Joanna Hayes

Biography

UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame member and Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes returned to UCLA as the new The Sherie L. and Donald G. Morrison UCLA Director of Track & Field/Cross Country on June 17, 2024. Hayes previously served as an assistant coach for the Bruins from 2014-16 and for USC from 2017-24. Shortly after being named to the top job at UCLA, she was selected as the USATF Nike Coach of the Year for the 2024 calendar year. UCLA started off its new era under Hayes in a strong way in 2025. The women’s outdoor squad was nationally ranked all season, climbing as high as No. 13 in the polls. The Bruins swept their dual meet over crosstown rival USC at Drake Stadium, a first for the program since 2013. UCLA set five school records over the course of the year, including in the women’s indoor 4x400 and outdoor 4x100 relays. The Bruins made a strong impression at their first Outdoor Big Ten Championships, with Michael Pinckney bringing home a gold medal in the men’s discus and the UCLA women finishing third in the team standings. A total of 11 individuals combined for 16 All-America honors at the Outdoor NCAA Championships, with two more earning Indoor All-America accolades earlier in the season. A six-time All-American at UCLA from 1996-99, Hayes won seven Pac-10 titles and the 1999 NCAA outdoor title in the 400m hurdles. She led UCLA to three-straight Pac-10 team titles and two-straight NCAA runner-up finishes, and her Bruin teams went 39-0 in dual meets in her career. At the P