Joanna Hayes ’01

On June 17, UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame member and Olympic gold medalist Joanna Hayes ’01 returned to UCLA as the new Sherie L. and Donald G. Morrison UCLA Director of Track & Field and Cross Country.

As a student-athlete, Hayes competed for the Track & Field program from 1996 to 1999, earned NCAA Outdoor Champion honors in the 400m hurdles in 1999, helped lead UCLA to a 39-0 dual-meet record and captured five Pac-10 titles from 1996 to 1998. Following her collegiate career, she won the gold medal in the 100m hurdles at the Olympic Games in 2004 and also earned the USA Track & Field Jesse Owens Award that same year. She was ranked No. 1 in the world in the 100m hurdles in 2004, and won gold at the 2003 Pan American Games. 

Hayes later worked as an assistant coach from 2014 to 2016 at UCLA before going across town to USC and serving in that same role from 2017 to 2024, earning USTFCCCA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors four times.

We recently had the chance to catch up with Director Hayes to hear about her journey back to UCLA and her vision for the Cross County and Track & Field programs.

Q. As a student, what drew you to Westwood?

A. When I transferred to North High School in Riverside, I was originally a jumper for them – I did the long jump and triple jump – but my coach, Charles Leathers, tried me out at hurdles and I was naturally good at it. I then started to get recruited in my junior year, and Coach Leathers, who had coached Jeanette Bolden, UCLA’s head coach at the time, when she was in high school, gave her the inside scoop on me. Jeannette called me weekly and I really liked her and what I saw from the program. I was also learning of a lot of Bruin legends at the time, like Flo-Jo (Florence Griffith Joyner), Gail Devers and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. All of that put it together for me - the location not being too far from my family, having this Bruin legacy of Olympians and the great education at UCLA made it the top choice for me. From there, the top two schools that recruited me were UCLA and USC. I loved UCLA, and it was close to home, so I committed!

Q. What did you learn in your time as a Bruin – both on the track and off – that you're looking to bring back to Westwood?

A. When I was a student here, our coaches put together a really great program with a lot of structure and a winning mentality. We didn't settle for less. And what I know about both sports and life is that you have to lose on your way to winning. That's just part of it, right? You're going to fail before you succeed, and you can't be afraid of losing if your ultimate goal is to be the best. So my goal here is to bring back the mentality that everything that we do is geared to winning. People don't come to UCLA to not try and win. This is an NCAA Division I, Power Five program. It's about using the old foundation that was built when I was here. That foundation was built years ago by Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Rafer Johnson, Greg Foster and Jackie Robinson. They all worked hard and built their legacies, and that’s what I’m going to implement. I want people to understand that I'm okay with losing on the way to winning. But what I'm not okay with is being comfortable with losing.

Q. What’s your approach to recruiting?

A. It doesn't matter where I'm at. UCLA, the moon, whatever. I'm going to recruit the same type of kids that I've always recruited – the ones who are right for the program. I've coached at two schools, both of which were high academic programs. I’m going to recruit the kids who I know can excel in the classroom, who aren't afraid to go to class every day, who want to work hard and get a degree. You have to want to get a degree from UCLA to come to UCLA. That’s important to know before coming here. I'm recruiting the kids who want to work hard. A lot of the kids we’re trying to get know that UCLA hasn’t won in a while. That's just the circumstances, and that's not to fault anyone or blame anyone. So these recruits now have the chance to be part of the rebuilding and restructuring of something already great. We've got some great athletes on the team already. But the athletes that I want should want to be part of the Bruin legacy that can put more championships on the board, not just for them, but for the team. I recruit people who want to be Bruins, who want to be great, who want to get a degree to put on their wall so their parents can say, “Look at that - MY kid graduated from UCLA.”

Q. Who had the biggest impact on your life as a student?

A. I think the number one person who's had the most impact on my life is Jackie Joyner-Kersee – not just on the track, but in life. When I took some time off with track and field in between my pro career, I worked at her Boys and Girls Club in East St. Louis, Illinois, and I learned so much there. I learned from both the kids and just from working under her. I was able to train with her and learn how to work hard, not to give up, deal with injuries and all the things that come along with being a great athlete. I was able to learn from her and watch her trials and tribulations because she had a big career before I got to UCLA. But then she even had a career after, which was great because she was older, and showing that she could still do it. Also, Greg Foster, who passed away last year, became my agent and traveled the world with me, showed me a lot of things, took care of me and looked out for me on the circuit. Gail Devers, too. Her story is extremely inspiring. She took me under her wing and I got to follow her around Europe. And finally, Rafer Johnson. He and Jackie are probably the greatest athletes to ever come out of here. He's always been such a great supporter. He was just the kindest soul. He was a quiet leader. Everything he did with the Special Olympics was so inspiring to me. There are a lot more people, but those, I would say, are the main four Bruins who impacted me on and off the track.

