Chambana Sun

Director of track, field, and cross country Petros Kyprianou has added two assistant coaches to his staff, Ayden Owens-Delerme and Cheyenne Nesbitt.

Kyprianou expressed his enthusiasm about Owens-Delerme: "Ayden is a great addition to our staff and team as he brings a plethora of talents as well as experience at the highest Olympic level. He is the first-ever elite active Olympian to get a full-time job as a coach. His position will strictly be through his training and being an on-campus recruiter. It is a position I always wanted to have on my staff, and finally we get to do it here at Illinois. He has the personality, character, and work ethic to help our young athletes elevate their standards and mindset and push to become the best versions of themselves."

Regarding Nesbitt, Kyprianou stated: "Cheyenne is another great athlete with Olympic potential who falls into the same category as Ayden, being a part of the combined events support program. She will be a direct link with our female combined event athletes while training to make her first Olympic team. We are excited to have her push alongside our team and help mentor some of our young ladies."

Owens-Delerme represents Puerto Rico internationally and recently competed in the decathlon at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where he placed ninth. The Nike professional athlete claimed a decathlon gold medal at the Central American and Caribbean games in 2023, marking his third career gold medal.

He finished fourth at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the decathlon and published "Race of My Own: An Olympian's Quest for Self-Discovery" on July 15, 2024. Additionally, he is the founder and CEO of DapUp LLC, a software platform connecting college athletes with local businesses for marketing campaigns.

A Pittsburgh native, Owens-Delerme concluded his college career in 2023 after representing Arkansas, Michigan, and USC. He became a three-time national champion (4x400m relay, decathlon, heptathlon), two-time SEC champion (400m hurdles, heptathlon), Big Ten champion (decathlon), and Pac-12 champion (4x400m relay). A seven-time All-American, he was also runner-up for the 2022 Bowerman Award.

Owens-Delerme graduated from the University of Michigan in 2021 before completing an MBA program at the University of Arkansas' Sam M. Walton College of Business in 2023.

"I am honored to join the exceptional staff and program that Coach Petros Kyprianou has built at Illinois," Owens-Delerme said. "The opportunity to contribute to a championship culture, learn from one of the world's most respected coaches and elevate my track career made this decision an easy one."

Nesbitt is a 2024 indoor USA champion in pentathlon who joins Illinois after four years at Saginaw Valley State University. There she became a ten-time NCAA Division II national champion.

She earned NCAA gold four times in heptathlon (2021-24) becoming the first athlete ever to win four-straight national championships in that event. She also won titles in high jump (2023), pentathlon (twice - 2021 & 2022), 4x400m relay (2021), 60m hurdles (2021), and long jump (2021).

A nineteen-time All-American recipient, Nesbitt was twice named USTFCCCA Outdoor National Field Athlete of the Year (2023-24) among other accolades.

"Coming from Division II," Nesbitt remarked,"I am excited to take the next step in my athletic career... I can't wait to progress as an athlete and as a coach with Fighting Illini."