event: Cross Country at Aggie Duels (Men) on September 5, 2025 at 8:15 a.m. CT
8:15 a.m. CT
Cross Country
at Aggie Duels (Men)
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Cross Country
Weaver, Jay
Jay Weaver
- Title:
- Co-Head Cross Country Coach, Assistant Coach - Distance
- Email:
- weaverjc@ou.edu
Jay Weaver was named Co-Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track and Field Coach for distance in January 2024. He previously served as the Director of Operations, Recruitment, and Staff Development for the track and field and cross country programs since January 2022. He enters his first cross country season as head of the men's distance program this fall. During the track and field season, Weaver's men's distance crew earned five Big 12 All-Conference honors, two qualified for the NCAA West First Rounds and Thobias Cheruiyot broke a school record.
Weaver was responsible for the recruitment of two powerhouse additions to the men's distance squad; Thobias Cheruiyot and Dominic Serem. Cheruiyot, who broke the 10,000-meter run school record at the Stanford Invite, also posted a fifth-place finish in the 5,000-meter at the Big 12 Indoor Championship. Cheruiyot would go on to finish 13th in the 10,000m at the NCAA West First Rounds, just one spot out of qualification for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Cheruiyot ranks No. 6 (5,000-meter) and No. 1 (10,000-meter) in OU outdoor history, and No. 5 (5,000-meter) in OU indoor history. Weaver also assisted newcomers Dominic Serem to fourth in the 3,000m and Nicholas Young to sixth place in the mile at the Big 12 Indoor Championship. Serem also finished 14th in the 1,500-meter at the NCAA West First Rounds, only two spots out of qualification for the national championship. He also ranks No. 7 in the 5,000-meter and No. 3 in the 1,500m on OU's outdoor list and No. 6 (3,000m) on the indoor list.
Over the summer, Weaver worked with student-athletes participating in national and international competitions in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the Canadian trials, he coached graduate Nicholas Young to the 1,500m semifinal where he would ultimately finish 21st.
Prior to joining the Sooners, Weaver spent three years at Utah State where he served as the Director of Operations, Recruiting Coordinator, and an assistant Cross Country and Track coach with the Utah State University men’s and women teams under the tutelage of Director of Track & Field Matt Ingebritsen and Head Cross Country Coach Artie Gulden.
While at Utah State on the men’s side the cross country teams earned and place 11th overall finish at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships following up a 16th place finish in 2019. The 2020 performance was highlighted by an All-American performance (28th place) from Caleb Garnica who also captured the Aggie’s Mountain West Conference individual title earning him Men’s Student-Athlete of the year. In addition to their performance at NCAA’s the 2019 men’s cross country team captured its first-ever Mountain West team and individual titles led by Dallin Farnsworth which also saw Head Coach Artie Gulden named MW Coach of the Year.
On the women’s side, the 2021 ladies cross country team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the second time ever in program history finishing 28th. In 2020 Katie Haviland received an individual at-large bid to NCAA’s where she placed 43rd, narrowly missing out on an All-American citation.
Prior to joining Utah State, Weaver served as the Director of Operations for the men’s and women’s track & field and cross country programs at Princeton University. While at Princeton, the men’s program won the Ivy League triple crown (Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor). The men’s cross country team were crowned Mid-Atlantic Region champions and received an automatic qualifying bid for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.
In the three years preceding his joining Princeton, Weaver worked as the Assistant Director of Game Operations and Event Management for Olympic sports at Appalachian State University. Prior to Weaver moving into athletic administration, he also worked as a volunteer coach with the cross country and track programs at Appalachian State. In his two-year stint as a volunteer coach, Weaver coached six first-team all-conference performers, two NCAA East Preliminary Championships qualifiers, and two USATF junior outdoor championship qualifiers.
Outside of his work in the college ranks Weaver also assists Utah State Head Coach Artie Gulden in working with professional athlete Dillon Maggard. Maggard most recently ran the 16th fastest 5000m time ever by an American athlete clocking in at 13:13.62. Maggard was also a qualifier for the 2020 Olympic trials where he competed in the 10000m and 1500m distances. He has gone on to represent Team USA twice in the Pan American Cross Country Championships where he finished 4th in 2019 and serves as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater where he was a nine time NCAA All-American at Utah State.
A native of North Carolina, Weaver was born into the sports of track & field and cross country. His father, John, was a long-serving coach of Appalachian State (42 years), both as the head women’s coach and eventually the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country once the programs combined. In December, John was inducted into the 2021 USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame.
