INDIANAPOLIS — Sacramento State assistant track & field coach Kyra Jefferson was named as the assistant relays coach for the U.S. team at the upcoming World Athletics Relays, it was announced by USATF. Jefferson will help guide the American squad at the meet in Guangzhou, China on May 10-11.
 
Jefferson, who is in her second season with the Hornets, will be part of the women's staff which is being led by Darryl Woodson. Jefferson has made an immediate impact on the Sacramento State sprinters and hurdlers. During her time with the team, student-athletes coached by Jefferson have accounted for three school records and a total of 21 school top 10 performances.
 
A standout athlete in her own right, Jefferson was a four-time NCAA and six-time SEC champion while competing at Florida. She went on to compete professionally from 2017-23 before beginning her coaching career.
 
The 2025 World Athletics Relays will feature six events — the men's, women's, and mixed 4x100 and 4x400. All but the mixed 4x100, which is being contested for the first time, will serve as qualification races for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25. The top 14 countries in each relay in Guangzhou plus the next fastest two times within the qualifying window will secure a spot for the Tokyo championships.
 
Nine Olympians have been named to the roster, including six who competed at the Paris Games. Highlighting the women's roster is Paris gold medalist TeeTee Terry, who ran the second leg of Team USA's gold-medal winning 4x100 which had a time of 41.78. She's joined by fellow Paris Olympian and Tokyo mixed 4x400 bronze medalist Kendall Ellis and 2020 Olympian Lynna Irby-Jackson, who won gold in the 4x400 and bronze in the mixed 4x400 in Tokyo. Courtney Okolo, a Rio gold medalist in the 4x400, also brings a wealth of experience to the women's roster.