- Entering 18th Season with Florida (First Season as Associate Head Coach)
- 13-time NCAA Division I National Champion
- 14-time SEC Champion
Mellanee Welty enters her 18th season with the Gators, and her first as associate head coach for the women’s program. During her tenure at Florida, Welty has worked primarily with the program’s dynamic sprints and relays corps and—aside from the 2016 and 2017 seasons—vertical jumpers and multis athletes.
Welty’s second stint with the Gators began in 2008; she previously served as an assistant coach for distance runners from 2002-03.
Her impact on the Florida program since her return in 2008 has been undeniable, especially on the recruiting trail. With Welty handling recruiting coordinator duties for Florida, the program has consistently signed top-10 recruiting classes, including a highly-touted 2016 group and another star-studded contingent in 2017.
Since she rejoined the Gators in 2008, Welty has helped UF’s quarter-milers and relay teams amass 16 NCAA titles, 18 SEC titles, and a collegiate record time of 2:57.74 in the men's 4x400 relay.
Moreover, Welty has helped coach Florida quarter-milers and relay teams to 86 times on the program’s current all-time top 10 lists.
One of the top highlights in Welty’s time on staff came at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships, where Florida became the first team since 2005 and fifth program in Division I history to sweep the women’s 4x100 and 4x400 relay titles.
From 2008-2015 and 2018-present, Welty has worked with high jumpers and multi-event athletes.
The top seven performances in Florida history in the Pentathlon came under Welty’s watch as well as the top-three performances in the Heptathlon (Women’s).
During the 2023 Indoor Season, Florida won conference titles in the Women’s 400m (Talitha Diggs).
The Gators added conference championships in the Men’s 400m (Ryan Willie) and Men’s 4x400m relay during the 2023 SEC Outdoor Championships.
Florida went on to win National Championships in the 400 meters (Emmanuel Bamidele) and the 4x400m relay.
Outside of the collegiate season, Anna Hall earned her second consecutive World Championship medal as she earned silver in the Heptathlon at World Championships in Budapest.
During the 2022 Outdoor Season, Florida won conference titles in the Heptathlon (Sterling Lester), Men's 400 Meters (Champion Allison) and both Men's Relays.
Florida went on to win National Championships in the Heptathlon (Anna Hall), 400 meters (Talitha Diggs) and the men's 4x400 relay. Anna Hall's success continued at the World Athletics Championships where she captured bronze for Team USA in the Heptathlon.
In 2022, Welty helped Champion Allison to an SEC Indoor Title in the 400 meters as well as Anna Hall’s sweep of the Pentathlon at the SEC and NCAA Indoor Championships. Talitha Diggs also won an NCAA Indoor Title in the 400 meters.
During the 2021 season, Welty assisted then-freshman Talitha Diggs to a conference indoor title, in addition to a silver medal in the 400 meters at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with the second-fastest time in school history. Additionally, Welty saw Taylor Manson qualify to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as part of the Women’s 4x400 meter relay pool for Team USA.
In 2019, Welty guided Amanda Froeynes to an SEC title in the heptathlon, helped women’s quarter-miler Sharrika Barnett to the highest NCAA Championships finish of her career, assisted in All-America sophomore seasons by men’s quarter-milers Benjamin Lobo Vedel and Chantz Sawyers, and a third NCAA Championships scoring performance by high jumper Jhonny Victor.
13 of Florida’s 14 National Championships and 14 of the Gators’ 29 SEC Championships have come with Welty on staff.
Following the 2021 season, Welty, along with jumps coach Nic Petersen, were elevated to the position of Associate Coach.
Other Notable Achievements Under Welty
Through the end of the 2015 season, Welty also worked with the Gators’ high jumpers and multi-eventers. She resumed both duties in 2018. Some of their highlights under Welty’s guidance include:
- Anna Hall (multis) - 2022 NCAA and SEC Indoor Champion in the Pentathlon; school record holder in the Pentathlon and the Heptathlon, 2022 USATF Champion, 2022 NCAA Outdoor Champion (Heptathlon), No. 1 All-Dates Collegiate Performer (Heptathlon), 2022 World Championships Bronze Medalist (Heptathlon)
- Clayton Brown (high jump) – 13-time USTFCCCA All-American (six outdoor, seven indoor); two SEC Outdoors silver medal (2017 and 2018); one SEC Outdoors bronze medal (2021); No. 3-ranked high jumper in UF history outdoors, and No. 5 indoors.
- Dwight Barbiasz (high jump) – 2012 SEC Outdoor Champion; 2012 USTFCCCA Indoor & Outdoor All-American; 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials finalist; Florida outdoor school record holder
- Taylor Burke (high jump) – 2012 SEC Outdoor Champion; 5-time USTFCCCA All-American (four indoor, one outdoor); Florida indoor and outdoor school record holder; 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships qualifier
- Brittany Harrell (multis) – Five-time USTFCCCA All-American (three heptathlon, two pentathlon); Third-place finisher at 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships; 2012 SEC Outdoor Champion (heptathlon)
- Gray Horn (multis) – Five-time SEC Outdoor Champion (three decathlon, two heptathlon); four-time USTFCCCA All-American (two decathlon, two heptathlon); 2009 Pan American Junior Championships silver medalist (decathlon); 2010 NACAC U23 Championships gold medalist (decathlon)
Prior to Florida
Aside from her two tenures with the Gators, Welty spent time at Louisville, Texas Pan-American, Florida’s P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, and Illinois State, where she started her coaching career in 2001.
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Louisville won the 2007 men’s BIG EAST Outdoor Championships with Welty on staff, and P.K. Yonge took runner-up honors at the 2004 FHSAA Class A State Championships during her lone season as head coach. Also at Louisville, Welty’s pupils broke 12 school records. In her only season at Texas Pan-American, Welty’s guidance helped the Broncs break 10 school records.
As a first-year assistant coach for jumps at Illinois State, Welty developed an NCAA qualifier, three NCAA provisional qualifiers and two Missouri Valley Conference Champions.
Coaching History
- Florida – Associate Head Coach (Women), Recruiting Coordinator, Sprints/Relays/High Jump/Multis (2022-present)
- Florida – Assistant Track and Field Coach/Recruiting Coordinator, Sprints/Relays/High Jump/Multis (2008-2021)
- Louisville – Assistant Track and Field Coach, Sprints/Multi-Events/Middle Distance (2006-07)
- Texas Pan-American – Assistant Track and Field Coach, Sprints/Jumps/Multi-Events (2005)
- P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School (Fla.) – Head Track and Field Coach (2004)
- Florida – Assistant Track and Field Coach, Distance (2002-03)
- Illinois State University – Assistant Track and Field Coach, Jumps (2001)
Personal
A 2001 Cum Laude graduate of Wichita State, Welty earned All-America honors in the heptathlon in 1999, one of two years in which she qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She also collected two Academic All-America honors, eight MVC titles, two MVC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Meet accolades and two Drake Relays heptathlon crowns during her collegiate career.
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A native of Wichita, Kan., Welty also earned a master’s degree from the University of Louisville in 2008.
