Men's Track & Field
- Title:
- Associate Director of Track and Field
- Email:
- avery.anderson@csun.edu
- Phone:
- 2228
2017 Big West Conference Women's Track & Field Coach of the Year
2015 Big West Conference Women's Track & Field Coach of the Year
13 Big West/WAC Conference Championship Team Titles
2 Individual NCAA National Champions
21 NCAA All-Americans
50+ NCAA Championship Qualifiers
75+ Big West Conference Individual Champions
Avery Anderson is in his 6th season as the Head Coach of the CSUN men's and women's track & field and cross country programs. The 2017 season represents the 14th overall that Anderson has been a part of the coaching staff at CSUN.
Anderson brings to the Matadors a great deal of success at the highest levels of athletics. As a two-sport standout, Anderson played as a wide receiver in the NFL and competed at the world-class level as a decathlete. Since arriving at CSUN, his penchant for success has helped the Matador track & field program to unprecedented levels.
He has coached two NCAA Champions, including 2007 NCAA Long Jump Champion Dashalle Andrews who became the first individual men's NCAA Champion in CSUN history. The following spring in March 2008, Anderson coached freshman long jumper Reindell Cole to the NCAA Indoor National Championship, giving CSUN back-to-back national champions in the same event.
Under Anderson's watch, the CSUN women's track & field program captured the 2011, 2015 and 2017 Big West Outdoor Championships. The most recent women's victory in 2017 extends the program's record for the most team championships on either the men's or women's side. In 2017, senior Lexis Lambert was named the Big West Track Athlete of the Year. In 2015, junior Marie Veale was named Women's Athlete of the Meet while senior Carl Horsley earned the award on the men's side.
On the women's side, Anderson's work with CSUN sprint student-athletes is outstanding, as he has coached 15 Big West Champions in the 100m, 200m and 400m. The Matadors have dominated the 4x100m and 4x400m relays in his tenure, winning each event seven times at the Big West Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In 2011, the 4x100 relay set a Big Wst Conference Championship meet record in a time of 44.43. He has also coached four Big West heptathlon champions and six Big West Women's long jump champions since coming to CSUN in 2005.
On the men's side, Anderson's sprinters have won seven of the past nine Big West Championships in the 100m dash, including three-time winner Carl Horsley. That dominance extends to the 200m, where CSUN has won six of the past eight Big West Championships and Horsley was another three-time Champion. In fact, Horsley was a four-time All-American while working with Anderson and was the 2013 Big West Track Athlete of the Year and the 2011 Big West Freshman of the Year. Xavier Brown continued CSUN's dominance in the sprints by winning the 100m dash title as a freshman in 2017.
Like the women, the men's 4x100m relay team has had great success under Anderson and entered 2016 having won eight of the last 10 Big West Championships. Anderson has coached five Big West Champions in the men's long jump, including a two-time winner in Cole.
In 2009 the Matadors enjoyed one of their most successful track & field seasons as both the men's and women's teams easily outpaced their competition at the Big West Conference Championship meet. The men's team captured the title by scoring 176.5 points, 40 points more than it's closest competitor. Not to be outdone, the women's team scored 198 points to capture the title, winning by 83 points over the second place team. Student-athletes coached by Anderson accounted for 127 of the 176 points scored for the men's team, and 163 of the 198 points scored for the women's team, and won 13 events at the meet.
2009 also saw sophomore Reindell Cole post the top mark in the NCAA in the Long Jump with a leap of 26' 11.75". Cole, who won the Texas Relays crown, was part of a trio of Matadors coached by Anderson to earn Athlete of the Meet honors at the Cal/Nevada Championships. Along with De'Shawn Waters and Sherrina Lofton, the Matadors garnered 3 of the 4 athlete of the meet honors.
"My mission is to develop successful young people. Not just on the track, but in the classroom, your career path, life, everywhere." says Anderson. "And that carries over to the track. I'm determined to develop athletes of all levels to compete at the highest level. That's why you see CSUN student-athletes winning National Championships and conference titles. You may or may not have been the best coming here, but our goal is to help you develop into the best by the time you leave here. This is a culture of success where our student-athletes will be supported to achieve anything in life."
In his time at CSUN as both an assistant and head coach, Anderson has coached individual student-athletes to the NCAA National Championships in the 100, 200, 400, hurdles, long jump, triple jump, high jump and multi events.
Anderson first came to CSUN as a volunteer assistant coach during the 1999-2001 seasons while competing as a decathlete. He still owns the CSUN complex record in the decathlon, which he set in 2000 to qualify for the US Olympic Trials. Anderson finished 7th in the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials in the decathlon and then went on to compete internationally for the United States in 2001 as part of the U.S. vs. Germany decathlon competition in Germany.
After his first coaching stint at CSUN, Anderson worked as a volunteer assistant at Kansas State (2002-2004) and UCLA (2001-2002).
A graduate of UCLA, Anderson earned his degree in political science while competing in football and track. He was an All PAC-10 performer in the 110 hurdles, high jump and sprint relays and helped the Bruins win Pac-10 championships in all four years between 1993-1996. Anderson also played wide receiver at UCLA from 1991-1995. He lists his favorite moment as winning the PAC-10 Championships over USC in the Coliseum, and playing in the 1994 Rose Bowl.
After graduation, Anderson played wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts from 1996-1997 before a back injury ended his career and he returned to the sport of track & field.
As a high school student-athlete, Anderson was the #1 ranked high school high jumper in the United States in 1991. That season he went on to win the California state meet and post a personal best of 7’ 3”.
Anderson, who preaches academic excellence to his student-athletes, not only talks the talk but walks the walk as he earned his Master's Degree with Honors in Public Administration from CSUN in 2017.
Anderson married the former Bridget Pearson, who coaches the Matador pole vaulters and assists with the multi events. The couple are proud parents of their son, Andy, and daughter, Avery.
