CHANDLER JOINS REBEL TRACK & FIELD STAFF
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Heading into the new year and preparing for the next meet of the indoor season, the UNLV Track & Field team announced the addition of Caisja Chandler to their staff. Chandler joins the Rebels as an Executive Assistant to the Head Coach, the program’s second support staff member of the title that they’ve added during the current academic year.
Chandler hails as a recent graduate from USC, having performed an impressive one season in Southern California as a graduate transfer from Cincinnati. While with the Trojans, she was an NCAA DI All-American at both the 2023 NCAA Indoor Championships and 2023 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the women’s 200m. A Pac-12 Champion in two different events (200m and 4x400m relay), she also made a splash outside of college athletics at the 2023 USATF Outdoor Championships over this past summer. Competing in multiple events, her highlight came through the women’s 200m where she reached the semifinal round of the event.
Before arriving at USC, Chandler had become one of the most accomplished student-athletes in Cincinnati track & field history in her four years, starting with her freshman year where she was honored as the American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Freshman of the Year in 2019. While with the Bearcats, she set six different program records while collecting a top-three finish at the American Championships (both indoor and outdoor) 12 times. She also found success outside of college athletics in her sport at the Pan American U20 Championships, helping push the USA 4x100m relay to a gold-medal finish in the event.
“I was able to coach Caisja during her last season as a collegiate athlete.” mentioned head coach Carmelita Jeter, “She was able to achieve many goals and dreams she had set out for herself in the track and field world. Having her here with me at UNLV as she prepares for [the Olympics in] Paris 2024, I know that the women of UNLV can use her energy and watch her intensity on the track and translate it to their own event area. She will be extremely helpful to motivate them on the difficult days and being closer to their age, as well as just finishing at competing at the NCAA level, she can truly let them know how it feels to be in the trenches of war.”
Chandler joins UNLV just around a month after the program announced the hire of Jalyn Jackson, another USC track & field alumni added to the staff. The Rebels will continue the indoor season with their next meet in Spokane, Wash., competing in the Spokane Sports Showcase by The Podium on Friday, Jan. 12.
