Ronnie Williams - Track & Field Coach - University of Louisville Athletic

Ronnie Williams

Title:
Assistant Coach/Sprints and Hurdles
Email:
ronnie@GoCards.com

Assistant Coach (Sprints & Hurdles) - 2nd season

Athlete Honors at Louisville
• 6 All-ACC Selections (4 Indoor, 2 Outdoor)
• 2 NCAA East Regional Qualifications
• 6 Program Records

Ronnie Williams joined the coaching staff at Louisville after being named an assistant coach for sprints and hurdles on August 18, 2023.

During his time at Louisville, Williams has led the Cardinal sprinters to six All-ACC honors, two NCAA East Regional bids, and three program records.

2024-25
Indoor
Williams helped the Louisville sprints squad to a trio of All-ACC honors at the ACC Indoor Championships, led by Kiyah Yeast who placed fourth in both the women's 60m and 200m, including a program-record time of 23.30 in the 200m. Jaidyn Johnson also earned Second Team All-ACC distinction, capping off his freshman season with a fifth-place finish in the men's 60m at the conference championship meet.

Outdoor
During the 2025 outdoor campaign, Williams guided Kiyah Yeast to one of the best seasons Louisville has ever seen from a sprinter. Over the course of the season, Yeast set program records in both the women's 100m (11.35) and women's 200m (23.08), while also clocking the seven fastest times in program history in the 200m. The redshirt senior also claimed the silver in the 200m and bronze in the 100m at the ACC Outdoor Championships, the first in school history, the first in school history to medal in both events at the ACC championship meet. Additionally, Williams coached the 4x100m relay team of Olivia Jenkins, Yeast, Ruby Nwosu, and Chelsea Williams to a sixth-place finish at the ACC Outdoor Championships while the 4x400m relay team of Keira Antoni, Yeast, Nwosu, and Sophia Day set a new program record in the 4x400m relay at the same meet.

2023-24
Indoor
On the indoor oval during the 2023-24 season, Williams helped Kiyah Yeast earn Second Team All-ACC distinction in the women's 200m with a sixth-place finish at the ACC Indoor Championships. Yeast also scored points for the Cardinals with an eighth-place showing in the women's 60m while both the men's and women's 4x400m relay teams finished sixth in the event at the conference championship meet.

Outdoor
In the 2024 outdoor campaign, Williams helped the women's 4x400m relay team of McKenzie Bell, Ruby Nwosu, Taylor Boggess, and Sophia Day to a new program-record time of 3:40.06 at the ACC Outdoor Championships to cap off his first season at the helm of the Louisville sprints group.

2009-17 - Arizona State University - Assistant Coach
Before joining the staff at Louisville, Williams boasted over 12 years of collegiate coaching experience at the NCAA Division I and NJCAA levels, last serving as the assistant coach for sprints, hurdles, and relays at Arizona State from 2009-17.

Over the course of his career prior to UofL, Williams’ athletes earned a pair of NCAA runner-up finishes, 38 NCAA All-American honors and 23 individual conference championships while also setting numerous program records.

During his eight seasons in Tempe, Williams guided his athletes to widespread success at the conference and national levels, coaching 33 NCAA All-Americans along with 19 conference champions in both the Pac-12 and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Williams also led a pair of Sun Devils to national runner-up finishes while coaching at Arizona State, guiding Donald Sanford to a second-place finish in the men’s 400m at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships and Ryan Milus to a silver medal in the men’s 60m at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships.

2008-09 - Texas Christian University - Assistant Coach
2007-08 - Iowa State University - Assistant Coach
Previously, Williams had coached at the Division I level at Iowa State for the 2007-08 season before joining the staff at Texas Christian prior to the beginning the 2008-09 season, working as an assistant sprints coach at both stops.

2005-07 - Mesa Community College - Assistant Coach
Williams began his coaching career in 2005, spending two seasons as the sprints coach at Mesa Community College where he led his sprinters to seven NJCAA top-eight finishes, while qualifying 24 marks for the national meet, and four new school records.

Personal
As an athlete, Williams competed on the Kentucky track & field team for two years where he was a four-time All-American sprinter for the Wildcats. During his first year in Lexington, Williams helped the 4x100m relay team to All-American honors after the same team captured the SEC title earlier in the 1996 season. His senior year saw him collect All-American distinction in the indoor 200m as well as in both the indoor and outdoor 4x400m relay.

Prior to joining the Wildcats, Williams competed for two seasons at Long Beach City College, where he won the 400m title at the 1994 Southern California Community College Championships.

Williams earned an associate’s degree in physical education from LBCC in 1994 and also holds a bachelor’s degree in social work, which he earned in 1997. He has also attained three certifications from USA Track & Field, including a Level I and Level II Coaching Certification along with a Level II Jumps Certification.