Pierce wants HU to market Olympic feats of McCorory, Wells

COACH MAURICE PIERCE
Director of Track & Field
HAMPTON UNIVERSITY
(Photo Courtesy HU Pirates Athletics)

HAMPTON, Virginia - After watching two former Hampton University track standouts in the Olympics, track and field director Maurice Pierce wasn't shy about his vision for using the success of Kellie Wells and Francena McCorory to boost the program.

"It's up to the university to find a way to market what these young ladies have just accomplished," Pierce said. "It's going to take the whole university's effort. We can really take our program to another level and get those type of kids to come here and probably be a threat to get another person in the next Olympic Games."

Wells, a 2006 HU graduate, won the bronze medal for the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 12.48, while McCorory, a '10 HU graduate, placed seventh in the 400 meter with a time of 50.33. McCorory became an Olympic gold medalist after running in the semifinal and final 4x400 relay races, as the United States won the event for the fifth straight year.

Wells became the Pirates' first female athlete to win an Olympic medal with her bronze medal on Wednesday. McCorory became the second after the relay gold on Saturday.

With an undergraduate enrollment of just over 4,500 students, according to the school's website, having two Olympic medalists from HU speaks volumes for not only Pierce, who coached both at Hampton and is McCorory's personal coach, but the university as a whole.


Kellie Wells wins  Olympic Bronze for USA in 100m hurdles final

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