CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia’s Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jason Vigilante has announced the addition of Adrian Wheatley as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers’ track and field program. Wheatley will work directly with the sprinters, hurdles and relay teams.

Wheatley joins the Cavalier staff from Austin Peay State University, where he served as an assistant track and field and cross country coach for two seasons. Wheatley was responsible for the sprinters, hurdlers and jumpers, in addition to recruiting and serving as the academic and study hall supervisor for the cross country and track and field teams.

While with the Governors, Wheatley worked with long jumpers Keyvia Davis and Leeann White, and pole vaulters Carrie Burggraf and Molly Bartkiwicz. All four competitors were Ohio Valley Conference champions and NCAA outdoor regional qualifiers. White was a NCAA indoor provisional qualifier in the long jump, while Amanda McCoy was the OVC runner-up in the 100 hurdles.

“We’re extremely excited to have Adrian on our staff,” Vigilante said. “Adrian was a very successful athlete in college and at the national level, which is where we want our teams to be. He was a two-time All-American on a NCAA Championship team and brings a great deal of enthusiasm to Virginia. He has a wide range of sprint and hurdle knowledge that will benefit our team greatly.”

Prior to joining the Austin Peay staff, Wheatley was an assistant track and field and cross country coach at the College of Charleston, where he trained Kosha Lance, the Southern Conference champion in the weight and hammer throw. Throughout his time with the Cougars, Wheatley coached athletes to 13 school records and 15 personal-bests.

“I am excited about the opportunity to work under Coach Vigilante and the excellent staff he has assembled at Virginia,” Wheatley said. “In addition to making Virginia a perennial threat in the ACC, I hope to build Virginia into a top 25 program.”

Wheatley’s athletic achievements are no less impressive. Following a more than impressive high school track career at Thomas Worthington High School, in Worthington, Ohio, Wheatley was heavily recruited to Southeastern Conference powerhouse Tennessee to run the hurdles. Wheatley was a three-time All-SEC selection (1999, 2001, 2002) and a two-time NCAA All-American selection (2001, 2002).

As a freshman, Wheatley joined the Tennessee track and field elites with a 500-meter performance of 1:05.46, which still ranks 10th all-time in school history. He etched his name again in the record books in 2002, as a member of Tennessee’s school record holding 4x400 meter relay team 3:02.32.

A four-time letter-winner, Wheatley was a member of the Volunteers’ 2001 NCAA Championship team, the 2002 NCAA runner-up squad and back-to-back SEC Championship teams. He was also elected team captain by his teammates in 2000 and named the EdSouth’s Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2002.

Wheatley graduated from Tennessee with a bachelor of arts degree in urban planning in the spring of 2002.