Completed Event: Track & Field versus NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 10, 2026 , , M: NTS | W: T-24th (11)
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Final
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vs NCAA Outdoor Championships
Wilbourn Adds Cheyenne Nesbitt to Coaching Staff
7/13/2026 12:00:00 PM | Track & Field
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Shawn Wilbourn announced the addition of Cheyenne Nesbitt to the coaching staff ahead of the 2026-27 season. Nesbitt will coach jumps and combined events, in addition to serving as the Blue Devils' director of operations.
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"We are excited to welcome Cheyenne to our staff," said Wilbourn. "Cheyenne is an up-and-coming track & field coach and one of the most decorated multi-event athletes in NCAA Division II history. Her elite competitive experience, combined with her Division I coaching expertise, makes her an outstanding addition to the program."
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Nesbitt comes to Durham following two seasons (2024-26) as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she coached the combined events, hurdles and jumps while assisting with the program's daily operations and recruiting efforts. At Illinois, Nesbitt worked alongside Illini Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Petros Kyprianou and helped mentor several Big Ten and NCAA champions, national and conference medalists and multiple All-America and all-conference performers, including Sophia Beckmon, Kam Garrett, JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, Tacoria Humphrey, Meagan Humphries, Jonathan Kapitolnik, Lucie Kienast, Viktor Morozov, Luke Pelkmans, Rafael Raap, Bara Sajdokova, Melissa Wullschleger and Rose Yeboah.
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"I'm honored to join the Duke track and field program and grateful to Coach Wilbourn for this opportunity," said Nesbitt. "Transitioning from competing to coaching is an exciting new chapter. I'm thankful to bring the perspective I've gained as both a student-athlete and post-collegiate athlete. I look forward to learning from an exceptional staff, building meaningful relationships with our student-athletes and contributing to a culture that values excellence, growth and character both on and off the track."
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Prior to joining the Illinois coaching staff, Nesbitt was a standout student-athlete at Saginaw Valley State University, where she turned in one of the most decorated careers in program history. While competing for the Cardinals from 2019-2023, Nesbitt was a 10-time NCAA Division II national champion, 17-time All-American and four-time United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Field Athlete of the Year. She won four consecutive individual titles in the outdoor heptathlon – the first women's track and field athlete in Division II history to accomplish the feat, while also claiming NCAA championships in the high jump (2023), pentathlon (2021, 2022), 60-meter hurdles (2021), long jump (2021) and as part of the 4x400-meter relay (2021).
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A four-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Field Athlete of the Year, 2024 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Scholar Athlete of the Year and two-time GLIAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year during her time with the Cardinals, Nesbitt graduated from Saginaw Valley State in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education with a focus in English language arts.Â
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In addition to her accomplished career at SVSU, Nesbitt has enjoyed success with USA Track and Field (USATF). She won the 2024 USA Indoor Pentathlon title at the USATF Indoor Combined Events Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana, placed 11th in the heptathlon at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials and has represented Team USA at the Thorpe Cup in 2022 and 2024.
#GoDuke
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"We are excited to welcome Cheyenne to our staff," said Wilbourn. "Cheyenne is an up-and-coming track & field coach and one of the most decorated multi-event athletes in NCAA Division II history. Her elite competitive experience, combined with her Division I coaching expertise, makes her an outstanding addition to the program."
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Nesbitt comes to Durham following two seasons (2024-26) as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she coached the combined events, hurdles and jumps while assisting with the program's daily operations and recruiting efforts. At Illinois, Nesbitt worked alongside Illini Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Petros Kyprianou and helped mentor several Big Ten and NCAA champions, national and conference medalists and multiple All-America and all-conference performers, including Sophia Beckmon, Kam Garrett, JaiCieonna Gero-Holt, Tacoria Humphrey, Meagan Humphries, Jonathan Kapitolnik, Lucie Kienast, Viktor Morozov, Luke Pelkmans, Rafael Raap, Bara Sajdokova, Melissa Wullschleger and Rose Yeboah.
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"I'm honored to join the Duke track and field program and grateful to Coach Wilbourn for this opportunity," said Nesbitt. "Transitioning from competing to coaching is an exciting new chapter. I'm thankful to bring the perspective I've gained as both a student-athlete and post-collegiate athlete. I look forward to learning from an exceptional staff, building meaningful relationships with our student-athletes and contributing to a culture that values excellence, growth and character both on and off the track."
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Prior to joining the Illinois coaching staff, Nesbitt was a standout student-athlete at Saginaw Valley State University, where she turned in one of the most decorated careers in program history. While competing for the Cardinals from 2019-2023, Nesbitt was a 10-time NCAA Division II national champion, 17-time All-American and four-time United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Field Athlete of the Year. She won four consecutive individual titles in the outdoor heptathlon – the first women's track and field athlete in Division II history to accomplish the feat, while also claiming NCAA championships in the high jump (2023), pentathlon (2021, 2022), 60-meter hurdles (2021), long jump (2021) and as part of the 4x400-meter relay (2021).
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A four-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Field Athlete of the Year, 2024 Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Scholar Athlete of the Year and two-time GLIAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year during her time with the Cardinals, Nesbitt graduated from Saginaw Valley State in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education with a focus in English language arts.Â
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In addition to her accomplished career at SVSU, Nesbitt has enjoyed success with USA Track and Field (USATF). She won the 2024 USA Indoor Pentathlon title at the USATF Indoor Combined Events Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana, placed 11th in the heptathlon at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials and has represented Team USA at the Thorpe Cup in 2022 and 2024.
#GoDuke
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