Olympic gold medalist David Neville is in his second season leading the Georgia Southern Track & Field and Cross Country programs.
Year one saw the Eagles break four school records and post 15 top-10 performances during the indoor season and 16 top-10 performances during the outdoor campaign. The Eagles finished fifth at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships, their best finish since joining the league prior to the 2014-15 season.
Neville came to Statesboro from Rocky Top, where he spent five seasons as an assistant coach for sprints, hurdles and relays at the University of Tennessee.Â
Neville guided Tennessee athletes to 48 All-America honors and eight program records across sprints, hurdles and relays. Mustaqeem Williams stands out as a three-time SEC Champion in the 200m dash. Nathan Strother (400m) and Shania Collins (100m) also set program records under Neville's guidance in 2018.
Joella Lloyd twice earned All-America honors for the Vols during the 2022 season, taking first-team honors in the 200m in a time of 22.80, while also taking second-team honors in the 100m in a time of 11.29. The Vols also earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 4x400m relay. The men's team took third at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, its highest finish since 2002. The men's 4x100m relay team earned first-team All-American honors and Favour Ashe earned first-team honors in the 100m. The Vols also placed third at the Men's NCAA Indoor Championships as well in 2022.
In 2021, Lloyd took home the SEC 60m title from the indoor conference meet and tied the program record ( 7.15). Lloyd finished sixth at the NCAA Indoor Championships to earn first-team All-America honors and went on to represent Antigua and Barbuda in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming just the third Lady Vol track and field Olympian to run the 100m at the Games.
On the men's side, the 4x400m Relay quartet of Sebastian Cooper, Christopher Bailey, Emmanuel Bynum and Jonathan Sacoor won the Indoor SEC conference title with a then world-leading mark of 3:04.08. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, the foursome placed third to capture first-team All-America honors.
Prior to his arrival in Knoxville, Neville served as head coach of the track & field program at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, for three seasons. He produced 106 NAIA indoor and outdoor national championship qualifiers, while the Trojans broke 30 school records and earned 30 NAIA All-American honors.
A native of Merrillville, Indiana, Neville enjoyed a distinguished professional track a career that was highlighted by a gold medal for the United States in the men's 4x400 and a bronze in the men's 400 meters at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Neville also won gold in the 400 meters at the 2008 Indoor USA Championships and earned bronze in the 400 meters at the 2006 USA Championships and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
He was a six-time Big Ten champion and five-time NCAA All-American at Indiana University from 2004-06. He set program records for the 200 meters, 400 meters, 4x400 and distance medley relay and was named the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.Â
Neville opted to forgo his senior season and signed a professional contract with Team Nike. He completed his bachelor's degree in music education at Indiana in 2007. He and his wife, Arial, are parents to a daughter, Acaia, and a son, David.
THE NEVILLE FILE COACHING EXPERIENCEÂ
• 2014-17: Taylor University, Head Coach
• 2017-22: Tennessee, Assistant Coach
• 2022-present: Georgia Southern, Head Coach
COACHING BY THE NUMBERSÂ
• 48 NCAA All-America Honors
• 30 NAIA All-America Honors
• 38 Program Records (four at Georgia Southern)
• 5 SEC Individual Championships
• 2 Sun Belt Individual Championships
• 1 Olympian
CAREER COMPETITIVE HIGHLIGHTS
• Olympic Gold Medalist (2008 Beijing, 4x400)
• Olympic Bronze Medalist (2008 Beijing, 400m)
• 2008 USATF Indoor Champion (400m)
• Six-time Big Ten Champion
• Five-time NCAA All-American
• Four-time Indiana School Record Holder (200m, 400m, 4x400, DMR)
• 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
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