NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana has hired Kaisha Weeks as assistant coach in its men's and women's track and field and cross country programs.Weeks worked her first day at XULA Thursday (Sept. 5, 2019).
"Kai has a lot to offer and brings a lot to the table," XULA head coach Yhann Plummer said. "The team will benefit from her being part of the program."
Weeks joins XULA after coaching the sprinters and hurdlers at Oviedo (Fla.) High School. The Oviedo boys won three events at the 2019 Class 4A state meet, and the girls 400 relay qualified for regionals for the first time in more than 10 years and broke the school record.
Weeks also was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Lake Brantley (Fla.) High School. She coached her girls to school records in the 400 relay and the individual 100 and 200 at Class 4A state meets.
"I'm extremely pleased and grateful to be working alongside head coach Yhann Plummer and the rest of the XULA track and field / cross country staff," Weeks said. "It feels great to be back in the collegiate sector, but on the other side. I'm looking forward to working with my group of athletes and providing them with all the tools I have for them to maximize their full potential in their respective events.
"I'm here to assist, grow and help produce a solid track program while promoting the importance of academic success. I thank Jason Horn as well for this opportunity. And I'm thankful for my family who are major supporters in my career as a coach, along with many others."
A 2007 graduate in communications from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., Weeks was a seven-time Southwestern Athletic Conference track and field champion — hurdles, sprints, relays and javelin. She was a four-time NCAA regional qualifier in the 100 hurdles and was All-Louisiana in 2006 in the 100 hurdles and 400 relay.
On Nov. 3, 2017, Weeks was inducted into the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame.
Weeks is the younger sister of Rickie Weeks and Jemile Weeks, who played a combined 20 seasons of Major League Baseball.
XULA is a longtime member of the NAIA and the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and sponsors 11 intercollegiate teams. Women's outdoor track produced its highest-ever team finish, 23rd, at the 2019 NAIA National Championships. In January the Gold Nuggets will compete indoors for the first time since 2004.
What They're Saying About Kaisha Weeks
Dave Tibbets, Head Track and Field Coach, Oviedo High School
"A mutual friend gave me Kaisha's name after the 2017 season. I called her and we spent over an hour on the phone going over coaching styles and experience. I knew right away she would be perfect for the job. She agreed to take over our sprint/hurdle program, and from day one the culture of our sprinters completely changed. They came to practice each day ready to work and eager to take on the days challenge. Our sprinters completely bought in to Kaisha's program, and the results were amazing. She had a perfect blend of discipline along with a wonderful sense of humor. Her passion for track and field was contagious. Our sprinters had the best season Oviedo High School had seen in many years. The success of our sprint and hurdle program was directly due to Kaisha Weeks. We will miss Kai, but I know the passion, energy and love of track and field Kaisha brought to Oviedo High School will be immediately be felt at Xavier University."
Khalid Elmatbagi, Track and Field Student-Athlete, Oviedo High School
"Coach Weeks was there for us on and off the track. She was a mentor for the track team. She helped us believe in ourselves and brought out of us the performance we didn't know we had. With coach Weeks hard work wasn't a choice. Every workout was meaningful, and nothing seemed unorganized or quickly strewn together. As the season progressed, so did our times. What was an athletics team became a family, and we pushed not only to help ourselves, but to also give our teammates and relay members an edge. Coach Weeks let us believe there was a champion in each of us, and so we persevered with the vision of gold in our minds. She taught us that running was a craft. She went over every step in meticulous detail until technique became muscle memory. She taught us that every race ends ten meters past the line, and every hundredth of a second mattered. Every timed step and every strong bound mattered in a jump. It was this 110-percent effort that really drew the athlete out of the team. No one is better qualified to lead a group of athletes to victory and achievement on and off the track than coach Weeks."
Jordan Butler, Track and Field Student-Athlete Trained by Weeks
"What a wonderful coach she is. Not only did coach Weeks shape me into a better athlete, she believed in me. She's a great person all around and cares deeply for her athletes and their success. I wouldn't be where I am today without her, and I will forever be grateful I received the opportunity to become one of her athletes."
Tony Moore, Girls Track and Field / Cross Country Head Coach, Lake Brantley (Fla.) High School
"Kaisha Weeks was an outstanding athlete and a pleasure to coach at Lake Brantley. She still holds the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles records at the school. Xavier University, you are getting an outstanding coach."
Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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