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2013 Track and Field Media Guide
26 Olympians Produced
15 Individual National Champions
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Sprints Coach Chidi Enyia
Chidi Enyia
Sprints Coach
Third Year
Illinois State (‘02)
Chidi Enyia is in his third season as the sprints coach at
Southern Illinois. Enyia served as a volunteer assistant
with the Salukis during the 2009-10 season.
In the 2011-12 season, Enyia’s sprinters contributed to
the Men’s indoor Missouri Valley Conference title as
Jeremy Bankston was part of the champion distance
medley team and former walk-on Dominic Williams was
All-Conference placing 3rd in the 200m. During both
seasons, 14 of his athletes landed in the top-ten of SIU’s
record books for their individual performances. Junior
Tess Shubert in the 400m hurdles and Freshman Amiris
Warren in the 100m also qualified for the NCAAWest
Regional finishing 25th and 22nd respectively out of 48
competitors.
In his first season at SIU Enyia saw success in both the
indoor and outdoor seasons. During the indoor season,
Enyia coached the men’s distance medley relay team to a
Missouri Valley Conference title. The men’s 4x400 relay
team also received All-MVC honors. Meredith Hayes
became the 3-time MVC Indoor Event Champion and
record holder in the 60m Hurdles as well as being named
an All-MVC performer.
Under Enyia’s direction, Hayes, Deloney and Tredene
Gant took MVC Outdoor titles in the 100m hurdles,
400m hurdles and 200m respectively as well as qualify-
ing for the NCAAWest Regional. Hayes became the
new SIU record holder in the 100-meter hurdles posting
a time of 13:39.
In 2007, Enyia founded the USATF/AAU affiliated,
Flight Track Club out of Frankfort, Ill. Serving as head
coach, Enyia focused on coaching the sprints, hurdles,
horizontal jumps and the middle distance events. In just
three summer seasons, he had 16 individuals and seven
relay teams qualify for the USATF Junior Olympics and
Youth National meets. Two of his qualifiers and three of
his relay teams finished as All-Americans. In the sum-
mer of 2009, Enyia’s 100m and 400H qualified for the
USATF World Youth Trials held at Eastern Michigan
University.
In 2006-08, Enyia was the sprints and horizontal jumps
coach at Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort, Ill.
In his two and a half seasons at LWE, the Griffins broke
19 school records under Enyia’s guidance. Enyia had six
individuals and eight relays qualify for the Illinois High
School Outdoor State meet. He had two all-state individ-
uals in the boy’s 100m and 200m as well as an all-state
4x400 relay team.
Enyia played football at Illinois State, where he gradu-
ated from in 2002 with a Bachelor’s of Science degree.
After graduation, Enyia ran with the God Speed Track
Club out of California from 2003-04.
He is a USATF Level I Certified Track and Field Coach
and has over 15 years experience in performance en-
hancement consulting numerous athletes worldwide
from youth to emerging elite in multiple sports.
He was born in DeKalb, Ill., and graduated from Crete-
Monee High School in Crete, Ill. in 1997. Enyia is a
first-generation American, as his parents come from
Nigeria.
Enyia is currently completing a Masters in Exercise Sci-
ence from Southern Illinois.