As an athlete, Weaver was a part of the back-to-back-to-back Southern Conference Championship triple crown winning teams with Appalachian State amassing a total of 10 of the 12 conference championships during that period.
In 2012, Weaver graduated from Appalachian State with a bachelor’s of science degree in health and exercise psychology. He then went on to earn a master’s degree in higher education – university leadership and administration from Appalachian State.
Weaver was responsible for the recruitment of two powerhouse additions to the men's distance squad; Thobias Cheruiyot and Dominic Serem. Cheruiyot, who broke the 10,000-meter run school record at the Stanford Invite, also posted a fifth-place finish in the 5,000-meter at the Big 12 Indoor Championship. Cheruiyot would go on to finish 13th in the 10,000m at the NCAA West First Rounds, just one spot out of qualification for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Cheruiyot ranks No. 6 (5,000-meter) and No. 1 (10,000-meter) in OU outdoor history, and No. 5 (5,000-meter) in OU indoor history. Weaver also assisted newcomers Dominic Serem to fourth in the 3,000m and Nicholas Young to sixth place in the mile at the Big 12 Indoor Championship. Serem also finished 14th in the 1,500-meter at the NCAA West First Rounds, only two spots out of qualification for the national championship. He also ranks No. 7 in the 5,000-meter and No. 3 in the 1,500m on OU's outdoor list and No. 6 (3,000m) on the indoor list.
Over the summer, Weaver worked with student-athletes participating in national and international competitions in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the Canadian trials, he coached graduate Nicholas Young to the 1,500m semifinal where he would ultimately finish 21st.
Prior to joining the Sooners, Weaver spent three years at Utah State where he served as the Director of Operations, Recruiting Coordinator, and an assistant Cross Country and Track coach with the Utah State University men’s and women teams under the tutelage of Director of Track & Field Matt Ingebritsen and Head Cross Country Coach Artie Gulden.
While at Utah State on the men’s side the cross country teams earned and place 11th overall finish at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships following up a 16th place finish in 2019. The 2020 performance was highlighted by an All-American performance (28th place) from Caleb Garnica who also captured the Aggie’s Mountain West Conference individual title earning him Men’s Student-Athlete of the year. In addition to their performance at NCAA’s the 2019 men’s cross country team captured its first-ever Mountain West team and individual titles led by Dallin Farnsworth which also saw Head Coach Artie Gulden named MW Coach of the Year.
On the women’s side, the 2021 ladies cross country team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the second time ever in program history finishing 28th. In 2020 Katie Haviland received an individual at-large bid to NCAA’s where she placed 43rd, narrowly missing out on an All-American citation.
Prior to joining Utah State, Weaver served as the Director of Operations for the men’s and women’s track & field and cross country programs at Princeton University. While at Princeton, the men’s program won the Ivy League triple crown (Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor). The men’s cross country team were crowned Mid-Atlantic Region champions and received an automatic qualifying bid for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.
In the three years preceding his joining Princeton, Weaver worked as the Assistant Director of Game Operations and Event Management for Olympic sports at Appalachian State University. Prior to Weaver moving into athletic administration, he also worked as a volunteer coach with the cross country and track programs at Appalachian State. In his two-year stint as a volunteer coach, Weaver coached six first-team all-conference performers, two NCAA East Preliminary Championships qualifiers, and two USATF junior outdoor championship qualifiers.
Outside of his work in the college ranks Weaver also assists Utah State Head Coach Artie Gulden in working with professional athlete Dillon Maggard. Maggard most recently ran the 16th fastest 5000m time ever by an American athlete clocking in at 13:13.62. Maggard was also a qualifier for the 2020 Olympic trials where he competed in the 10000m and 1500m distances. He has gone on to represent Team USA twice in the Pan American Cross Country Championships where he finished 4th in 2019 and serves as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater where he was a nine time NCAA All-American at Utah State.
A native of North Carolina, Weaver was born into the sports of track & field and cross country. His father, John, was a long-serving coach of Appalachian State (42 years), both as the head women’s coach and eventually the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country once the programs combined. In December, John was inducted into the 2021 USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame.
As an athlete, Weaver was a part of the back-to-back-to-back Southern Conference Championship triple crown winning teams with Appalachian State amassing a total of 10 of the 12 conference championships during that period.
In 2012, Weaver graduated from Appalachian State with a bachelor’s of science degree in health and exercise psychology. He then went on to earn a master’s degree in higher education – university leadership and administration from Appalachian State.
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