Gabriel Crawford enters his first season as Assistant Coach for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field programs, where he assists in all areas of training, recruiting, and athlete development across multiple event groups.
Crawford joins UAPB following an impressive tenure as Head Coach at Highland Community College (Kan.), where he led both the men’s and women’s programs and quickly elevated their competitive profile. Known for his versatility in coaching sprints, hurdles, mid-distance, distance, jumps, and relays, he expanded Highland’s roster from 25 to 55 student-athletes in just two months and guided the men’s program to its highest national ranking in school history at No. 14. His coaching résumé includes 33 JUCO National Qualifiers, 4 JUCO All-Americans, 6 Academic All-Americans, 14 active school record holders, a JUCO All-American 4x100 relay (40.28), and athletes who qualified for the Jamaica Olympic Trials (46.73) and the U20 100m Championships (11.70).
Crawford oversaw the breaking of numerous historic program records, including five that stood since 1999, while leading both men’s and women’s relay units to national prominence — highlighted by consecutive Top-10 national finishes in the women’s 4x100 and a Top-8 national finish for the men’s relay. He has coached standout individual performances in the 60m (6.56, #2 all-time in JUCO history and a former #1 national JUCO ranking), 200m indoor (21.57), 400m (46.73 outdoor / 47.48 indoor; Top-6 national finisher), and 800m indoor (1:51.71), and his sprint group achieved a Top-25 world ranking in the 60m among professional competitors — a rare accomplishment at the JUCO level.
A Conway, Ark. native, Crawford graduated from Conway High School in 2019 before competing in the 800m, 400m, and 4x400m relay at Mississippi Valley State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation with a 3.82 GPA and was recognized as both MVP and Athlete of the Year. He trained under three-time All-American and former SEC 400m Champion Alonzo Banks and holds a USATF Level 1 coaching certification.