Q. Do you have a favorite memory as a student?

A. I have a lot of memories because I had a lot of friends and we had a really tight-knit group. We all played sports and a lot of those people are still my friends. They’ve become really important people, really great parents, business owners and they’ve just done amazing things. My favorite memories have really been the relationships that I’ve built and the fun times that we had doing different things. Hanging out at parties, going to football games together or just hanging out on Bruin Walk. I think those are the memories that I will always cherish. For track & field, it was when I finally won the NCAA title, especially because I was injured so much. Every year there was always something. And finally, we put it together and I was a National Champion. I think in that moment when I crossed the line as the champion, as it was my last shot, it was a relief. That moment of finally being able to do something that I thought I couldn’t was just my greatest and favorite accomplishment in college.

Q. How did your time as a student, coupled with your career, prepare you for this role?

A. I know the fabric of UCLA. I know what it is to be a Bruin. I worked here for three years after my athletic career. I had a great staff and coaches that I worked with, but it wasn’t for me at the time. Then, when I got the job the offer to go across town, I took it. Ultimately, it was the best decision that I could make and it worked out very well because I was mentored and taught about coaching and how to coach professional athletes. I even had to work in financial aid, academics, admissions and compliance – I did so many jobs. All of those things prepared me to come back to UCLA to be a leader. I'm now confident that I can do this role. I know there are still things I have to learn, but being able to be back at UCLA, I know this is the best place to be as a first-time head coach because I know UCLA. I am UCLA.

Q. What kind of culture are you looking to establish in Westwood?

A. I want to establish a culture of family, discipline and service to the community. When you're here, you're part of a family. You're not just doing this for yourself. You're part of something greater than yourself, and when you step outside, you're representing a brand. You know you represent yourself, your team and UCLA. And then structure and discipline. Because nothing can be done without structure and discipline. If you're all over the place, and you're not focused and organized, how are you going to win or help a team win? And then service to the community. These athletes are very fortunate to be in the position they’re in, and there are so many people who would love to be at UCLA to be a Bruin, to be on a team, to be involved in something greater than themselves. I want them to invest in the community and talk to kids, veterans, homeless and elderly people and say, “Hey. I'm the next generation. What can you teach me that I can later teach somebody else?” I want them to be grateful for where they are. And finally, I want us to have a winning culture. I think if you do all those steps to get there, you will win. With that hard work and that discipline, there's no way we don't win.

Q. What are you most excited about with our recent move to the Big Ten Conference?

A. It's an exciting move, and I think it's going to be great for all of our sports. I know it is going to have a big impact on our football and basketball teams, but there are a lot more sports, including cross country and track & field, that need to be highlighted going into this new era. We did so much in the Pac-12, why not go try to win a bunch of conference championships in this new conference? We’re going to have so much more coverage as the Big Ten is coast-to-coast. Also, as we get closer to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, there is going to be a lot of attention on Westwood. Track is arguably the biggest sport in the Olympics, and in addition to our Big Ten move, I really want everyone to see what is happening in Westwood. One of my goals is to get as many Bruins as possible to make the 2028 Olympics, and I know that starts this season when we first compete in the Big Ten.

Q. How can alumni get involved and support the program?

A. A lot of Bruins have been reaching out already and asking what they can do and how they can help. To take this program where I want it to go, I need the alumni base to help. I know that they want to be involved. In the past, the alumni involvement meant us sending out letters asking for support. We’re still going to send those letters as we want that support. This is a family and that involves alumni. This is an important network because alumni are the people who are going to help you get jobs. These are people who will support you, and we want to involve alumni by inviting them to show up to the races and meets. It’s not just cross country and track & field alumni that I want to be involved. I want all teams to come out and support. I have a lot of friends who are now coaching here and I want to see teams supporting teams. Get the basketball alumni out, get the football alumni out. Let’s fill Drake Stadium with alumni and fans! I tell them, “Hey, you went to the track meet when I was running. Now you have to come to the track meet when I'm coaching!” Because that’s how it starts! You bring the people that you know. Show them that you care because I do care. I'm going to be doing some things with the alumni, and I'm just hoping that the more people I can get to jump on board, the better.

Q. Do you have any closing thoughts?

A. I'm so excited to be back. I’m not taking anything for granted. I know that success is not an overnight thing, and it will take time, but I'm trying to move fast. I'm not trying to wait on anyone. I left Westwood as a winner, and I'm trying to come back and be a winner with this team. I’m excited that they put their trust in me to take this program to the next level. It's new and it’s exciting. I don’t want to be anywhere else doing this job. I’m just really grateful to be back and am ready to get to work.

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Hayes and the Bruins began the 2024 Cross Country season on Aug. 30. Learn more about Joanna Hayes from her introductory press conference. For more info, visit the websites of UCLA Cross Country and Track & Field.