Assistant Coach Tyree Price enters his seventh year on the Bethune-Cookman staff for the 2019-20 season, looking to build on the accomplishments of a very successful 2018-19 campaign.
The 2018-19 seasons saw Quamecha Morrison finish second in the high jump at the NCAA Indoor National Championships and Monae Nichols qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In 2017, Price took the reins of the short sprint/relay group to go along with his duties of jump coach. Under his guidance the sprint group’s successes included Senior Karim Fair posting personal records in the 100m and 200m (10.11w/21.15) which carried him to the NCAA Preliminary Round of the 100m while the men’s 4x100m just missed going to the final round of the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a time of 39.64 was just .03 away from moving forward.
Junior Sade McCreath-Tardiel produced personal records in the 100m and 200m (11.50/23.91). The women’s 4x100m advanced to the to the NCAA Final Round, and running a 44.49.
The men’s jump program kept up with its excellence with Junior Kelton Williams in the high jump with a personal record of 2.11m, while Junior Joel Sampson achieved a person record in the triple jump (15.24m). Freshman JaiQuan Earls came on the seen with a personal record in the long jump of 7.45m (24’4½”).
The women’s program saw growth as many personal records and achievements came about. Nichols had person records in the long jump and triple jump with marks of 6.30m (20’8”) and 12.26m (40’2¾”), winning the MEAC Long Jump Championship. Morrison continued her dominance in the high jump as she qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships with a personal record of 1.85m (6’¾”), while also sweeping the MEAC High Jump titles of Indoor and Outdoor. Graduate student, Jonina Brinson, saw herself reach the top of the podium during the Indoor Championships in the long jump with a jump of 6.09m (19’11¾”), while also achieving a personal record in the High Jump with a mark of 1.73m (5’8”).
The 2016-17 season, considered as a rebuilding season, saw triple jumper Michael Tiller finish his career with a victory in the triple jump at the NCAA East Preliminary and a 12th place finish at the NCAA Outdoor championships. Tiller became the first Wildcat since Ronnie Ash, a 2016 Olympian, to qualify for indoor and outdoor national meets and finished his career with his fourth and fifth Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships in the event.
That season also saw Morrison set a new PR in the high jump and school record with a leap of 1.84m (6’½”) and an Indoor MEAC victory.
In 2015-16, the Wildcats horizontal and vertical jumpers made a significant impact under Price’s tutelage, led by Kenneth Fisher, Tiller, Ed’Ricus Williams, and Summer Brown. All of these athletes won individual championships and swept the MEAC Indoor Men’s high jump at the Conference Championship. Fisher went on to earn a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championship in the long jump with a personal record of 7.81m, while Tiller and Williams went to represent at the USATF Indoor Championships in the high jump and triple jump. Summer Brown came on strong with an MEAC Outdoor Championship in the long jump and a fourth place finish in the triple jump.
Under Price’s guidance, B-CU jumpers were very successful scorers for the Wildcats en route to the program’s second straight Indoor and third straight Outdoor MEAC Championship. The jump program has had over 10 NCAA Regional Qualifiers, four NCAA Qualifiers, two 2nd Team All-Americans, and four Academic All-Americans in three years.
In 2013-14, Wildcats horizontal jumpers made a significant impact under Price’s tutelage. Then a freshman, Fisher collected both MEAC Indoor and Outdoor long jump championships and at the Outdoor Championships, Fisher teamed up with Demetrius Rooks and Nicholas Williams to make a B-CU sweep on the podium.
Four of Price’s jumpers joined the squad to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Preliminary round, with Fisher moving on to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In addition, Fisher set a school record and earned second place at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Junior Championships, garnering him a place on Team USA for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Junior Championships. Capping off a very successful season for the Wildcats, Fisher and Rooks, each earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors.
Price came to Bethune-Cookman after six seasons as the Head Track and Field and cross country coach at South Carolina State University, extending a very long and strong relationship with Cooper as both a colleague and friend. Before his arrival at BCU, Cooper was the assistant head coach under Price at South Carolina State. However, their history began as college teammates at SC State, later coaching together at Morris Brown and Fort Valley State.
“His presence definitely strengthens the program,” Cooper commented at his hiring. “We’re at a point now that bringing on someone with such experience and knowledge gives us a unique advantage. His ability to recruit, motivate and prepare student-athletes is going to be a huge asset.”
Price’s experience in developing champions precedes him, producing 51 NCAA Regional qualifiers, 2 NCAA Indoor qualifiers, 5 NCAA All-Americans, 8 NCAA Outdoor Qualifiers, 4 USA Junior National qualifiers, over 125 MEAC All-Conference athletes, over 70 MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team honorees, 30 MEAC Champions, two MEAC record holders, 41 SCSU school record holders, 11 B-CU school record holders, and one IAAF World Juniors (Team USA) performer.
Price’s 2010 SCSU women’s cross country squad earned the highest placement in school history, finishing second overall at the MEAC Cross Country Championships.
Price joined the SCSU staff after serving four seasons as the head men’s cross country/track & field coach, and three seasons as the head women’s cross country/track & field coach at Fort Valley State University. At FVSU, he produced 37 NCAA Division II National qualifiers (2004-07), 23 NCAA Division II All-Americans, 5 NCAA Division II Individual National Champions, 27 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Champions, 139 All-SIAC Conference athletes, the 2005 USTFCCCA South Region “Track Athlete of the Year”, the 2006 USTFCCCA South Region “Track Athlete of the Year”, the 2006 USTFCCCA South Region “Field Athlete of the Year”, and has guided the school to several top finishes at the SIAC Cross Country and Track & Field Championships as well as the NCAA Division II Championships.
Prior to his stint at Fort Valley, Price served three seasons as the assistant head coach at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. He also severed as an assistant with “In the Black Track Club”, which produced the 14th ranked 4x400m relay in the world, as well as the sixth place finisher in the triple jump in the 2001 USA Indoor Championships.
Price was a member of the SC State University track & field team for four years (1995-98), and also was a member of the SC State University football team (1995). Price received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biology/Pre-Med from South Carolina State in 1998. In addition to his degree from SC State, the Summerville, S.C. native has a Master’s of Science Degree in Sport Management/Sport Administration from Southern New Hampshire University in 2015, he also received his Certification in Strength and Conditioning (NCACE) in 2018, and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
