Hampton University Athletics

Maurice Pierce enters his 27th season with the Hampton University track & field and cross country programs, and his 15th as the Director of Track & Field in 2025-26. Pierce now oversees both the men’s and women’s cross country and track & field teams. Before stepping into this role, Pierce spent 10 years as head coach of the Lady Pirates, building a perennial conference power.
 
Prior to that, Pierce spent four years at Hampton as an assistant.
 
In his years at the helm of the women’s program, Pierce has guided the Lady Pirates to four MEAC cross country titles (2004, 2006, 2010, 2011), 13 MEAC indoor championships (2003-09, 2011-16), 10 MEAC outdoor titles (2003-04, 06-10, 2012-14), one Big South indoor title (2019), one Big South outdoor title (2019) and one Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) indoor title (2025). 

With the men, Pierce's teams have won one MEAC outdoor title (2013), one MEAC indoor crown (2014), one Big South indoor title (2019) and one Big South outdoor championship (2019). All total, Pierce has won 34 conference titles in his Hampton tenure.

The Pirates made the move from the Big South Conference to the CAA in the 2022-23 season and the women's team took second place at the indoor and outdoor championships. In year three, the Hampton women's team captured the first CAA Championship in any sport in February 2025. During the outdoor season of 2025, the women's team took second at the CAA Championship.

Inthe 2022-23 season, Dugion Blackman earned All-America honors in the men's 800 meters, while Leo Davis took All-America honors in 2024 also in the men's 800 meters.

The 2018-19 seasons marked the first time that Hampton competed in the Big South Conference and his track teams made a statement as both teams swept the track titles winning indoor and outdoor crowns.  Pierce was selected as the Coach of the Year for both indoor teams and the women's outdoor.   It was the second double sweep for Hampton in school history.

Junior Jaelen Williams repeated his finish as a freshman taking 12th and earned Second Team All-America honors from the U.S. Tracn and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) in the 400 hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Nationals in Austin, Texas.  He broke the Big South meet records in his semifinal and final heats at the May championships.

In the 2017-18 season, freshman Wesley Kirui took Honorable Mention All-American honors in the 3000 meter steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon.  This was the first time Hampton had an All-American in the steeplechase.

Pierce led freshman Jaelen Williams to Second Team All-America honors from USTFCCCA with his 12^th-place finish at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships during the 2017 season. Williams won the 400-meter hurdles at the MEAC Outdoor and IC4A Championships.

The 2015-16 season saw two Pirates earn a total of four All-America honors from the USTFCCCA. Trey Holloway took first team in the 60-meter hurdles indoors and 110-meter hurdles outdoors, while Ce’aira Brown took first team honors in the indoor 800-meters and honorable mention in the outdoor 800,

In 2014-15, the Lady Pirates took home yet another MEAC indoor crown. In addition, four Hampton student-athletes earned All-America honors from the USTFCCCA during the indoor season: Trey Holloway (First Team), Edose Ibadin, Ce'aira Brown, and Le'Quisha Parker (Second Team).

Chidi Okezie and Holloway were Second Team All-Americans during the outdoor season, while Parker earned Honorable Mention accolades.
 
The Pirates also won the MEAC outdoor title in 2013, their first under Pierce’s direction. It was also the Pirates’ first outright MEAC track & field crown since 2003. In addition, Pierce guided the Pirates to the 2014 MEAC indoor championship, their first indoor title since 2003.
 
The Lady Pirates have won five individual NCAA championships in Pierce’s tenure, including three from Francena McCorory in the 400-meter dash. McCorory won both the indoor and outdoor titles during the 2009-10 season, setting the American record in the indoor 400-meter dash with a 50.54. McCorory’s exploits earned her Indoor Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year honors from the USTFCCCA.
 
In addition to the Lady Pirates sweeping the MEAC indoor and outdoor crowns in 2013-14 – and the Pirates claiming the MEAC indoor crown – Pierce coached 10 student-athletes to All-America status – including seven on the men’s side. Trey Holloway was a First Team honoree in the outdoor 110-meter hurdles, while Je’Von Hutchison, Edose Ibadin, Paris Reddick-Simmons, and Chidi Okezie were each Second Team honorees in the outdoor 4x400-meter relay.
 
