Clarksville, TN – TJ Pride, who has worn a variety of hats during his time as an assistant coach for Austin Peay State University (APSU) track and field and helped the Govs win the 2020 Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championships, has been elevated to associate head coach.
The move comes courtesy of head coach Valerie Brown, whose recently-announced extension will keep her at Austin Peay State University through 2023.
“I am excited to elevate Coach Pride to associate head coach, as it more clearly reflects his role within our program,” Brown said. “TJ has been such an important part of our program, including team success in the classroom, in our community, and of course in helping us win an OVC title.”
“He is a selfless teammate who brings a lot of passion and willingness to better every student-athlete within our program. It gives me great pleasure to honor Coach Pride with this promotion for his continued efforts in bettering this program; this title change is very well-deserved,” Brown stated.
During his tenure with the Governors, Pride has coached a multitude of events, including working with the jumpers, pole vaulters, and hurdlers. Since joining the program in 2018, Pride has worked with 10 individual OVC champions, with Savannah Amato (pole vault), Maya Perry-Grimes (long/triple jump), Karlijn Schouten (pole vault) and Lennex Walker (hurdles) earning multiple titles during that time. During Pride’s tenure, 14 different program top-10 marks have been set across the indoor and outdoor hurdles, jumps and pole vault.
Just at the 2021 OVC Outdoor Championships, Pride was an instrumental part of the development of both Schouten, who set the OVC Outdoor Championship meet record in the pole vault, and Hill-Tate, who won Austin Peay State University’s first high jump title since 2014.
