Tennessee track and field coach Duane Ross agrees to 1-year contract extension

Tennessee track and field coach Duane Ross agreed to a one-year contract extension after his first year with the program.

Ross' contract now runs through the 2027-28 season. In Ross' first season, the men's and women's teams totaled 15 school records, 32 All-American honors and 22 SEC medals during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Both teams secured top five finishes at both SEC competitions for the first time since 2008.

The contract extension did not include a change in salary. It only adds another year to Ross' existing signed agreement – which pays him $450,000 annually to oversee both track programs – according to a Tennessee spokesperson.

"In just one season, Duane has started building the foundation to restore our track & field program as one of the nation's truly elite programs," athletics director Danny White said in a school release. "It was an encouraging sign of progress to see both programs finish in the top five at both SEC championship events for the first time since 2008, and watching our women's program place in the top-10 nationally at indoors and outdoors for the first time since 2009 was eye-opening."

Before Ross was hired at Tennessee, he spent 10 years leading the North Carolina A&T track and field program. Ross' athletes have won 175 All-American honors, 19 individual/relay NCAA championships, eight top-10 NCAA team finishes and 204 individual/relay conference titles in his coaching career.

The Lady Vols placed in the top 10 at both national meets for the first time since 2009. They placed seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March and tied for 10th at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June.

The Vols ranked No. 9 in the USTFCCCA Division I Program of the Year standings. It's the highest finish for Tennessee since the inception of the award, which combines postseason results from cross country, indoor and outdoor track.

Ross coached junior sprinter Jacious Sears to USTFCCCA South Region Track Athlete of the Year honors during the 2023 outdoor season. Sears posted a team-high 11 points for the Lady Vols at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and won the SEC Commissioner's trophy. Sears also set a school records in the 100 meters at 10.96 seconds and the 60 at 7.11. Her personal-best of 7.04 in the 60 at the Indoor NCAA Championships is the second fastest in collegiate history.

Charisma Taylor was also a standout for the Lady Vols, collecting seven All-American honors during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Four of Taylor's All-American honors were won at the outdoor national championships, placing top-16 in four events.

"Our first year here in Knoxville has been special, and we're just getting started," Ross said in a school release. "The support from Danny White, Marcus Hilliard and the Tennessee administration has been nothing short of incredible. With a strong foundation in place, we are committed to continue building this program into a national championship contender."

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Distance runner Dylan Jacobs earned USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year. He set SEC records and all-time top five marks in the 3,000 and 5,000 during the indoor season and won SEC titles in the 3K and DMR, ending his season with a 5K national title.

Jacobs and sprinter Devon Brooks both won outdoor conference titles in the 5,000 and 110 hurdles, respectively. Ross also coached sprinter Emmanuel Bynum to a third-place finish in the 400 at the outdoor national meet. The Vols placed 22nd at the outdoor national meet.