On the women’s side, Teiara Denmark was a Second Team honoree in the indoor long jump and Ce’aira Brown was named Second Team in the outdoor 800-meter run.
 
The Lady Pirates swept the MEAC titles in 2011-12, taking their second straight cross country title before winning their second straight MEAC indoor title – their ninth in 10 years. Hampton then won the women’s outdoor track title, their sixth in seven years. It marked the first time since 2006 that the Lady Pirates won all three MEAC championships.
 
Pierce was named Most Outstanding Coach of all three championships.
 
The Lady Pirates captured both the MEAC cross country and indoor track & field championships in 2010-11 before narrowly missing out on capturing the outdoor track & field championship as well. Senior sprinter and hurdler Racquel Vassell advanced to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 100-meter hurdles, earning Second team All-American honors from the USTFCCCA.
 
After leading the cross country team to a third-place finish in the MEAC, Pierce led the Lady Pirates to MEAC titles in both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2008-09, while also coaching Francena McCorory to the third NCAA title in program history. McCorory, who was already a MEAC indoor champion in the 400-meter dash, won the NCAA title in that same event, running a 51.55. McCorory would add a MEAC outdoor crown and an NCAA Regional outdoor title in that same event.
 
Pierce, the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Women’s Head Coach of the Year for the indoor season, was the Most Outstanding Coach in both MEAC meets during the 2008-09 season.
 
After leading the Lady Pirates to a second-place finish in the 2007 MEAC cross country championships behind Maryland Eastern Shore, Pierce led the team to a share of the indoor track &field title with UMES. It was the sixth straight indoor crown for Hampton, which tied with the Lady Hawks with 92 points. The Lady Pirates won seven individual titles throughout the indoor season including freshman Racquel Vassell’s win in the 60-meter dash at the University of Maryland Terrapin Invitational.
 
The dominance continued into the outdoor season, as the Lady Pirates took home their third straight MEAC title. Vassell was named MEAC MVP after winning the 100- and 200-meter dash, while Francena McCorory won the 400-meter dash and Rachel Lewis became an NCAA qualifier in the triple jump.
 
Pierce coached Krystle Medlin to a MEAC cross country individual title in 2006, while four other Lady Pirates made the All-Cross Country Team. Hampton also won indoor and outdoor titles that season, with Yvette Lewis earning MEAC Most Outstanding Female Athlete honors.
 
Lewis and Kellie Wells each competed in the NCAA Championships, with Lewis giving Hampton its first-ever NCAA title in the triple jump. Wells finished seventh in the 60-meter hurdles to earn All-American honors as the Lady Pirates ended the 2006 season ranked in the Top 25 nationally.
 
Pierce also spent the 2005 season as interim head coach of the men’s teams at Hampton, where he helped the 4x400-meter relay team advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Terry Thornton and Andrew Peresta advanced to the NCAA semifinals, while Pierce also guided Lewis and Wells to the NCAA level. Wells became Hampton’s first-ever Division I Indoor All-American when she finished sixth in the 60-meter hurdles.
 
Prior to coming to Hampton, Pierce served as an assistant at Maryland Eastern Shore (1998-99), and as a volunteer assistant at Norfolk State (1995-98). While at UMES, Pierce coached two MEAC champions.
 
While at NSU, Pierce was instrumental in helping the Lady Spartans win two CIAA championships and coached over 15 CIAA champions, four NCAA Division II qualifiers and one Olympian (Rachelle Thomas, 1996-USVI 4x100, 4x400).

A pair of Hampton graduates that he coached were his most recent Olympians as Francena McCorory was a part of two gold medal relay winning teams in London (2012) and Rio (2016), while current assistant coach Yvette Lewis also ran the 110 hurdles in Rio.

Pierce coached David Payne, who competed in the 110-meter hurdles at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and won a silver medal with a time of 13.17. Payne was the first athlete coached by Pierce to win an Olympic medal.
 
Pierce also coached former Hampton star James Carter as a professional hurdler from 2000-04. Carter placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles finals at both the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the 2004 Games in Athens. During the four years Pierce coached Carter, he made two Olympic teams, three World Championships teams, one World Cup Team, and one NACAC U-23 team.  Carter was ranked in the top 10 in the world all four years.
 
In 2004, Pierce also coached Rachelle Boone-Smith on Team USA. Boone-Smith placed second at the 2004 U.S. Indoor Championships and made the World Indoor Championships Team. In 2004, Boone-Smith placed fourth in the 200-meter finals at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.
 
Carter and Payne have each become World Champions under Pierce; Payne was an outdoor champion in 2007, while Carter held the honor in both 2001 and 2003. Boone-Smith was an indoor champion in 2005.
 
Pierce was also an assistant hurdles coach for the USA National Team at the 2011 Pan Am Junior Championships, which were held July 22-24 in Miramar, Fla. In addition, he served as Head Men’s Coach at the 2014 NACAC Under-23 Championships, which were held in British Columbia and the 2018 NACAC Under-23 Championships in Toronto.

In March of 2025, he went to China to serve as the Men's Head Coach for the World Athletics Indoor Championships.

He is a 1996 graduate of Norfolk State University. He was a member of the Spartans track team in 1992-93, and 1995. Pierce is a native of Newport News, Va. and is married to Cantrese Pace-Pierce, a 1998 graduate of Hampton University. They live in Hampton with their two daughters, Alysa and Aniyah.

 
Pierce File
Birth date: Jan. 26, 1972
Hometown: Newport News, Va.
Education: Warwick High School
B.S.: Norfolk State University, 1996

Coaching:
1995-98: Norfolk State University, Volunteer Assistant
1998-99: University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Assistant Coach
1999-02: Hampton University, Assistant Women’s Coach
2002-11: Hampton University, Head Women’s Coach
2004: Hampton University, Interim Men’s Coach
2012-present: Hampton University, Director of Track & Field
 
UNDER COACH PIERCE
-2003 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2003 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2004 MEAC Women’s Cross Country Champions
-2004 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2004 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2005 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2006 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2006 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2006 MEAC Women’s Cross Country Champions
-2007 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2007 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2008 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Co-Champions
-2008 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2009 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2009 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2010 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2010 MEAC Women’s Cross Country Champions
-2011 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2011 MEAC Women’s Cross Country Champions
-2012 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2012 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2013 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2013 MEAC Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2013 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2014 MEAC Men’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2014 MEAC Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2014 MEAC Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2015 MEAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2016 MEAC Women's Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2019 Big South Women’s Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2019 Big South Men's Indoor Track & Field Champions
-2019 Big South Women's Outdoor Track & Field Champions
-2019 Big South Men's Outdoor Track & Field Champions
 
PIERCE’S NCAA CHAMPIONS
Yvette Lewis
-2006 indoor triple jump
-2007 outdoor triple jump
Francena McCorory
-2009 indoor 400-meter dash
-2010 indoor 400-meter dash*
-2010 outdoor 400-meter dash
 
*McCorory set American record with 50.54
 
OLYMPIANS PIERCE HAS COACHED
Francena McCorory -- London 2012 (400-meter dash, 4x400-meter relay – gold medal); Rio 2016 (4x400 relay – gold medal)
David Payne -- Beijing 2008 (110-meter hurdles – silver medal)
James Carter -- Athens 2004, Sydney 2000 (400-meter hurdles)
Rachelle Thomas -- Atlanta 1996 (4x100-meter relay, 4x400-meter relay)

Brandon Jones – Rio 2016 (200 meters)

Yvette Lewis – Rio 2016 (100-meter hurdles)
 
WORLD CHAMPIONS PIERCE HAS COACHED
James Carter -- 2001, 2003 outdoor
Rachelle Boone-Smith -- 2005 indoor
David Payne -- 2007 outdoor
Francena McCorory - 2011, 2013, 2015 outdoor; 2014 indoor